In 1978, late photographer Bill Cunningham debuted his “On the Street” column in the New York Times — and thus, our fascination with street style was born. This fascination carried through Amy Arbus’ Village Voice column in the eighties and nineties, through Vice’s “Dos and Don’ts”, and into the modern, Instagrammable version we know today. But somewhere along the line, the ethos of street style changed.
Street style was once the genuine product of snapping dapper bystanders in their natural environment. But commercialisation and the rise of social media has meant street style has had to evolve. These days, “street style” is a often a much more staged, polished affair, targeted towards elevating a brand — be that personal or commercial. The new street style undoubtedly has value (I’m sure I’m not the only one who’s used Instagram to get dressed in the morning), but it also certainly lost some of its spontaneity and authenticity.
This where Yu Fujiwara comes in. Taking to London’s streets for SLEEK during London Fashion Week, his images offer some of the candour of the old with the style of the new. The everyday chaos of London’s streets rules Fujiwara’s images. The more obvious tropes of London Fashion Week Street Style are punctuated with policemen, onlookers, and earnest moments between the subjects. There are animal rights protesters (to which the colourful plethora of influencers seem to be oblivious). There are tired-looking bypassers with shopping bags and middle-aged ladies, smiling disconcertedly in the camera.
This approach to street style seems particularly poignant this London Fashion Week. The fact there was an explosion on the tube at Parsons Green on the first day of LFW is evidence enough that fashion can no longer be separated from the current political climate. Whilst many of the key shows this season have been propagated nostalgic, escapist fantasies, the cities beyond the runways keep buzzing, keep churning, keep reminding us of all we’ve suffered in the past 12 months. Fujiwara’s images capture the blending and clashing of these worlds. The confrontation and escape; the glamour and the grime.
After the sequence of glitter-saturated shows of the recent London Fashion Week, Fujiwara’s candid images provide a much-needed reality check.
