What is Oshare kei?

It is mainly a type of fashion probably 'developed' by the baroque jband member, Kyo in their Anakuro Film video...


What's the meaning of the term 'oshare kei' ?

The word oshare ( お洒落 [おしゃれ] ) itself could be translated as 'fashion concious' while kei ( 系 [けい] ) means style...So the term has the meaning of fashion concious style...

When was it born ?

The style was born around 2001 as visual kei put on a rather darker and more melancholic tone...Oshare kei with its colorful and bright appearence seemed catchy for fans who wished for something new and cheerful in the VK genre...

Is it a fashion or a music direction ?

Since oshare fashion is highly connected to music some like to call the music direction oshare kei as well which often causes disagreements among fans...However oshare kei normally only describes the unique 'fashion concious' lifestyle...The music direction which accompanies this style is usally poppunk/rock...However bands who adopt the oshare kei style can be called 'oshare bands' independent of their music direction...

How can I recognize oshare kei ?

The oshare style has some very unique features that build two different kinds of directions...( the following terms are my own creations, so you don't have to take them as facts )
Street oshare : a very colorful and childish-looking street clothing that is very similar to decora - it's a bit less over decorated...Street oshare fans wear a lot of layers of clothes and like to mix different patterns and colors. They can wear unmatching socks and tights. They often wear a heavy amount of accessories and mascots. The colors are bright and cheerful - pink is very common...A very unique feature is that street oshare is mostly a self-made fashion...

Brand oshare : The clothing is designed by brands that are supporting oshare bands and the whole Harajuku Fashion phenomen...These clothes can be found in magazines like KERA or the GOSURORI BIBLE ( Gothic and Lolita Bible )...The appearence of brand oshare followers is rather related to punk and can easily be mistaken with the japanese postpunk clothing...However it is pointless to argue about what features make an image oshare or postpunk...

Popularity ?

Today oshare kei is a worldwide known term among lovers of japanese music. Bands like AnCafé and Alice Nine ( + a lot of others ) have a yearly growing number of supporting fans all over the globe who also fall in with the oshare kei fashion. Even though visual kei still hasn't lost it's popularity, oshare kei seems more appealing ( with its less heavy music direction ) to the - mostly young female - audience and slowly takes over the first place...