The underground cult that evolved streetwear

A cult, within fashion, can be seen as a group of people that devoutly worship a specific fashion brand, personality or aesthetic which results in them becoming hardcore followers, exactly what Ken Iijima has created with his fanbase. With a following of that doesn’t match the impact he has made to the world of streetwear, the Japanese content creator and clothing designer has played a heavy role in evolving the fashion subculture’s aesthetic in the past 4 years. As a pioneer of workwear and Japanese Americana trends, he has his dedicated fanbase of fashion Youtubers and streetwear aficionados to thank, who have been responsible for bringing what he wears and makes to the mainstream. 

Ken Iijima started making YouTube videos in 2018 where he documented the vintage shopping scene in Tokyo, archival fashion and clothing pickups before using his online platform to showcase his upcoming fashion label, Vuja Dé. He describes the brand’s aesthetic as a “dichotomy between luxury and streetwear – the culmination of Japanese iconography with nostalgic references” which is very cohesive to his own personal style of blending and mixing in pieces of high fashion with Japanese americana brands like Kapital that include references to vintage cuts and detailing. 

One of the things that draw his fans to his brand specifically is how Iijima records his design processes in his own videos as well as life in Tokyo. Fellow Youtuber and fan, Sean Oak, explains how he started watching him in the first place, saying: “I wanted to go to Tokyo and I watched his videos of him shopping there because he looked like a fashionable guy.” He also engages his audiences into being a part of his creative process by showing his meetings with manufacturers or how he picks out fabrics which allows his viewers to see the evolution of his garment-making and provides an insider’s perspective on how garment production works. He not only styles his own pieces to perfection with his eclectic, luxurious wardrobe but also shows off all the intricate detailing and explains the reasoning behind it to further enrich his brand’s concept and identity. 

Unlike other influencers or fashion content creators, he makes clothing more about silhouette and subtle details rather than about big logos and flamboyant prints creating a minimalistic yet distinct aesthetic. Nyugen agrees, saying that he likes how “he really focuses on the proportions and how things fit on his body versus how the exact item looks.” He plays around with luxury and streetwear to create a look that is more accessible and arguably, more unique. An example of this is his incorporation of vintage Champion sweatsuits, a uniform of streetwear and loungewear, and pairing it with Dior combat boots, an archive Raf Simons bomber jacket and Chrome Hearts jewellery. Oak approves, saying “he got me into wearing boots from brands like Alyx and Dior as well as jewellery - I used to only wear sneakers but I just wear boots and Chrome Hearts everyday now.” His distinctive styling opens up new doors for streetwear fans to be able to implement elements of luxury fashion which, to many, can seem like a very big commitment that is inaccessible. 

Iijima’s influence on his fans, what they dub as “the ken effect,” is undeniable and his followers will always try to emulate and buy into the clothes he both wears and makes which is true for Oak who says: “the ken effect is real - sometimes I’ll wear an outfit and I’ll think it’s hard but then I realise that Ken’s literally worn it but you wouldn’t even think about it, that’s when you know you have a cult following”. With his first Vuja Dé collection titled 001 Mono No Aware from 2018, he helped popularise the aesthetic of workwear, vintage Levi’s and Air Jordan’s through his own lookbook and outfits from his videos that have become the new standard look for streetwear today, three years later. Nguyen remembers this time fondly, saying “everybody in the community back then was wearing Vuja Dé cargos or vintage Levi’s 501s with grey hoodies and Air Force 1s that had a cream/aged sole – everybody wanted to dress like Ken.” Even people who aren’t particular big fans of him now, such as Instagrammer @antwerpseven, still find that Iijima has an influence on their buying choices as he says: “I like his certain taste in certain things -  I don’t enjoy his content as much now but I’m still going to watch his videos for what he wears and shows.” With his recent release of his collection labelled 005 “Etude Op.25, No.11,” you can expect to see Iijima and his new Vuja Dé garments on social media so make sure you keep an eye out for how he influences streetwear this time around. 

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