Japanese Subculture On The Streets of NYC: An Interview with Style Icon Sl33zyskiz
What’s developing right now in the world of subculture?
We interview Shy AKA @sl33zyskiz about the future of subculture, personal style, and her brand.
We’ve done our fair share of tribute posts about the past, spanning communities from Gyaru, Uraharajuku, Bosozoku, and Americana amongst other smaller dozens of subcultures not mentioned. Plus, with the advent of Pinterest and Instagram’s popularity, there's an archive of scanned books/zines/etc at your fingertips that can take you down an internet rabbit hole lasting days.
Shy shot by Yuri Horie wearing pants from her namesake brand Sl33zyskiz
Or if you want to go the analog route, areas like Jinbocho in Tokyo, are full of bookstores full of secondhand gems [90s copies of FRUiTs magazine deserve an honorable mention as some of the most coveted]. Yet sometimes, it seems like all of this has been documented, analyzed, and pondered to infinity, and of course, readers are interested in what's now happening on the ground.
As for the style of the present, that’s a bit more difficult. We can observe the changing styles, collections, and moods emerging if you are in the right place at the right time [or chronically scroll online for updates]. Yet, it’s hard to make sense of things as they happen. Plus, with so much going on at once, it can be tricky to understand what will leave behind a legacy and what is just noise.
The future of fashion is always uncertain, and that’s what makes it exciting. It takes an imaginative guess preferably from someone who knows their stuff to make a solid forecast. One thing is clear though, there’s been a major shift within global fashion where the West is taking clear notes from Asian cultures and styles- especially from Japan.
Since the early 00s Japanese street style has melted into the streets of NYC, London, Paris, and other Western epicenters of fashion, almost like a cross Pacific conversation. Whereas before 1980s it seemed designers and style conscious youth in Japan were ready to emulate and readily adopt what they saw on runways and on the backs of Western college students, musical idols, as well as Hollywood stars. But, currently the tables have turned.
Right now, Japanese designers and street style are setting the pace for some subcultural communities in the West. One important center where this is happening is NYC, where rave, goth, y2k, and indie sleaze elements are mashed up with subcultures from the past- often from Japan. A perfect example of this hybrid is Shy, better known by her online persona sl33zyskiz.
Shy shot by Yuri Horie
Readers may recognize Shy as an unexpected style icon that popped up organically on Instagram/Pinterest as an authentic and quickly imitated source of street style mashing up Japan-originating looks with NYC sensibilities. Even though she doesn’t flash a ton of designer brands or have a vaguely famous family member to nudge her into the fashion industry, Shy has made an impact especially within online communities in the West interested in Japanese street style. She was an early adopter of Japan-originating looks ranging from decora to J-grunge despite living on the other side of the Pacific, and that’s what intrigued audiences that stumbled upon her fit pics that she started posting in middle school and that she continues to post today.
Offline, Shy is a NYC born and raised designer with her own label also named sl33zyskiz. Some groups [sabukaru included] have pegged Shy’s style as Y2K grunge, cyber, or “otaku core”, but she describes her preferences as a fusion of subcultures that have come before her with strong elements of what’s emerging right now, subcultures that don’t quite have a name that’s stuck but have been labeled any number of things from but has evolved out of a love of anime, video games, Japanese archive fashion, and Japanese streetwear.
What’s the future of street fashion and subcultures are developing right now? We talked to Shy [AKA @sl33zyskiz] to find some insight into these questions, plus a glimpse into how Japanese subcultural looks are creeping into the everyday NYC street style.
Shy wearing her namesake brand Sl33zyskiz
Hi Shy, thank you for sitting down with us today. For those who don’t know you, how would you describe who you are and what you do?
My name is Shy [@sl33zyskiz], this is hard..who am I? I’m from New York…I'm just a pretty normal regular girl. [Laughs] Even though online I don’t come off like that I guess…maybe it’s easy for people to make assumptions! I design clothes, I also model part time. The money I make from all my various jobs that I do I fund my brand with it. My brand is sl33zyskiz, it’s just a representation of me and what I prefer to wear on an everyday basis. With me into fashion and styling, it feels like whenever I buy clothing I think “would I like this a year from now?” With the clothing I make I want to combat that feeling. I want people who buy my clothing to buy it with the intention of keeping it and still liking it years from now.
Shy shot by Yuri Horie
In your own words could you describe your style?
My style..well that’s a hard question. It’s frequently asked, but I never know how to answer. I don’t have a phrase to describe my style, but spunky, ready to wear, casual, statement wear. I’m giving you descriptive words... but I don’t have a single phrase!
Some people describe me as “Y2K Grunge”, honestly I feel like these days people are really fixated on “oh what do you call this” just so that they have research and look up. But I feel like fashion should come from within, you don’t need to put a name to it.. ya know? That’s why I have such a hard time describing myself because I feel like I don’t relate to one style. I see what I like, and then I like it. I feel like a lot of people can relate to that they just “like to be”.
Personally, I align with a couple subcultures. I may be a little bit decora, but I don’t want to say that I’m deco. If you look up a person who is actually into decora wear I look nothing like that. But I really do like to take elements of that and create my own style. [Another influence is] Japanese streetwear style. Compared to Japanese streetwear, American streetwear is really straight and boxy. Whereas, Japanese streetwear there’s a lot of form to it, it’s either baggy at the bottom and straight at the top. There’s a lot of shape and form which I really appreciate. [Laughs] I emphasize the casual because I feel like there are particular styles like deco and gyaru, that are very over the top. Where there's a lot of stuff going on.I take influences from a bunch of styles and mush it into a more simplified version of it.
You’ve been dressing in your own unique way for at least 5 years, far before buzz words like otaku core, Y2K grunge, and “Harajuku style” became popular in the West. Now Japanese fashion communities in NYC and London exist, but you were an OG wearing these looks consistently before it was accepted. What were the first reactions to your personal style growing up?
I didn’t really observe much of other people's reactions. But I’d say maybe they reacted with some curiosity and wonder. When I first took pictures of what I was wearing, people were curious to see “what is this?”. It’s like when foreigners come to Japan for the first time and they stare at someone. It’s like “woah I don’t know anything about this”, so there’s a bit of curiosity and wonder.
I didn’t really start experimenting with dressing up, until I was in middle school. I would try and get inspiration from pictures online and stuff. I went to a predominantly White middle school, where people were not really paying attention to exploring their style. I think a lot of people would wear Lululemon, Athleta, or Nike, and what not.. .not that that’s bad! But I’m not sure anyone cared too much.
Shy shot by Yuri Horie
When I came to school dressed in an outfit, I think people saw me as different. I was already different enough.. I mean I was the only Asian [laughs]. I think in real life, there’s definitely more admiration online [about alternative fashion].
Shy shot by Yuri Horie
Do you ever encounter some real life weirdness or a misconception about you, based off your popularity online?
I’ve never had a bad in person reaction to my online presence. They were all good, and honestly at times I thought they were too good! I don’t exactly know how people perceive me. But in real life I don’t feel so popular [which has been an assumption in the past]. That’s why I say that sl33zyskiz feels separate from me in a way. Of course, it is a reflection of me. But I like to think of @sl33zyskiz as an entity, I am sl33zyskiz but sl33zyskiz is also my work. I think it also has to do with confidence!
I’m not that confident, I’m anxious, I’m awkward and I feel like sometimes people expect me to be a certain way, maybe because of the followers or some shoots I’ve done with notable people or a popular brand. But I’m a regular person… I like weeb shit [Laughs]
Shy shot by Yuri Horie
I think that makes things more interesting because that’s what street style is about. People being stylish without having to be extremely rich or well connected. I think people got street style twisted once it shifted to mean “what celebrities are wearing on the street”. It’s not so exciting because they have an unlimited budget…
When I was working at a restaurant in Saint Marc’s, a lot of people would run into me and say hi “I know you from Instagram.” I’d be doing my hostess job and people would be surprised that I had a wage-y job, a service job. People online perceive me a certain way, they think I’m someone that I’m not. But I just want to make it clear to them that I’m a regular person. I’m blessed for the opportunities that I’ve had. But I definitely don’t live that glamorous influencer lifestyle.
Shy wearing her namesake brand Sl33zyskiz
Pinterest is like street style's dirty secret for outfit guidance and it’s also where many people first encountered you by surprise. I’ve heard stories about how people accidentally browse Pinterest, and find pictures of themselves uploaded by strangers that have absolutely blown up. Did you have that sort of experience or was your Pinterest debut more intentional?
Yeah, so people told me! People on my page ended up commenting “Oh you're on my explore page, you're on my Pinterest”. When I started to gain more popularity on Instagram people were like “Oh that’s the Pinterest girl!”I was sorta deemed that title for a while. Yeah I guess that’s how I found out about it! I didn’t even have Pinterest on my phone. I thought “oh okay maybe a couple of my pics are on there”, but I didn’t know the full extent. I thought it was just a photo or two, I didn’t know my full collection was there. I didn’t realize it was to that extent, there were even photos that weren’t posted on my main account just like a spam account [that ended up on Pinterest]. The account was private for a while, and then I ended up seeing it there. I will say it was a little bit off putting when photos that were on my private account [at that time] were screenshotted and put online. It wasn’t any bad… but it was like “huh, okay..?”I really don’t use Pinterest [laughs].
So if you don’t use Pinterest, is there another way you get fashion intel especially about more niche Japanese street style?
Honestly, when I was really depressed in middle school [Laughs] I had friends in middle school, but I couldn’t really connect with them. I was one of the few asians within my social circle in my middle school. Often, I would feel alone and I spent a lot of time on the internet. I watched a lot of anime, I still watch a lot of anime to this day. So a lot of my inspiration and interest stemmed from anime, and then from there I researched games. I never was allowed to play games!
Shy shot by Yuri Horie
I would just look up a game and read all about it. I watched a lot of youtube videos too about Japan and street fashion. During that time in middle school, no one was really into fashion like that. Youtube was a goldmine for that type of content. It was so fun. I would just come home from school and just knock myself out with anime and stuff like that. I mean I was depressed but it was comforting to have my own little world. But in terms of really deeply researching fashion, I didn’t really do that so much. That’s why I don’t really get the “what do you call this style” thing, I see comments on Pinterest like that. And I’m like dude, it’s just an outfit.
Shy shot by Yuri Horie
I know that fashion also interconnects with the community. In New York especially, no matter what kind of community you’re from it all merges together at the end of the day. The fashion community in general no matter what style you have, or fashion hub you’re in- everyone knows everyone and it’s all mixed together.
Shy shot by Yuri Horie
Most subcultures go beyond just an aesthetic , is there a big Y2K grunge community IRL in NYC, what sort of music or spots are associated with this culture?
Online the [Y2K grunge or alt fashion] community seems more tight. On TikTok or Instagram, it’s obvious what communities people are from. But in real life, not so much. with the whole Y2K grunge community people do have common interests. I’d say music wise, people like to listen to Bladee. People listen to Drain Gang no matter what community they are from. People like to rave. People like to hang out in certain spots, LES, Dime Square, Soho. But I feel like someone else should answer these questions! [Laughs] I’m answering them as Shy, and I live under a rock.
Shy shot by Yuri Horie
I wouldn’t say that people hang out in specific cafes, but if there was one [to pick] I would say Finelli’s in Soho. As for venues, I’m going to give the most shitty answers [laughs]. But probably MEHANATA Bulgarian Bar also Baby’s Alright, sometimes Lucky Jewel has events. It can be spontaneous as well, it all depends on who is playing. For groups, there’s Club Cringe, Frost Children, SG Lily, Baby XD, Polo Perks, and Bloody Clip, although she plays mostly shows.
You’ve started to design your own clothing under the same name as your username “Sl33zyskiz”, what was your thinking behind the first capsule collection?
As much as I would like to talk about my collection, I’d say the word “pieces” is more fitting. I’ve just taken what I like, and added my own personal touch to it. I take things from my personal closet, and measure them out. And I’d adjust the pieces so that the measurements are different, then add my own little details to it. That’s essentially how a lot of people design, that’s how a lot of brands design. My current pieces I've come out with I’d say they are heavily inspired by Kapitol.
Shy shot by Yuri Horie
My color scheme and palette, I take a lot of inspiration from Kapitol and Undercover. I love the earthy tones, I love green, I love brown/beige. I like a neutral color tone with some contrast pops [of color]. I am very into clothing that’s simple but impactful. You can wear it outside and feel comfortable but your outfit is still a statement. Like, with my pants. I love my pants, I’d love to wear them everyday here but it’s too hot. I’d say my garments that I designed were my skirts. People went crazy with that. When people buy my clothing, I want people to buy my clothing with the intention to cherish it forever and actually love it. So I try to design clothing so people from young to old can wear and feel good in. A month or a year from now, you can grow out of pink, you can grow out of bright colors, you can grow out of baggy/skinny clothing. I try to create a variety of things, but I’m not there yet.
Do you plan on releasing a full fledged collection in the future?
That’s definitely something I want to do. I just have very limited resources, I fund my brand myself. I’ve never taken a dime from anyone else for it. Coming up with a collection, I hope I do it sometime this year. Ideally I’d like to start off small just so I can really nail it. Like a very minimal collection.
Are there any designers and brands you look up to in particular?
I really like the brands Le Grande Blue, Share Spirit, and Kapital. Designers I admire are Jun Takahashi, Junya Watanabe, and Rei Kawakubo.
I don’t look up to anyone per se when it comes to style. I would say people with my very small social circle influence me. Wait I’ll be real, one of my friends definitely introduced me to wearing different sizes of clothing. I think I’m around a 23-24 inch waist, and we were looking for clothing together. They told me if I really want a baggy look I can wear a 32 pant and taught me how to belt it up. I don’t have anyone I’m really drawn to for clothing aside from the people around me and my friends. Then I think “This is great”! For my taste as much as I hate to say it, maybe L.E.S is where I like what people are wearing.
What are some things you can’t live without?
Army green pants. I can’t live without a good pair of neutral colored pants. For food? Udon or a chicken caesar salad. I like me a good chicken caesar salad on a hot day or if you feel icky and hung over.
How do you take your coffee?
Iced coffee. It has to be iced. With some oat milk and sugar.
Shy shot by Yuri Horie
What do you like to do when you have a free day with nowhere to go?
I love my apartment. I don’t like my apartment itself because it's shabby. I love my bedroom, it’s so cozy, I love my cats. Just at home chilling with my cats, I’m a simple gal.
What direction do you think NYC Japanese inspired fashion in the upcoming year?
I don’t really like trends. I don’t really fixate on that. Maybe parachute pants, really baggy parachute pants. I see a lot of young people in Japan wearing them. I also think people will be taking inspiration from China, they have a really strong rave scene there. There’s also a lot of emo wear and bondage.
What Japanese subcultures have caught on the most in New York Street fashion?
I think Japanese streetwear and Japanese archive fashion. Archive fashion isn’t necessarily a subculture, but it’s definitely a very big niche in NYC. Within people in their 20s and under their 20s, it’s a wide range of people who are into it… focusing on brands like 20471120, Undercover, Issey Miyake, If Six Was Nine, Le Grande Blue, Share Spirit, Alice Auaa.
Shy shot by Yuri Horie
Thank you again for speaking with us Shy!
Words, interview, and article layout by Ora Margolis
Select Photos by Yuri Horie
