Any visitor to Japan will have immediately noticed the gangs of school girls hanging out around town in their school uniforms. Obviously they are not in class but they still want to keep their uniforms on even in their free time.
Tapping into this love of uniforms, Nanchatte seifuku (なんちゃって制服, lit. “just kidding uniform”) is a fashion trend, said to have started way back in 2002, where high school students purchase and customize school uniforms to wear, even though it is not compulsory at their school.
Currently running at Ikebukuro’s Sunshine City until March 29, the Brand School Uniform Collection 2010 (ブランド制服コレクション) brings together all the leaders of this fashion subculture to sell customizable uniform clothes to hordes of mother and daughters. High school entrance has been decided for a new generation and it’s time to deck yourself out in a blazer, skirt, tie, socks — all as a matter of choice. You can mix and match as you like, and each brand has hundreds of kinds of items on sale.
The common amount to spend on a set is between 50 and 80,000 JPY (c.$550-880), according to the Nikkei Marketing Journal. The Brand School Uniform Collection was held first in 2007 in just one place but now has widened to seven, with its sales expected to be three times that of last year’s.
[Image via 47 News.]
A market that was once dominated by Harajuku store Conomi is now seeing competition from other brands and particularly online retail, such as cecile. What’s more, this month saw the founding of a whole magazine devoted to this fashion, School Mix (スクールミックス). Others have reported on how this trend is even spreading to other countries, and it’s also worth noting how adult Japanese females use elements of school uniforms (such as plaid skirts) in their outfits to make themselves look young and cute.
This is no doubt pretty strange to western eyes. I recall fellow students rushing home after school, eager to tear off their uniforms and get their own clothes on. The idea that students at high schools without mandatory uniforms would want to express their fashion identity through nanchatte seifuku is hard to comprehend. Far from putting on “home clothes” after lessons end, even students at schools with compulsory uniforms are now said instead just to customize their uniform with a different tie or other garment to express their “out-of-school” self.
William is an editor of JapanTrends.com and researcher for 
Japanese school girls look cute/sexy but adult girls wearing parts of school unifroms is a bit stupid. Not that they don’t look great but it’s just wierd
The people partaking in this are in high school. The article is saying that adults use similar aspects of the school uniform in outfits, not the uniform itself. And who are you to say it’s weird? Infantilization is sexy in Japan (which you agree with), this is just an extension of that.
A lot of students whose schools don’t have as stringent uniform requirements (a lot of private high schools) will mix and match to accent what is mandatory for them.
I realize I’m commenting on an article posted some time ago. But my understanding was that schools in Japan make it mandatory for students to wear the school uniform on their way home from school, and whenever they go to attend any school related functions. The policies are placed into effect by the schools, and schools have distinctive unfiroms so that should any students behave improperly, omplaints can be filed at the school, and an investigation is conducted to determine WHO the students are.
So how much of this is girls really wanting to always wear their uniform, then simply the fact girls haven’t gone home yet? If you’re mandated to be in the uniform, then of course you’re going to find ways to customize it.
I am a mother of high school student in Japan,I believe Japanese high school uniform is not decent because of many students now making their skirts super mini, until when japanese school,goverment and parents will be blind in this kind of uniform.I hope one day,ministry of education will not allow this kind of uniform.
well i think that should have this kind of uniforme stores in michigan or the usa :3 i world have a hay day x3 lawl
i would love to see japanese uniforms in the states. i would love to wear one. if we had these kind of uniforms here, i would go home and “forget” to take my uniform off before going out. XD
I also agree it would be great to have japanese/japanese-like uniforms in the states. They look a lot nicer than the uniforms i’ve seen.
أنا أرى من وجهة نظري ان الزي جميل ورائع و لكن يوجد بعض العيوب كقصر تنورات البنات …. :)
ohh…!!! i want to wear japanese girl school uniform maybe im cute if i wear that uniform ohh i hope there is someone can give me that uniform so that i will be happy :)