As we approached the Reiwa era (2019-present), various brands made a comeback. Among them, GALFY stood out.
In the surge of the resurgence of 90s women's brands, the revival of a once silent men's brand caused a stir.
Once a sensation as an outlaw brand, what has GALFY evolved into now? And, how did collaborations, distinct from other apparel brands like Don Quijote, come about?
We spoke with GALFY designer Rin Ishikawa about GALFY's 'outlaw' style and current street culture.
GALFY in the 90s: Reigning as an Outlaw Brand
GALFY was a brand favored by the outlaw-types in the 90s.Although it is now strongly associated with street fashion loved by influencers, depending on the generation, it may still have a strong impression as a brand for outlaws.
What was the GALFY of the 90s like?
"I was not around at that time, so I can't definitively say, but it seems that it was not initially targeted at outlaw-types.
"Those types of people just happened to start coming. But, it appears the brand started with an inspiration from Versace's setup, so it was born as a more affordable version of that," said Ishikawa.
The GALFY signature character of a dog biting a bone has a pop and cute impression. Interestingly, it has been favored by outlaws for years. This cute-outlaw gap may be part of GALFY's allure. But why is it favorited by the outlaw-types?
"For example, you see those gangsters-types wearing Kitty-chan sandals, right?
"I think it is a similar sentiment. I call it the 'mentally cute' side. I think tough guys tend to like surprisingly cute things," Ishikawa explained.
Nowadays, GALFY is popular among girls who like landmine fashion. However, the intent wasn't specifically to broaden the market by making women's clothing.
When rebranding, they geared the brand towards street fashion, a unisex street ambiance, and it naturally became favored by girls who like landmine fashion, as Ishikawa explained.
"As I often say, girls who currently cater to the landmine fashion trend seem to have similarities with the gangsters-types of the past. Not all, but the image of them hanging out on the streets resonates with the gangsters-types vibe," Ishikawa added.
During the author's youth, it was the heyday of the Heisei gals (Heisei era: 1989-2019). Gals favored gal brands, Harajuku types favored Harajuku brands. It was not a mixed era like today, where street fashion associated with a certain area and style were clearly defined.
For example, in the 90s, track suits became popular, and gal fashion was more catered for specific groups because of intensified loyalty, forcing people to dress similarly to their seniors or surroundings.
"I think the reason why gangsters-like fashion is appearing in this modern day is because there aren’t any real gangsters-types anymore.
"Nowadays, gangsters-types are a thing of fantasy, so in a way, it's costume play. Back in the day, there was strict categorizing in fashion. For street fashion, you only hung out with others in the street scene. If you were a punk, you only hung out with other punks.
"Now it's a badly mixed era, but back then everyone had their preferred culture and fashion neatly classified," Ishikawa explained.
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