JapanLA and My Melody bring fashion show to Anime Expo

Anime Expo came to Los Angeles this year at the Los Angeles Convention Center. Known as the largest anime and manga convention in North America, the expo introduced a new element into their event: a fashion show.

This year, the three-day event included Sanrio’s Sweet Happy My Melody Fashion Show, which focused on Tokyo Street fashion. JapanLA, Japanese pop-culture retailer, styled the show and previewed their clothing collaboration with My Melody. It was the first time designer Stephiee Nguyen had done a show in Los Angeles. “It was amazing to really have a presence [in fashion] at Anime Expo,” said Nguyen. The designer had two booths in addition to the runway show.

My Melody Fashion Show debuts at Anime Expo

The idea of infusing chic, Japanese street fashion with Sanrio characters had been in the works for months. “We started the idea in early 2015, so I’ve been working on it [for a while],” said Nguyen. Up until this point, fashion had always been a part of Anime Expo but mostly in the cosplaying of the attendees. The convention is known for its guests to dress up in extravagant, custom-made costumes that represent their favorite characters. From anime, manga, and gaming, there are multiple attendees that come in full custom.

In order to bring a little more of high-street fashion to the expo, Nguyen wanted to incorporate her Japanese brand in Los Angeles. “We pull a lot of inspiration from Japanese fashion and infuse it into the Los Angeles fashion here,” said Nguyen. The My Melody fashion show incorporate a lot of feminine, pink silhouettes. The designs were very girly and dainty, while also mixing a bit of street edge. The show incorporate a lot of Sanrio’s “characters” in the fashion show as well. Nguyen describes her collection as very “sweet” and “pink.”

Japan LA and My Melody collaborate together for fashion show

The show received ultimately positive comments from critics. “We received feedback that this set a new bar for fashion at Anime Expo,” said Nguyen. Up until this point, the convention didn’t capitalize or emphasize fashion shows. “[Just having] us here made [them] realize how important having fashion is for Anime Expo,” said Nguyen.

With the show, the collections were launched at the convention. Also, a preview release was shown for the attendees. The collection will be in stores this week, and the wide launch at JapanLA’s and Sanrio’s e-commerce sites will come in late September.

Nguyen has been designing for JapanLA since 2012. The brand started out as a boutique and just recently celebrated its six-year anniversary. The retail shop caters to a “kawaii” style and offers apparel, gifts, accessories, arts and more that reflect popular Japanese characters. The store was founded by Jamie Rivadeneira in 2006. The clothing brand manufactures licensed clothing including brands such as Sanrio, tokidoki, San-X, and more. The lifestyle brand also curates theme parties and art shows including the most recent Hello Kitty Art Show, which took place at the Japanese American National Museum in Los Angeles.