Ayumi Hamasaki Sekai - Articles: Ayu as a fashion trend setter?

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Articles: Ayu as a fashion trend setter?

Hello darlings! I know I don't post here a lot anymore nowadays but I hope some of you remember me ;) Anyway I'm writing my bachelor thesis about music and fashion in the young women's subcultures of Tokyo / Shibuya. And I basically need one (or more) articles to prove that Ayu really is a fashion trend setter as I claim her to be.

For example I remember reading an article of her endorsing a certain lipstick that sold like half a million copies on its opening day, but I can't find it. Does anyone remember this and know where to find it? Any article is fine as long as it's about an endorsement she did or something she wore that went on to sell a lot or become popular.

I will keep searching myself but all help is appreciated!

x

Quote:

Unsurprisingly, Hamasaki's sway over pop culture attracts marketers who are keen to borrow her magic; and she's happy to share. All but two of her singles to date have been tied in with either a commercial or a TV program. She currently endorses the products of six companies, from Panasonic digital cameras to Kirin sports drinks. When she began appearing in ads for cosmetics maker Kose, its mascara went from No. 4 to No. 1 within two months and a new lip gloss sold 500,000 units in its first two days on the shelves.

http://web.archive.org/web/200712242...ki/cover2.html

Quote:

Hime-kei appears to have been inspired by American filmmaker Sofia Coppola's movie Marie Antoinette, with its lush rendering of the decadence of the court of Louis XVI. The rush of young Japanese women to emulate the look of 18th-century French aristocrats has grown from a fad into something of a movement, whose leader is the popular singer Ayumi Hamasaki. It even has its own magazine, Koakuma Ageha, with a circulation of 350,000. If Coppola's movie created the wave, Osaka-based Jesus Diamante was ready to ride it. Established in 2001, the label had offered luxurious clothing styled for a hypothetical heiress with a likeness to French actress Brigitte Bardot. But the impact of Marie Antoinette prompted it to introduce such lines as Marie Wanpi, with a ball gown sporting a large ribbon on the chest and a Cinderella coat with a fur collar and sleeve edges.

http://www.time.com/time/world/artic...876620,00.html

You could also list fashion awards she won (like being in Hall of Fame for winning 3 times Nail Queen, and Hall of Fame for winning 5 times Best Jeanist of the year), besides the many fashion pools (some held by Oricon) that she was on top :)

Besides, I don't really remember which article was it, maybe it was the same mizuki-7 posted (the first one), that an owner of a clothes store was saying in 2001 that if they stocked any clothes or accessories similar to anything that Ayu worn, those were guaranteed to sell out.
EDIT: yep, it's the same article mizuki-7 posted, just checked ^^