I won’t be buying the latest LARME issue and here’s why... a long ass tweet thread by me.
Ok so for anyone unfamiliar with LARME, it’s a Japanese fashion magazine with a very specific aesthetic. (Think cutesy/girly harajuku street snap aesthetic and Lolita) and has been pretty..

consistent from the start. Earlier on this year they delayed publication for a bit due to corona, and in the midst of it they began a competition to find new regular models (jp fashion magazines have regular modes that appear in every issue). Basically to win this competition...

you had to stream from the linelive ap and the person who had the most points after so many elimination rounds would win (I believe you had to/could buy instream points to help boost?). Now here’s where the many issues start with this. Runners up were to be included in a LARME...

photoshoot which they believed would be published in the new edition. One of the contestants is called Toa, who is LARME aesthetic through and through and tried her best to win but sadly it was a popularity contest, not about who would actually be a good fit for the magazines...

aesthetic. But she was happy because she at least got to be a part of the photoshoot and be featured in her favourite magazine. WRONG! The photoshoot wasn’t even featured in the new issue and both Toa and everyone who went to go and buy the new LARME to see her in it were...

left disappointed. Ok so that sucks... but what’s worse? The girl who actually won the competition is a tiktok influencer who isn’t even remotely LARME in style or looks.... (think oversized tshirts and hoodies Uniqlo and GU kind of style). It was nothing more than a popularity..

contest and the person with the most followers and influence won. This competition was very obviously a marketing tactic to increase brand awareness, but in the long run this will do nothing for the magazine and Japanese fashion subculture. Why? Because LARME has a history of...

featuring small and indie brands that fit the aesthetic. It contributes to the survival of these brands and the fashion subculture. The fans of the girl who won the competition may buy the magazine to see her, but will they buy the clothes featured? Unlikely. Japanese fashion...

subculture has taken a big loss over the last 10 years with fast fashion and the gentrification of harajuku, shibuya etc. and many indie brands being forced to shut their doors for good. I’m worried that such a PR stunt won’t be good for the magazine and if the influencer stays..

on as a regular model I feel LARME will probably change its aesthetic to be more mainstream and lose its original charm, abandoning the indie brands it once supported.

I sincerely hope for the sake of the survival of Japanese fashion subculture that the girl who won the competition won’t be in the coming issues of LARME and instead girls like Toa who sleep, eat and breathe LARME are featured instead and given a chance in the future.

For reference

LARME magazine: https://instagram.com/larmemagazine 

Toa: https://instagram.com/toa_herosyn 

The girl who won (and shouldn’t have lmao): https://instagram.com/naenano0114 

Update thanks to @TiduAura because it turns out the actual winner of the competition was https://instagram.com/amamiii_s2  who will indeed become a regular model but unfortunately didnt even get a full spread in the new issue of LARME. The girl I was posting about wasn’t even a participant

But is indeed just a shitty tiktok influencer who doesn’t fit the aesthetic. Seems they’ve brought her on for clout and used the whole model competition as some bizarre money making PR scheme??? Either way I’m really disappointed and it seems it can only go downhill from here