Ursα major × Gothic and Lolita Market Event Report
2023.12.24 12:36
Hosted by Ursa Major, BAY AREA KEI (and Owner of THE BLACK RIBBON), is an organization that hosts events on J-fashion and Lolita fashion in various parts of the United States, and San Francisco holds events every December.
The name of this event, "Ursa major" is "Ursa major" in Japanese, and the key visual this time is also designed to match it.
The dress code is Lolita or J-fashion, but I felt that many children wore clothes and accessories with bears, stars, and celestial designs to match this image.
Now, let's look back at the day before the event and the three days of the event.
--The day before the event
▲ Air during flights from Japan to San Francisco
It takes about 9.5 hours to fly from Japan to San Francisco.
The time difference was -17 hours, so it was quite difficult when I actually traveled...
In recent years, I was excited about the fact that Japanese women have been wary of entering the country, but I entered the country without any problems.
We drove by car to the venue and the area where we were staying.
Even during these 30 minutes, I couldn't take my eyes off the window as the streets were changing all the way through.
When you hear the word San Francisco, what do you think of?
Is it a famous coastal seaside where Golden Gate Bridge is?
Is Silicon Valley where famous IT companies such as Apple, Google, Facebook, and Adobe systems reign over?
This is my first time learning about San Francisco, which is famous in the United States!
This event was also held at Kabuki Hotel, located within Japan Town.
▲Kabuki Hotel will be the venue
It seems that events are held at this venue every year, but not only do people who live in this area gather, but they also gather by car and plane from all over the United States and Canada!
On this day, I was already happy to see Lolitas at the hotels and towns where I was staying.
We were unable to enter the setup on this day, so we took a little stroll around the city.
I returned to the hotel early in preparation for the next day.
-Day 1 of the event
▲GLM booth before display
Today,Gothic and Lolita Market members are ready to set up booths for tomorrow's sales.
This time, 32 brands from Japan participated.
Many brands are making this the first time they have been sold overseas, and GLM staff are also excited to display the products.
▲GLM booth during setup
The display was finished at a time when the sun had already set.
It was a real shame that some packages had not arrived due to a significant delay in delivery, or that some had been damaged and could not be delivered, but the works of Japanese brands lined up in large rooms are impressive!
Local event staff also seemed to be curious about what kind of work they had to do, and they visited their room.
They looked at the work seriously for a long time, to say they waited a little while, and I was even more excited about the next day's sale.
▲A video taken by the staff at the event on this day
On this day, the programme for booths other than GLM began in the evening.
・Games, lottery
- "Dress of The Year" will vote for which clothes were released this year.
・Karaoke Night is a style where people stand in front and enjoy karaoke
・J-Fashion EDM Rave is a place where you gather and dance in the darkness
From the first day, there were many interesting events that were unfamiliar to Japan.
▲ The first day event (photo provided by @bon.komera & @bayareakei)
-Day 2 of the event
Finally I've been welcomedGothic and Lolita Market day!
Entry begins at 11am for those with VIP tickets, and entry begins at 12pm for general tickets and those without tickets.
▲Waiting line in front of the GLM booth
There was a waiting line in front of the GLM booth after 10am...!
We're full of customers waiting for the opening, whether it's now or not!
Then, as soon as VIP admission begins at 11am, customers suddenly surged into the venue.
When we entered the venue, we looked at the works carefully, and found items we wanted one after another, and held them full of both hands.
▲Customers shopping at the GLM booth (Photo provided by @bon.komera & @bayareakei)
This time, the event was run with a limit on the number of people due to the consideration of the event organizers, but the line was not interrupted until around 4pm.
I am amazed at the passion of American Lolitas.
▲Gothic and Lolita Customers who wear bags purchased at the market booth on the spot
I've also heard rumors in Japan, such as "There are a lot of sweet lolita girls in America" and "Piercings are more popular than earrings," but in reality, sweet lolita wasn't particularly popular, and I was able to purchase the same amount of earrings and earrings.
Perhaps there was a time like that, but I felt that there are many things that you wouldn't know until you go to the area.
At last year's German event, Gothic and sweet motifs were popular, and I had the impression that they were biased in preference, but at this event, all genres were well received without any bias. It was great to see that there are people who enjoy fashion in a variety of genres, just like in Japan.
On this day, about 260 customers finally received shopping at the GLM booth alone.
We would like to express our sincere gratitude to the artists who participated in the event, as we were able to deliver many wonderful Japanese works to American Lolitas.
▲Archives of distribution
After the GLM booth was closed, we broadcast an Instagram page introducing products in English for online sales.
At this time, many brands were already sold out and there were only a few remaining items, but many people were able to see it!
The site selling the products featured in this stream will be open until January 15th, 2024!
GLM is a mail order company that frequently ships overseas, but unlike usual, it is a shipping base in the US, so shipping costs are cheap and arrives quickly.♪
If you have anybody who lives there, please take advantage of this opportunity!
【Gothic and Lolita Market US]https://glm-usa.myshopify.com/
The programs at the booth other than GLM on the day were as follows:
・Local brand exhibition area
We exhibited at 28 brands, ranging from familiar brands in Japan to brands that we've never seen before, and I've also made lots of shopping.♪
I've spoken to a few brands so I'd like to introduce them to you, but I'll skip this as it will be quite long.
If there are many requests, we will post a separate introduction article.
・Snap the outfits by genre ・Gross photo shoot (Gothic lolita, sweet lolita, Claroita)
▲ Group photo shoot (photo provided by @bon.komera & @bayareakei)
・Each party brings each of their dolls together to show them together
▲ The Doll Museum (Photo provided by @bon.komera & @bayareakei)
・Lecture on the theme of "The Future of J Fashion."
- A meeting where you can compete (?) with illustrations to match J-Fashion topics
・Table games
・Dance lessons for the evening ball
(Slow Waltz, East Coast Swing, Rotary Waltz and Polka)
・Ball
▲ What happens at Holiday Ball (18+) (Photo provided by @bon.komera & @bayareakei)
・Code Contest
▲Coordination Contest Winners (Photo provided by @bon.komera & @bayareakei)
Participants who have entered in advance will each appear on stage and pose.
When you enter, you can choose which award you want to apply to.
There were awards such as Best Couple Award, Hair Styling Award, Relaxing Style Award, Best Handmade Award, Best Accessory Award, and more.
There were no other events during the final ball and coordination contest, so everyone gathered in this hall to dance, interacted with each other at the round table, enjoyed a small snack, and took photos of their own outfits at the photo booth, which was very lively!
-Day 3 of the event
The GLM booth on this day was very busy picking out products that had been sold online since yesterday and cleaning up the items...!
The following events were held at other booths.
・Flea market
Why is it here? ! I was surprised by the 90s brand clothing, local brand clothing, and relatively recently released clothing from famous Japanese brands, which made me feel unnoticed.
In one corner of the venue, there is also space for items that you can bring with you for free, with the words "Free."
・Lecture of "Analysis of the History of Lolita and Rococo"
・Lecture about BABY's Kumya
・Lecture on Lolita Fashion in the Media
・Lecture to take good pictures of outfits
・Workshop where you can decorate your cancan hat with flowers or other items
・Knitting Bear Pin Workshop
・Coordination snaps by genre・Group photo shoot
(Kuma Theme, J Fashion in general, indie brands)
▲ Group photos by genre: Bear theme indie brands (Photos provided by @bon.komera & @bayareakei)
And finally, there was a 2023 review talk and closing ceremony hosted by the organizer.
▲The team hosting this event (photo provided by @bon.komera & @bayareakei)
In this photo, Halley, hosted by BAY AREA KEI, is holding the microphone.
This timeGothic and Lolita When exhibiting at the Market, there were quite a few obstacles to holding the event in the United States, but I am truly grateful for the help you have helped me.
What's more, I really admire you being able to host such a large event while working on your own brand...!
▲Group photo at the closing ceremony (provided by @bon.komera & @bayareakei)
I've heard that the total number of visitors to the event this time exceeds 300, so only a few people are in this group photo, but it makes my heart warm to see that there are so many friends who have the same hobbies in America.
We also exhibited at this event this time, and many customers and staff members expressed their gratitude by saying, "Thank you for your wonderful work!", "Thank you so much for coming to the event!" and "I would definitely like you to come again!", and some of them spoke in Japanese.
We will continue to strive to convey wonderful Japanese brands and works.
So, here's Ursα major × Gothic and Lolita This will be a report on the event at the Market.
This was a rather long report, but thank you for reading to the end!
[Future Events]
10th Gothic and Lolita Market
Date and Time: 2024/4/13 (Sat) and 4/14 (Sun)
Location: WITH HARAJUKU HALL (Harajuku Station, Tokyo)
The biggest lolita event in Japan!
It's a 10th anniversary! ! Maybe there's a special party...? !
Exhibitor recruitment is scheduled to start in January.
We are also preparing some new projects.♫
Stay tuned for more news!
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