The state of Japanese alternative fashion has not been looking so hot in the last year, but today, there’s some good news. Harajuku punk brand ALGONQUINS is back!
ALGONQUINS was known for their asymmetric designs with layers of contrasting patterns. In March 2019, ALGONQUINS abruptly declared bankruptcy and closed all of their stores and deleted all of their social media. It was a shock to many fans of J-punk fashion. On June 21, 2020, ALGONQUINS started a new Twitter account and tweeted their revival announcement.
Tweet 1 translation:
“Everyone, rather than saying nice to meet you or long time no see, let’s just say hello!
Since ALGONQUINS declared bankruptcy a year and a half ago, we’ve caused a lot of problems. (during which, the staff also faced some confusion…)
Right now, with some of the previous staff we’ve made a new company and we’re slowly preparing to revive ALGONQUINS!”
Tweet 2 translation:
“In a little while, we will have a lot of good news to announce soon♪
Until that time, we’re grateful you’re waiting with us.
We’ll be using Instagram and Twitter to make announcements and showcase new products. 🙂
We don’t have many staff members right now so we’ll be doing everything little by little but we look forward to sharing with you. (Staff Aya)”
It seems that some of their former staff members restructured the brand. One month after the first announcement, the ALGONQUINS website re-opened. The announcement reached over 5.8k retweets, a high number for most J-brands’ social media. Many fans commented about their nostalgia for the brand. On the shop so far, are two pairs of legging pants and several necklaces.
Before they closed, most of their pieces came in M and L (unisex) sizes and I’m hoping they continue that. Unfortunately, their webshop does not support international orders at this time, so you will have to either use a shopping service or forwarding service if you would like to purchase. They also created an official Instagram account.
For one, I am super excited about this; it took me completely by surprise because punk style has been on the downward slope in popularity for years now. ALGONQUINS’s pieces are what I wear the most on a day-to-day basis. My pair of legging pants from them I bought from their Tokyo shop before it closed get worn weekly since they are the most comfortable pants I own. I’m glad ALGONQUINS is back and hope to see them adapt to the current market.
Follow ALGONQUINS: Website | Twitter | Instagram
