World Wide Love

World Wide Love (ワールドワイドラブ) is a Japanese clothing brand for young and hip Japanese men and women. The company was founded in 1993. The brand's style might be called "rock chic". Wold Wide Love shares some stylistic similarities with other popular Japanese music-inspired fashion brands like Hysteric Glamour, though World Wide Love's prices tend to be lower than HG.

World Wide Love Brand History

World Wide Love opened their first shop in Tokyo's Harajuku neighborhood in 1993. In 1994 they opened a shop in Parco Ikebukuro and a year later they would open a shop in Parco Shibuya. By 1996 they had a shop in LaForet Harajuku, establishing themselves as one of the "cool" brands to young fashion conscious Japanese.

World Wide Love Brand Overview

If you're young and wanting to look stylish without looking too adult, look no further than Japan's World Wide Love clothing brand. They've conceptualized youth culture to create a unique style aimed at the teens and twenties in the Land of the Rising Sun. Their street wear designs are both fashionable and high quality and have been since the brand started in 1993.

The brand's first shop opened in February of 1993. Their base for the designs was "British taste" for both men's and women's fashion items. They gained a number of fans with their bondage pants and other various rock-inspired designs. The label went on in 1995 to attract music fans by selling their t-shirts at live performances of numerous rock bands. In 1996 their clothes were featured in photo spreads by then-recently debuted photographer known as "Hiromix". This collaborative effort was a huge success.

One of World Wide Love's most high-profile collaborations has been with the hugely popular JRock band Shaka Labbits. During Shaka Labbits FIGURE 4LEG☆ROCK☆TOUR2003, World Wide Love created and sold t-shirts for the band at the various tour venues. This collaboration helped increase the fashion label's profile given the popularity of the band.

World Wide Love's clothes are aimed at the teen to twenties set, so don't expect to see these designs on the runways of Paris. You're more likely to see these clothes on cool Japanese kids in Harajuku. They design a wide variety of jackets, jeans, skirts, t-shirts, wallets, and accessories that are both sought-after and affordable. These street fashions are inspired largely by the Japanese music scene, but they also have some British influences as well.

World Wide Love Shops

World Wide Love has shops in department stores all over Japan, including LaForet in Harajuku, Parco in Shibuya, and MyLord in Shinjuku. The brand also has their own stand alone shops scattered around Tokyo and other Japanese cities. At this time, it is not easy to find World Wide Love clothing online or in America, Europe, or other places outside of Japan.

Related Brands

As of 2008, World Wide Love also has another clothing brand under the same corporate parent company called Rydia by W.W.L.

External Links

• World Wide Love Official Site (Japanese)