If you’re into Japanese fashion (or if you happen to be Gwen Stefani circa 2004), you’re probably familiar with Harajuku’s Takeshita Street. Considered by many to be the nucleus of Japan’s youth fashion world, you can find everything from punk shirts to vintage clothes to the freshest kicks all on this narrow pedestrian street. There are plenty of shops, but perhaps the most famous is ACDC Rag, which sells everything from cute galaxy cat jackets to dark (but still cute) goth backpacks.
Recently, in collaboration with Village Vanguard, Japan’s premier retailer of weird novelty goods, ACDC Rag unveiled their new fall accessories and they are panda-rific! Now you can keep warm and maintain a look so cute it’s endangered!
ACDC Rag, one of the longest-running Harajuku fashion brands (it started as just a small booth on Takeshita Street in 1980), is releasing three new accessories for autumn: A fancy panda hat with long flaps, a fluffy panda beanie, and panda-faced earmuffs. We suppose you wouldn’t be able to wear them all at the same time, but there’s no reason not to try!
These long flaps are perfect for wrapping around your neck to keep warm or for storing miscellaneous items as it turns out they have pockets in them. You could put weights in the end and then use the flaps like weapons in case anyone ever tries to jump you after a day of shopping and looking adorable!
▼ Kind of like Kung-fu Panda, but not at all, actually…
The panda cap with long flaps, pockets, and strangely hypnotic eyes is available on Village Vanguard’s online store for 2,052 yen (about US$17).
▼ “Look deep into my eyes. You’re getting sleepy. Veeeeery sleepy.”
If you don’t find yourself mesmerized by the panda eyes above, you may want to try something a bit more conventional with a fluffy panda cap!
This cap is perfect for the coming winter and cute enough to make us welcome the cold so we’ll have an excuse to wear it!
▼ Though we are a bit sad it doesn’t have proper eyes. It looks like a panda ghost…
The fluffy panda cap is also available from Village Vanguard’s online store for 2,052 yen (about US$17). You’d think they’d knock a bit off the price for its missing eyes…
Finally, if you’re on a budget and you can’t afford a full hat, you can still indulge in panda winter gear with these adorable earmuffs!
▼ They even have creepy hypno-eyes!
You can get these from Village Vanguard for only 756 yen (about $6.30) and enchant twice as many people at once!
▼ “Obey the panda master. Obey. Obey!”
Unfortunately, Village Vanguard doesn’t ship overseas. Of course, if you live in Japan, this isn’t a problem for you, but for our readers living outside the country, you’ll either need to plan a visit soon or use a reshipping service like Tenso Japan. ACDC Rag, on the other hand, will happily ship goods to your house anywhere in the world. Sadly, they haven’t added their panda accessories to their online store yet, but they have plenty of other items to help you get through the winter!
▼ Why are flaps on hats so cute? We don’t know, but they are undeniable!
For example, the rabbit hoodie above is 4,212 yen (about $35) plus shipping. They’re not cheap, but they are definitely adorable!
There’s also this backpack with a tail. We’re not sure if that’s a safety hazard or not, but we bet you’ll look adorable right up until the bus doors close on it and drag you away.
▼ And even then, it’d totally be worth it.
Now that we’ve helped you figure out your fall fashion lineup the only thing left to do is find somewhere to wear it. Fortunately, we’ve got you covered on that front too! See how helpful we are?
Sources: Village Vanguard, ACDC Rag (Japan), ACDC Rag (Global)
Top image: Village Vanguard
Images (unless otherwise specified): Village Vanguard