Some might think that a swimsuit designed after school boys’ uniforms is something out of left field, but in Japanese pop culture, you can expect the unexpected to look cool.
Such a swimsuit was designed by Japanese fashion brand School Fiction. It was inspired by the “gakuran,” the black coat traditionally worn by boys in high school during the colder days of the year.
However, this gakuran was apparently made for the summer days while maintaining the same button-up coat aesthetics. The fabric is a mix of 80/20 polyester/polyurethane.
Putting it on is more like putting on a wet suit as it gets zipped up from behind. All the buttons up front are just decoration.
Interested shoppers may order directly from School Fiction’s online store or through Amazon Japan. The gakuran swimsuit will be available by mid-September, starting at 14,500 yen (roughly P6,600) for the medium size. Shipping will take about a month.
A few artists took up their digital pens to draw up some fan art of the swimsuit, then posted it on Twitter.
One artist even included a cape to mimic the long coat version of the gakuran.
School Fiction describes itself as a “nerd and fetish” brand. Shoppers can find other swimsuits inspired by common school attire in the brand’s collections. JB
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