Japanese and Chinese cultures are now having a bigger impact on America. Asian art, technology and film are becoming extremely popular in the United States. It is no surprise that one of the hottest fashion trends doesn’t come from Paris but from Japan and Hong Kong. Teenagers are now indulging and dressing up in the fashions of Harajuku and Hong Kong.

Many Americans perceive Harajuku as a cute fashion trend, with bright colors and frilly dresses. This is due in part to No Doubt front-woman-turned-pop-icon Gwen Stefani, who based her clothing lines L.A.M.B and Harajuku Lovers on the style of Harajuku. However, clothes from this brand are far from the actual style of the Harajuku teenagers. Most of the shirts are just one color with the Japanese word for Harajuku printed on them.

Stefani has received criticism concerning her depiction of Harajuku. An article in Japanese online magazine Japaninc.com questions Stefani’s portrayal. “Bystanders argue vigorously on Internet message boards whether Stefani’s adoration of the girls is super cool or an atrocious act of cultural hijacking.”

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Harajuku originates from the Harajuku district in Tokyo where teenagers dress up in intricate, exotic and creative outfits. The styles there range from Gothic Lolita to Halloween costumes. “My taste is: it has to be original,” Japanese fashion magazine FRUiTS founder and photographer Shoichi Aoki said in an interview with ABC, an Australian Radio station. “Something that’s high in originality, not too obsessed with brands and something that’s mixed, you know, lots of things mixed together and layered.”

Some teenagers dress up because they want to rebel against their parents. Most of the time, parents have no idea that their child is dressing up in public. “Freak Bridge” is the destination where most of the teenagers go to show off their outfits, located in Yoyogi park of Tokyo. “My parents have already given up,” 22-year-old Higurakiyo said in an interview with Japaninc. “The only thing they ask is that I don’t hang around our neighborhood dressed like this.”

The Harajuku district became famous in the 1980s when street performers and dressed up teenagers became a popular attraction. Even today it still remains a popular destination for tourists, journalists and photographers.

Another popular destination in Asia that sparked a new fashion trend is Hong Kong. “H.K. is more color clashing by putting two things together that are not really matching to make (them) match. Harajuku is more conservative and more girly and usually in one or two colors,” senior Esther Au said.

The H.K. style is a mixture of bright and clashing colors, skinny jeans, phones hanging from necks and Converse. This style has impacted American teenagers. “People never wore skinny jeans two years ago,” Washington senior Nicole Lai said. “Now they are everywhere. In Hong Kong, this trend started two or three years ago.”

Hong Kong started many other trends as well. “The leggings under the mini skirts were huge in Hong Kong two or three years ago,” Lai said. “America is definitely influenced by Hong Kong fashion.”

Senior Esther Au disagreed that America is starting to take in H.K.’s styles. “Nobody dresses enough of the (H.K.) style,” she said. “It is more than just the emo glasses, it is about the attitude also and how you do your hair.”

Sporting a H.K. look is not difficult but it may be hard to find the right clothes. “There are actually no (H.K.) stores (in San Francisco),” Au said. “But I shop at Hot Topic for the t-shirts. I basically look at the graphics and I grab all the shirts and see which ones have different colors that clash. I get a size larger or two size larger, so it will be like a guy. T-shirts are not hard to find, but pants are.”

The girls who dress like girls wear clothes decorated with stripes, patterns and polka dots, according to Au.

Harajuku-inspired teenagers are rare in America and at schools but the Hong Kong style is more common. Other than photographs and magazines to help popularize these fashions, students themselves can inspire others.

Au enjoys her style and likes to be noticeable. “I like it,” she said. “The reason I like to change my style so much is because I like to stand out.” Au may have to change her style again because the current style of Hong Kong fashion is not stable.

“The style is getting manipulated,” she said. “I think it will be hard. Basically, the Hong Kong style follows the Japanese and when they change, it changes too. But I am in America and it is hard to know when to change.”

Dressing to match Harajuku fashion will be a little more difficult since the clothes are harder to find. For now, Hot Topic, a clothing store that specializes in pop and rock clothing may be the best source for gothic fashions like those in Harajuku.

Of course, such fashions are also only an airplane ticket away.