/cgl/ - Cosplay & EGL

Question: I know lolita has roots in visual kei aesthetics, but some people also say lolita evolved from natural kei/pink house style, and then Milk and Jane Marple style.

Is that true? It's hard to look at angelic pretty and moi meme moitie and think they came from the same source.

To me, a lolita brand has to

1. Be featured in a Kera/GLB spread (and not as an adverisement)
2. Have atleast 75% of what they release be consistent with the general lolita aesthetic

I don't really consider anything from Taobao a brand with a capital 'B' yet, they're just indie for now, doing mostly print on demand services and not selling staples like blouses or socks, everything is just a print and a series. Small brands like Chocochip cookie, Marble, Visible, Heart E and MAM may not be popular overseas but their GLB and Kera presence still gives them brand status, just small. I think there are big brands, small brands, and indie brands.

Those stores became brand because most of them were there since day 1, in the GLB since day 1. They helped influence lolita trends, their clothes contributed to developing the lolita aesthetic. I think it would be hard now, in todays saturated market, for something indie to become a major brand.