Hi I’m Kamilah Jones aka Hard Decora and I am an illustrator and jfashion known person. If you’ve been following my work for a long time you know that I used to make apparel on the regular basis, participate in fashion shows, and post my outfits often on social media. And if you’re still following my work you know that I no longer do so. This is for a host of reasons I will go into in another blog post but one big reason is because I want to focus on my comic work and building a different relationship with the jfashion community. This new website is a fruit of that journey. In this post I’d like to share with you what I’m enthusiastic to explore in this new venture!
A Dedicated Home For Hard Decora: The Comic
One of my new goals is to make the HD comic the core of my brand which is going to take some work. To start, I have all the comic episodes uploaded here in a format that is very similar to webtoon! Having a dedicated comic site is a common occurrence in the webcomic artist community. I feel so proud to have it finally!
I think this would be the best place to post fun character prompts and story inspiration. I imagine things like character outfit swaps, character pov shopping lists, and in character Q&A s!
Personal J-fashion and Kawaii Lifestyle Insights
I don’t know why but I just can’t be a very open book on social media. I know that what is written in this category would also work on Instagram/TikTok as videos but I just can’t think creatively there.
You know where I can have more freedom? In my notes app lol I’m typing away snuggled in bed with only the light of my phone in front of me. Not a very hygienic sleep habit but this is when my thoughts keep me up anyway. I plan to discuss…
– Jfashion insights from my perspective as a black asexual queer woman – More detailed event recaps than what I give in my newsletter – Perhaps some outfit rundowns or refreshes – Indie brands that I’ve bought from or want to buy from – And more 😱
Comic and Zine Reviews
Sometimes I read comics or zines that I think the alt fashion community should know about. I have a sneaky goal of wanting more handmade zine culture in kawaii fashion and jfashion indie comics! I love supporting the indie magazines that we have! They are full color, well designed, and have beautiful submissions. If you have time or ability to put together a team please do it!
On the other hand, zines (not magazines) or comics can be more accessible to folks without a team to tell their stories! Like what if trading personal zines were like a common occurrence at jfashion meet ups to introduce yourself, update peeps on what your community is up to, or talk about a rabbit hole you went down? I want to show examples of what you could make with these art forms! I plan to make zine versions of some of my blog posts :3
Another idea is a kawaii fashion comic web-ring but let me do this blog first XD
Games???
Kind of similar to the comic/zine reviews except I don’t have a grand vision XD I just play and watch cozy games that I make me think of different jfashion styles which leads to me blurting this out in blog form sometimes haha
So that’s what I have planned! I’m aiming for a monthly post on the 15th. My first topical blog post is already up! It covers what comics inspired me to make the HD Comic 😀 Is there anything you’d like to hear from me about specifically? I am accepting topic ideas in the comments! I’ll see what I resonate with. Please comment here as I won’t be as active on sms. Thanks!
Join my newsletter for monthly reminders for this blog :3
I love that there has been so many j-fashion/alternative fashion magazines/zines popping up in the western community. The community can feel very intangible and somewhat shallow when I only experience it through “fast social media” inputs like Instagram. This is one way to create more balance for me.
Since I backed Jaded Magazine Vol. 1 on Kickstarter a few years ago I’ve been trying to collect all the books I come across. It’s a little difficult because there are different pre-order windows I may not catch in time due to the only notification being an Instagram post for most of these publications. They are also usually $20 plus which can stack up when I am collecting. Also this is a very new avenue with most books only having 1 or 2 installments out.
So far, I’ve gotten Jaded Magazine, Jelli Zine, TENPLE, and Rococo Zine. Today I will be reviewing TENPLE, a new fashion zine out of NYC by the Ten Ten non-profit. I hope to review more as I get used to writing for my blog.
My Approach: Informed by my years of experience with indie publications within and outside the j-fashion community, I will always be approaching reviews rooting for the creators of such projects. I want to take into consideration their vision, resources, and experience when forming my opinions and use that to summarize opportunities for growth rather than criticism based on it being a “product” that provides a “service” to entertain. Zines from the j-fashion community tend to be very high production to emulate commercial magazines. Compared to the wider zine world this is out of the ordinary. Most zines are lo-fi, handmade, imperfect pieces by design. This is to make the process and price accessible to as many people as possible. I wish to make that known to you as well so that can inform your judgement of these works going forward.
[Review Criteria]
The Facts
Title/Issue: TENPLE #001
Team: TEN TEN NYC, “a non-profit organization that supports artists, fosters mental wellness, and builds joyful, inclusive communities through contemporary healing and emotional engagement.” Editor and point of contact is Blessed Pudding on Instagram who is a j-fashion community leader in NYC.
Summary: TENPLE is a zine who’s main goal is to celebrate the j-fashion community in New York and beyond through location specific photography and asking questions on how our fashion can positively impact our mental health.
Country/Region: NYC, USA
Print Quality: My guess from printing comics myself is a 100# glossy cover and an uncoated text paper for the interior pages. It’s a full color book with around 36pages and 9in x 6in.
Content Variety: street photos of alt fashion community members
Price: $25 sold through Barnes and Noble
My Opinions On…
Diversity: Since this issue featured 32 participants I was able to take the time to count out the style, color scheme, skin tone representation (from what I can judge) gender, and size rep (again in my humble opinion).There were at least 10 mid-dark skin tone participants and overall most participants seemed to be POC which was enough for me to feel represented and welcomed in the TENPLE publication. They span across styles and color schemes.
Styles Covered: As far as j-fashion styles represented I saw gyaru, fairy kei, decora, lolita, ishokuhada, shiro/goth, etc as well as some undefined styles. I loved the variety of color schemes, and representations of styles outside of lolita which tends to have more media focused on it. This gave me the impression that the NYC community has a lot of variety and expertise. Participants outside of NYC seemed well placed to fill in the gaps in style and representation where NYC couldn’t.
In addition to amount of styles covered, I saw an effort to include more masc presenting outfits and models who weren’t women. J-fashion media often focuses on its female participants. Personally, I got a lot of ideas from the masculine coords to incorporate in my rotation. I know many in the community will be inspired and heartened by this effort.
Artistic Direction and Theming: The format of TENPLE seems to be heavily inspired by Fruits Magazine with some creative differences. Differences include a location focus (especially for photos shot by Blessed Pudding) where the background is thematically matched to the outfit/style and highlighting an aesthetic landmark in their area. Most backgrounds look to be outside. TENPLE reminds us that, though we connect a lot online, we wear these fashions outside in the open and we reflect our environment just as much as any mainstream fashion style. We out here lol Like Fruits, TENPLE features a plain white text outfit description next to the model. I enjoyed reading the additional quotes provided by models about their outfit or lifestyle. I resonated with Mika’s quote, “Fashion helps me navigate adulthood as it has arrived to me.” and Jay’s quote “ I think dressing different helps me understand different cultures and styles of dressing. I’m much more likely to appreciate most aesthetics too.”
I appreciate these qualities that make TENPLE unique while keeping the simplicity of their inspiration.
Opportunities For Growth: I love TENPLE’s focus on the diversity of our community! I would like to see more size diversity if possible for future issues. They did have some though. I enjoyed the plain text descriptions but sometimes they were hard to read on certain background which may have to do with the paper quality as well. I almost would ask for a change on the paper to support sharper photos but I’m conflicted because I like the texture and lo-fi vibes the uncoated paper gives. A text box might be too much, however, maybe a more creative shape with a very light opacity text are may work for those few instances.
In the summer, I found out about TENPLE’s release from a post in the Empty Your Clips discord server I host which is awesome! My wish for all indie pubs and repeating art fests is for there to be an email newsletter for big updates like submission periods, pre-orders, and full release. Like 3 emails a year depending on how often a new issue or event occurs. I’m biased as person who is actively taking steps back from fast social channels like Instagram and Tik-Tok but I do hear that others miss the sale dates and submission periods for publications they follow. The TEN TEN organization does have a newsletter sign up on their site but I haven’t gotten anything as of yet. They seem to be most active on Instagram regarding their news.
Charm Points:
<3 A notable amount of style, racial, and gender variety
<3 A cool look at the current fashion community in NYC
<3 A great zine for if you want to see the fits and get inspiration
<3 Short but insightful sometimes playful quotes from the models
<3 Maybe find some new people to follow
Final Thoughts: Overall, I would absolutely recommend TENPLE zine. They are looking to expand the variety of content to tutorials, interviews, and activity pages. I am genuinely interested in seeing how this publication grows over time!
How To Support/Submit: I don’t know the projected release frequency for TENPLE but you can email info@tenten.nyc about collaborations and suggestions. You can submit even if you’re not NYC based.
Thanks for reading you all! This is my first fashion zine review and I hope to do more. Did you like this level of detail? What do you think about TENPLE? I was thinking next time I could try to streamline it more like the charm points area I had. I’m still trying to figure out my voice with this blog. I forget that there is a learning curve when you do new projects even if it’s “just” writing your thoughts on something.
I read kind of a good amount of comics??? I wouldn’t call myself an otaku or anything but I try to keep up with a variety of comics from manga, to indie, to things my art friends make. When I think about Hard Decora though most of my inspirations come from comics I read in high school or college. I take in inspiration constantly but for the concept of Hard Decora the comic, I’d say the following 4 comics influenced me heavily.
GALS
GALS (or Super GALS if you watched the anime) was a series about gyaru school girl Ran and her friends making their way through school and family life with style and rebelliousness. Ran was a troublemaker growing up in a police family but she also wasn’t the coolest girl in school even with her style and ability to go against the grain. She had a pair of tan gyaru bullies that claimed they were superior because Ran couldn’t tan in the sun lol Then society wouldn’t take Ran and her friends seriously because of their gyaru aesthetic and lifestyle. There was also a lot of comedic violence as Ran was an aggressively cute girl haha
In Hard Decora there’s similar obstacles for the HD crew as they have to deal with stylish gatekeepers and the issues of going against societal norms. I can’t be as silly artistically as GALS was but I think exaggerating the woes of fashion is where we connect comedically.
The Work of Sophie Campbell: Wet Moon, Shadow Eyes, Jem and the Holograms
Sophie Campbell is straight up goals as far as my art style goes. She’s just so good at incorporating fashion into her character designs and she was always diverse in her depictions of women. When I came across Wet Moon tucked away in a comic shop I was obsessed.
Wet Moon, which she wrote and illustrated, followed college girls in a small town full of mystery and college drama. Most of the characters wore alt fashion and were gay. Some characters had disabilities, chronic illnesses, or mental health issues. Shadow Eyes (writer/illustrator) was a strong metaphor for the trans journey and maybe elements of Sophie’s personal journey. Jem and the holograms comic reboot (illustrated) featured two battling girl bands that had new outfits throughout each adventure reflecting their personalities.
For Hard Decora, my line work and coloring style I think are similar to Sophie’s except she’s way better ofc. Also the high school to young adult drama is going to be so there with HD. Love triangles, friendship breakups, and identity crises galore! I want to focus on diversity as well as I can. I know I have a ways to go on that in different areas but a lot of characters to be introduced that I can make up for it on!
Boys Over Flowers
This manga and the Korean drama had me in a chokehold throughout high school! So it’s about this working class girl who transfers to a super upper class school that has a huge bullying problem. The main character stands up to all her bullies while maintaining her values and attracting the two richest boys from the Flower 4!
Seeing the main character’s persistence got me through hard times in my own life. When I hear “Almost Par-ra-diiiise!” I could shed a freaking tear. It’s definitely a “how is she gonna make it out of this one?!” type of story.
Moxie is like obviously based off of the main character and her struggles in a rich school with exaggerated bullying. I really said Boys Over Flowers but make it J-Fashion XD!
That’s my list! I hope you thought these books were interesting or even found something new to look into. Have you read these books before? Do you have any recommendations for me based on this list? Leave them down in the comments!
I want to make another post with other media that inspires Hard Decora too. However, the next post will be a review of all the new western kawaii fashion zines/magazines I’ve gotten my hands on! I wanna collect them all >:D
If you enjoyed this and are looking for a way to support my work you can – check out my shop – donate to my goal on kofi- subscribe to my newsletter – or share this post !
A Royal Introduction
