Meet Konbini, The Harajuku-Inspired Festival For Japanese Fashion Enthusiast
Fed up with a lack of avenues to physically shop for Harajuku‑style fashion in Singapore, as well as with event organisers often conflating J‑fashion with cosplay, the 26‑year‑old See Kaye (popularly known as “Kitty” online) launched Konbini, a marketplace and platform where J‑fashion enthusiasts can gather, show off their outfits and find friends.
When it comes to cute culture, no one does it quite like Japan. While the rest of the world was recovering from post‑World War II realities, Japan started to see a mushrooming of all things adorable. Think childlike handwriting, or maru‑moji, which saw schoolgirls in the 1970s and ’80s cute‑ify their script with round edges and analogue emojis for decoration, or the rise of bobbly icons such as Hello Kitty (she debuted in 1974) and Doraemon (the manga series was launched in 1969). This wave of kawaii, which literally means “cute” in Japanese, wasn’t just about aesthetics though. It was partly a reaction to rigid social norms and the country’s rapid modernisation, offering a softer, more playful counter‑narrative that embraced childlike innocence, vulnerability and individuality.
The movement eventually seeped into anime. Cue iconic shojo (entertainment aimed at girls) such as Sailor Moon in the ’90s as well as the youth fashion of the time that gave birth to experimental subcultures such as Dolly Kei, Decora and Lolita, all of which found their home in Tokyo’s Harajuku neighbourhood.
In many ways, Harajuku fashion became the real‑life stage (and, indeed, a byword) for many of kawaii’s boldest expressions: pastel colours, oversize accessories, and mixed styles that broke all rules. It wasn’t just about looking cute – it was a movement of youthful rebellion, creativity and community.
Now, decades later, that same ethos continues to live on globally, far beyond the IRL boundaries of Harajuku, Tokyo. One of the key players today helping to create a safe space for Harajuku lovers in Singapore is Konbini, a youth‑led marketplace started in 2023 that aims to show how today’s generation reinterprets Japanese cute culture in its own way.
Ahead of its next edition popping up at The Hive Lavender on June 14 and 15, we caught up with the three Gen Zers behind Konbini to hear how they’re bringing that Harajuku spirit to Singapore – and making space for self‑expression, community and pure fun.
Since launching in June 2023, Konbini has swiftly become the go‑to platform for local J‑fashion fans and small businesses that cater to the look. Some might consider the community relatively small – the third edition last year pulled in more than a thousand visitors – but it’s a close‑knit one. A fourth edition is set to take place this June 14 and 15 at The Hive Lavender.
THE INSPIRATION BEHIND KONBINI, MIXING J-FASHION AND CUTE CULTURE
WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO START KONBINI?
SEE KAYE, COMMONLY KNOWN AS “KITTY” ONLINE (K): “Konbini grew from my experience as a small‑business owner as well as a shopper at pop‑up markets. I love the tactile joy of trying on trinkets, and having casual chats with sellers and buyers – this idea of being surrounded by so many beautiful things and a community reminds me of girlhood … There was also a big gap locally – I couldn’t find the Japanese fashion brands that I love in shops here, so that inspired me to bring together J‑fashion sellers in a curated market. I had a separate and difficult experience with a crochet artist who copied one of my commissions, but that further motivated me to create a space where creativity is genuinely celebrated. That was how Konbini was born.”
BRENDA LEE (BL): “Kitty and I met by chance in a philosophy module at university. I remember her excitedly telling me about Konbini in her dorm room. I’ve seen her dedication and hard work, and I greatly respect her commitment. When she invited me to be an artist and co‑organiser for Konbini 4.0, I was immediately on board. As an artist myself, I believe in creating more accessible opportunities for small artists in Singapore and am glad to give back to the local art scene this way.”
WHAT ASPECTS OF JAPANESE CULTURE ARE YOU TRYING TO BRING TO SINGAPORE THROUGH KONBINI?
K: “At Konbini, we’re inspired by Harajuku fashion, which has always been about mixing styles, paying attention to the tiniest details and pushing boundaries – that’s something we want to encourage. We’ve even seen the emergence of newer J‑fashion subcultures such as jirai kei (a dark, doll‑like aesthetic with a melancholic vibe) and tenshi kawaii (a hyper‑feminine, angelic style with lots of pastels and frills) here, which shows how much young people in Singapore are drawn to that spirit of self‑expression … What Harajuku culture teaches us is that when there’s a variety of styles and ideas, even more creativity blooms. That’s what Konbini – in bringing together creators and curators with the same belief – is about: offering space for that diversity to grow … Additionally, through our vendors – a lot of whom specialise in hand‑crafting accessories and other Japanese‑inspired paraphernalia – we’re spotlighting DIY culture, where people are actively shaping the world around them with their own hands and filling it with beauty.”
THROUGH KONBINI, WHAT DIFFERENCE DO YOU SEE BETWEEN TODAY’S J‑FASHION ENTHUSIASTS AND THOSE FROM PREVIOUS ERAS?
K: “Today’s youth are much more experimental with J‑fashion, in my opinion, and do embody the anything‑goes spirit of Harajuku that we celebrate at Konbini. We see more eclectic ways of mixing J‑fashion with other trends and whatever youths can get their thrifty hands on. For example, I’ve seen someone pair a thrifted Victoria’s Secret slip dress with a larme kei (a demure, girly aesthetic) skirt, as well as some insane layering of both J‑fashion and non‑J‑fashion clothing. This fusion is representative of how at Konbini, fashion transcends the boundaries of J‑fashion subcultures and challenges its older genres. It’s a relationship that’s simultaneously nostalgic and innovative.”
HARAJUKU CULTURE IS DEEPLY ALIGNED WITH CUTE CULTURE. WHY DO YOU THINK CUTENESS RESONATES SO STRONGLY WITH YOUTHS NOW?
K: “Cuteness is a counterculture to a society that pushes its youth to grow up and mature rapidly, assuming adult roles as soon as they’re fit to join the rat race. In a sense, it’s a reclamation of childhood traits, something very similar to how girls are reclaiming their girlhood by embracing the soft and feminine. Cuteness is a return to having curiosity and childlike wonder about the world, having a sense of whimsy and adventure, and being honest in expressing ourselves. This resonates, especially in a cut‑throat and corporate world that’s ever so concerned about being concise, correct and maintaining good optics.
BL: “I think the world is stressful and sometimes bleak as it is already. Cute things are a way of bringing small pockets of joy into the everyday mundane life. When you see cute things, you feel a little happier, and I think there’s a desire to bring a semblance of that into our lives. For example, my water bottle is decked out with cute stickers. When I’m studying or stressed, just looking at my water bottle makes me feel a little happier.”
NABEEL GUNN‑SINGCO: “I think that society places a strong focus on maturity. This isn’t wrong, nor should we fault others for acting in a way that’s traditionally thought of as mature. However, in more reserved societies, maturity is also often associated with traits such as quietness, seriousness and being no‑nonsense, which I disagree with. People can be mature, but also embrace cute hobbies, art, culture and media. I believe that young creatives and audiences identify with cuteness as it’s a form of personal expression and it feels liberating.”
SUPPORTING CREATIVES IN A HOLISTICE ENVIRONMENT
TELL US MORE ABOUT HOW KONBINI SUPPORTS LOCAL CREATIVES.
K: “At each edition, we commission a new local artist to design our event posters (previous editions have featured rising names such as illustrator Charmaine Ng, aka Chamjam, who illustrated the cover of Female’s January/February 2025 print edition). We’re careful with our curation of vendors as well, making sure our line‑up spotlights the coolest creatives we know, and we invest heavily in social media to really help promote their work. We’ll also be launching an informal magazine soon, for which we’ll interview and highlight selected creatives.”
BL: “We put a lot of effort and creativity into promoting our vendors. One fun way has been to interpret their merch as cute konbini products (“konbini” is the Japanese term for convenience stores) in our marketing materials … Our event announcement posts and artist highlights on social media are something we’re very proud of because they’re eye‑catching and unique, showcasing our vendors as part of the Konbini narrative and community. We don’t just slap their brand and logo on our platforms.”
WHAT CAN PEOPLE EXPECT FROM THE UPCOMING EDITION?
K: “We’re rolling out an informal debut edition of our Konbini magazine, featuring all our best‑dressed visitors so far as well as exclusive interviews and content surrounding our creatives. We also have an even bigger line‑up of vendors this time (41 as of press time, up from 39 in the previous edition), featuring new types of wares such as digicams. And, as usual, we’ll have our photo booth, hair and makeup station, and photography of best‑dressed visitors!”
THIS INTERVIEW HAS BEEN EDITED FOR BREVITY AND CLARITY.
PORTRAIT PHOTOGRAPHY ATHIRAH ANNISSA ART DIRECTION JONATHAN CHIA HAIR & MAKEUP HAZIRAH BINTE ALAM
This article first appeared in the June 2025 Cuteness Overload Edition of FEMALE