#ryou watari

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canon trans character icons!

if youre a weirdo i will fucking block you

-Fashion Fridays-

Being fastidious, I would define streetwear as fashion you see on the street, worn by everyone you see and in every setting you see. Clothes that serve a purpose, sneakers for walking long distances, sweatshirts that are comfy and warm, jackets that protect you from the rain. What if the utility of these pieces could also match with design and colour and your own style? What if you were able to connect on an emotional level with your own clothing?

Streetwear has a deeper meaning behind the pieces you wear, behind the design, even behind the brand. Streetwear started as an expression of one's self identity, to send a message out there that our fashion indeed defines us as whatever we want to be.

This is were Boys Run the Riot comes in. The manga series by Keito Gaku where trans boy Ryo Watari and his love for streetwear helps him deal with a hostile world that just doesn’t understand him. His partnership with Jin Satou, a new student with the same passion for clothing, and the creation of their streetwear brand gets the ball rolling in this awesome story.

Jin’s first appearance in the manga.

Classic hoodie under student jacket combination, Jin wears his white hoodie unzipped over a white t shirt. He’s also wearing a pendant on his neck, I believe it’s a small ring that hangs from his chain. Dark sunglasses and hoop earrings complete his fit.

I love how the details of Jin’s look are given their own panel: the all black Jordan Legacy 312′s *, the perfectly lined undercut fade and the earrings. Jin takes great care of himself and pays attention to every detail of his outfit.

*I’m not seeing the Air Jordan logo on the side tab of his sneakers, but the design is spot on. My first thought was Air Force highs, but the Nike strap and the little bit of midsole we see were a giveaway for me.

I thought the choice of this specific model of Jordan was interesting. The Legacy 312 was a collaboration by Don C, and it includes design details from other sneakers: the Air Jordan 1, the Air Jordan 3 (my personal favourite) and the Nike Air Alpha Force Low. It's a controlled chaos of design elements that fit well together. And it's a great way to point out that Jin is a guy that goes against the classic or the typical model of a design, he likes taking risks.

Ryo’s first outfit in the manga.

The patterned sports coat is a loud statement by Ryo. He manages to match it well with the hoodie underneath. I'm not a fan of sweatpants, specially with the lateral stripe, but Ryo makes it work. Fashion favours the bold.

The boys are out on a shopping trip and they treat us to another version of their own style. I like how they don’t have the same design elements in their outfits every time we see them in new fits.

Ryo sporting a very nice hip bag slung across his chest, the strap is thick and the bag itself looks spacious, love the simple design. He’s in an oversized sweatshirt and also wearing sweatpants with the lateral stripe. I like how the sweatshirt fits him from the shoulders and down to his arms, it looks comfortable and trendy. He’s also bringing out the accesories with the two chains around his neck.

Jin is a little more dressed up with the denim jacket over a white shirt. He’s wearing straight-fit black jeans that are slightly baggy but they look good on the silhoutte he’s going for. Boxy on the top, and tighter on the bottom. Jin’s got the industrial belt* hanging from his right side, he’s a trendy guy I tell you!

*Unsure if it’s THE industrial belt from Virgil Abloh’s OFF-WHITE, but I decided to describe it as such, for all intents and purposes, to avoid any confusion on what the accesory was. 

Ryo wearing Air Huaraches, the OG version, and Jin wearing classic Air Force lows in all white.

Ryo taking a walk, trying to find inspiration for his brand on the streets of his hometown. Once again, wearing his lateral stripe sweatpants, he’s also sporting a chequered unstructured cap with a strap back.  Let me tell you something awesome about Boys Run The Riot: the mangaka, Keito Gaku, is taking inspiration from IRL streetwear brands from Japan!

The sweatshirt that Ryo is wearing during his walk is from a Japanese brand called Dargo, I found it online and it is just as cool as it looks in the manga! The white stitching around the chest pocket is superb detailing. According to their website, this piece is 100% cotton, 10.0 onz Mid Weight.

Pretty cool that Ryo supports local brands.

The last piece I want to bring attention to, is the boys’ first t-shirt design. A basic white shirt with a graffiti design on the left side of the chest and a surprise print under the left sleeve, visible only if you roll it a couple of times.

I’m very excited about this manga, and can’t wait to show you more oufits next week!

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