a relatively new style has been emerging ! mostly popular among the zoomers on instagram (and presumably tiktok), i've only seen one name coined for it thus far; jojifuku! the name comes from 'otonajyo ji fuku' (i think.) meaning 'adult kid attire' or 'adult girl clothes' as far as i can tell with my very limited understanding of japanese. it more or less captures the style in it's essence. 'what if kid brand clothes but for everyone', that is.
i believe the style evolved from fairy kei, and bears some resemblance to nanchatte too. it seems to me that the 2000's is to jojifuku what the 80's is to fairy kei- both heavily involve children's brands and franchises from their respective eras. the childish aspect is like that of nanchatte too- with nanchattefuku literally meaning 'just kidding school uniform', i guess jojifuku is like 'just kidding kids clothes' (not literally) :D
brands?
brands and mascots from japan's y2k 'junior boom' are at the forefront of the style! the most popular are probably those from narumiya inc (mezzo piano, angel blue, daisy lovers, and pom ponette!), and sanrio (sugarbunnies, usahana, cinnamoangels, my melody, etc!). i've seen people incorporate items from sweet lolita brands too, such as angelic pretty salopettes and accessories. themes that seem popular are fruit (especially strawberries!!), sweet motifs such as candy, and childhood motifs such as stuffed toys.
items?
tees from previously mentioned brands or themes, denim miniskirts or shorts are popularly worn. seifuku is also common, but not often authentic ones- the seifu i've seen worn have pastel colours, cute designs and patterns. randoseru backpacks are one of the bags of choice, especially in pastel colours or decorated! loose socks or legwarmers reminiscent of the kogal style are common, but i think they're very common among zoomers and alt kids across the spectrum right now anyway? lol :'D shoes seem to vary from sneakers and converse to uwabaki (japanese school slippers) and even crocs!
accessibility?
considering the style involves literal children's clothes, most of which are from brands that are now defunct or no longer produce items in a suitable jojifuku style, it's not the easiest style to replicate. the average adult or even more petit adults probably cannot fit into children's clothes without modifications. in this style i guess being short is a huge benefit.
uhh...?
i can't really tell when this term 'jojifuku' was coined but it's the only term i've found that describes this style specifically! it should be noted and known that, as with basically everything involving nostalgic cute or childhood elements on the internet nowadays, search results and tags for jojifuku often contain weird shit. i'm talking ageplayers, 'littles', etc etc. a lot of the image search results are suggestive photos. 3: all this i find to be annoying and unfortunate, but it's a common problem even in well known styles such as sweet lolita. it's my strong hope that this term becomes more commonly used by people with a genuine interest and passion for the style completely outside the realm of fetishisation. a lot of jfashion emulates and incorporates children's clothes and themes- fairy kei and lolita most notably! if we can have these without the fetishisation, jojifuku can be the same i'm sure. i really hope the style gains traction of the right kind because i really enjoy it...... (´•̥̥̥ω•̥̥̥` )