You cannot look at one country and say 'this is the future of style' because there is no one set 'style' that everyone follows. Japans style is not the USAs style is not Swedens style etc.....
Japan definitely has more experimental fashions than a lot of other places but a lot of the mainstream fashions I have seen in my own country and elsewhere.
Trend agencies have their scouts in all the major cities in the world. One of the hotspots being Tokyo. Scouts are picking up interesting ideas, upcoming trends bubbling under etc, draw them, take photos etc. Those memos and photos are shaped into trend forecasts in conferences where agencies throughout the world participate. Fashion houses around the world are then using these forecasts in their design work...so no wonder mainstream fashions are pretty much the same in bigger cities around the world. It's no coincidence.
Japan's remarkable strength is exactly in the creative experimental fashion design, and the allmost philosophical approach into dressing oneself. Design schools are full of talented, dedicated and hardworking students, whose minds aren't restricted with the rules we western people have when it comes to fashion design (i.e. for example pattern making, in europe for example it's pretty much based on basic dress forms, the patterns are changed and made on the base of these basic forms. And also our minds are set to a certain form of what a trouser should look like, what a shirt should look like etc.)
Japan has good ideas (and some not so good ideas
) when it comes to fashion. However, their style gets severely watered down when you see 20+ Asian girls walking down the street wearing pretty much the
exact same thing. I'm not even exaggerating about this. It's a crazy combination of creatively putting the clothes together and the complete lack of originality when it comes to variation.
True, when/if you talk about the mainstream. But it's the same thing in every country, no? I would still say that Japan has more experimental creative types in relation to other countries. Young people who really make their own stuff, and are talented in what they do.
So, if you're wondering why the Japanese style hasn't caught on in other countries, well, because believe it or not (aside from the super creative experimental styles) they really aren't that original.
..or, could it be that western people are just too stuck on their own habits and don't dare to step outside the box? Japanese labels won't come to Europe/US if there aren't any buyers. For some it's also an image question. The reason isn't necessarily lack of originality in the designer, but in the buyer.
I can find tons of interesting labels from Japan, that don't necessarily need to be crazy avantgarde stuff like Comme des Garcons etc. Im sometimes sad when people are actually buying status instead of clothes when they make their decisions. They much rather buy something from a well known (western) brand than try something thats interesting and exciting, but unknown.
And also, like i said in the beginning - every phenomenom, every country, even politics affect on trends in the world. Believe it or not. It's never just one country taking the lead.