You may or may not have heard various J-fashion influencers discussing a supposed up and coming fashion style, a remade version of mori known as "Neo Mori." I personally refuse to get a TikTok for many, many reasons (lol), so I was only recently alerted to the term by someone on the mori discord.
Looking at the information provided, I had a lot of thoughts. And knowing how the western J-fashion community likes to jump on new trends quicker than you can blink, this is likely to get a lot of coverage. So, let's get ahead of the curve and talk about it from the point of view of a mori girl who has been around in the fashion community for a long time now.
What is neo mori?
Let's start with the basics. Neo mori, also known as neo mori girl, is a term coined by the company SPINNS to describe a "modernized" version of mori fashion.
According to SPINNS, and some other Japanese commentators/bloggers, the style incorporates the old feel of mori with more urban sensibilities. (What does that mean exactly? I'm honestly not sure. They haven't elaborated.) In short, it's meant to be a fresh new take on mori fashion. Hence "neo" in the name.
Images provided by SPINNS of Neo Mori Examples
As far as I can tell, it has no new rules, guidelines or anything of the sort. Similar to other modern "core" fashion trends, it seems to run on vibes alone. Definitely not an issue in and of itself, but it does make it difficult to pin down what exactly makes this style distinct from "old" mori.
The style also seems to have no central community hub. No groups, discords, forums, etc. Which isn't odd given the current state of the internet where such things have sadly fallen out of popularity. But it also does not seem to populate any particular hashtags either, on Instagram or TikTok, nor have much presence outside of brand posts. (And I am only talking about the Japanese side of things here. I have no idea what the state of this term is in the west, but since the term is supposed to be coming organically out of Japan, I don't think it is super relevant at this moment.)
To be honest, as I attempted to research this style, I don't really see a major difference between this style and "old" mori. There are of course some new modern influences I am seeing, like shorter skirts, modern cuts, etc., but many of these outfits would not look out of place in an old mori magazine or street snap.
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Classic mori outfit shots from 2009, the middle one wouldn't look out of place in Neo Mori articles
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It is also important to add that mori has always been evolving with the times, so seeing "new" versions of the style do not automatically cause me to look for a new term or descriptor. Mori has always used "trendy" items, for example creepers or rocking horse shoes were often used in street snaps back in the 2010s when those things were super popular.
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| A mori coordinate from 2018 using novelty socks, a huge trend for a moment in Harajuku |
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| Mori inspired coordinates from 2012 with rocking horse shoes, and a more casual, modern feel |
Who is wearing neo mori?
As I already mentioned, there does not seem to be a big community for this style online. Looking for organic content creators, populated hashtags, or informative posts not by brands or general fashion bloggers, turns up hardly anything at all. From what I can tell, this term is either so new that only 2 or 3 people have worn it and SPINNS was just really on top of reporting about new trends, or it is being pushed by brands solely.
I moved back from Japan earlier this year, so I admit am a little out of date on the current trends, but in my experience I never saw nor heard of this trend at all while there. In contrast, when the girly, pink and black fashion trend with the controversial name was popular, I saw it almost immediately, even in my tiny mountainside town in Okayama prefecture. So not seeing anything either in person or online about it does give me pause to its legitimacy as a grassroots movement.
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| I saw soooo many girls wearing this exact outfit in my tiny town |
Of course, it could be that it really is a micro trend. Perhaps its only a small group in Harajuku or something that I don't know about. But, online at least, there isn't really any information I could find to support that.
So, where does it come from then, if there is no grassroots movement of people wearing it?
The term, as I've already said, was coined by SPINNS. I think its important to note that SPINNS is not a mori fashion community, or a group of fashion influencers, or anything like that. Instead, they are a regular fashion brand who have long sold various pieces catering to whatever j-fashion trend was in at the time.
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| SPINNS storefront circa 2025 |
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| SPINNS 2020 collection |
Even back in mori's heyday, SPINNS were selling various pieces out of their Harajuku shops to fashion communities. They're a well known name because of this, but again, they are not actually catered to, or informed by, the communities they sell to. They are simply a brand capitalizing on trends. In their own heyday, SPINNS was known in particular for pushing the very general "harajuku" style, that could apply to many styles and trends.
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| SPINNS 2013 Storefront |
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| SPINNS 2012 Fashion Show |
A store like Hot Topic, if you're from the USA, is a good example of this kind of shop. They might sell gothic pieces that absolutely fit your style! But the company making them are certainly not goths themselves and the items they sell may change rapidly reflecting the current trends. In short, they have goth items, but they are not a goth shop.
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| Hot Topic storefronts in various years |
All this to say, this isn't necessarily a problem. After all, to some extent, any brand is going to be more focused on selling items than they are engaging in the subcultures they are trying to attract! And I would be lying if I said SPINNS pulled this style out of nowhere. They are pulling inspiration from existing trends. But again, when browsing Instagram tags, it is immediately apparent that this style is mainly brand driven. Any tags that show almost 80% brand images and only a few outfit shots here and there seems very much commercialized to me.
So, where does neo mori fashion actually come from?
The term neo mori is undoubtedly new, and the credit for it of course belongs to SPINNS. But the style they are claiming, whether we consider it different from mori or not, is actually a style that has been around for years. It is not new, and I can remember seeing a similar style as far back as 2019, if not farther back in street snaps.
One notable example is the account 0.25__h. I believe they are a Korean fashion influencer living in Japan, and I had been following them for quite a while back when I was still on Instagram. Their coordinates, in the exact style SPINNS coins neo mori, date back as far as 2023. However, they have long been using the usual mori tags and did not define their style as neo mori or any other new terms. As of 6 weeks ago, they account is still using the term mori girl, and does not use the neo mori label.
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| Post circa 2023 |
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| Post circa 2023 |
I have seen others wearing the style as well, but to be honest, I saw no need to save these images. They aren't my personal style of mori, but I did not register them as being anything except standard mori coordinates.
Do we need the term Neo Mori?
So the big question. Do we even need a new term like Neo Mori?
First, I know I have been somewhat harsh and analytical of this trend here. But I do want to say that if you like the term and feel like it perfectly defines you, then go for it. It does not hurt anyone to have a new term out there, and if it makes you happy, great! Don't let anyone stop you from using what fits you best!
But I do think that it is important to acknowledge that mori is still a fashion that exists, and "neo mori" isn't really anything new or groundbreaking. In fact, every neo mori coordinate I have seen fits easily under the umbrella of mori fashion without any glaring conflicts. And it fits perfectly with how mori has already been naturally evolving on its own without the influence of brands.
To me, neo mori feels similar to other micro styles that pop up and fade quickly on TikTok or elsewhere. These trends are often highly commercialized, made by capitalizing on an already existing fashion style and being used to aggressively sell you products and coerce you into buying from fast fashion brands. SPINNS may not be as fast fashion-y as some other brands, but this push of the term feels very, very similar to those tactics. It seems calculated and purposeful.
I think we should be careful not to engage in tactics like that. The hyper consumeristic, overconsumption mindset is very against the slow, purposeful mindset that is the spirit of mori. If you choose to embrace the term neo mori, make sure you are doing it for the right reasons. Make sure it represents you and your lifestyle. Don't buy into something just because it is trendy. And avoid overconsumption and buying new brand items just because it's the new thing or a random influencer tells you that you need it.
So to sum it all up, if you really resonate with the neo mori term and want to use it, go for it! But also know that mori is a large umbrella that fits many different variations of styles, and can grow and change with the times. It doesn't have to be "stagnant" or "old". As long as there are people around wearing and enjoying the style, it will stay fresh and relevant.
Until next time my deers!
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