Commonly referred to as “VK” and “V-kei,” Visual Kei fashion first emerged in the early 1980s underground Japanese music scene. Popular bands including X Japan, Buck-Tick, and Dead End are credited with being the early pioneers of the distinctive style.

As Western music superstars including Kiss and David Bowie influenced Japanese rock in the late ’80s and early ’90s, the music scene — as well as the accompanying fashion trends — began to take on a unique identity of its own, borrowing elements of heavy metal, hard rock, punk, and glam rock.

Visual Kei, with its many substyles, is the product of all of these influences combined. It’s equal parts edgy, gothic, rave, glam, and punk, and most importantly, there are no limits.

It is a style most often characterized by androgynous outfits, over-the-top hairstyles, and dramatic makeup for both women and men.

Global awareness of Visual Kei has spread primarily through the ever-increasing popularity of Japanese anime, and its biggest communities around the world are in the United States, Russia, Brazil, Germany, and Poland.

With no real style rules to follow and not many shops catering specifically to this genre, the only limitation is your imagination. Here, we take a closer look at several of the eccentric Visual Kei substyles and offer some guidance on how to make them work for you.

Visual Kei 101

While there are some common elements among the many Visual Kei substyles, such as shocking hairstyles and makeup, the overall emphasis is on individuality and freedom of expression through fashion.

Each of the substyles, as you’ll soon see, is distinct, but don’t feel as though you have to choose just one. Just like all the other (non) rules of Visual Kei, there is no one right way to wear this fashion.

Oshare Kei

“Oshare” literally means fashionable or stylish, and this style is every bit of that. This is one of Visual Kei’s most well-defined and newest substyles, having emerged in the early 2000s with the worldwide obsession with pop music.