Where last season saw LỰU ĐẠN’s campaign imagery pay tribute to Asian Chicano culture starring barber/tattoo collective Viet Monster Hood, for FW24 the brand’s designer Hung La casts the iconic rockabillies of Tokyo’s Yoyogi Park. With their greased-up pompadours and signature dance moves, the rockabillies wear LỰU ĐẠN’s FW24 collection: printed shirts, studded leathers and varsity jackets covered in band badges. Famed in Tokyo, each Sunday rockabilly group, The Strangers, gather in the park, head to toe in denim and leather, to meet and dance. Playing through the speakers, the same rock ‘n’ roll that older members of the culture recall hearing playing from the US military base that once stood in the park. To Hung La, this community showcases values inherent to the brand: defiance, courage and freedom.

AJT: Can you tell us about the rockabillies of Tokyo’s Yoyogi Park and their place in Japanese culture? 
Hung La: I am not a native Japanese so my point of view is of a foreigner. For me these die-hards are a story of floating origins and how subculture can take on very distinct new flavour. From my interaction with them, there is an intense love and appreciation of the rockabilly style and way of life. I have been told that rockabilly is one of the first intersections of East meets West in Japan and represents a moment of discovery and fascination. Historically, rockabilly goes back to the 1950s but The Strangers Tokyo Rockabilly group was started by Charlie 34 years ago.

AJT: How does that cultural blend resonate with your own work?
HL: I am always interested in the tension between opposites and the intersection of culture. I am Vietnamese, born in the US, so I am familiar with this kind of duality. My ambition is to tell specific and nuanced stories that align with the brand. I am not interested in the cliché colonial vision of red lanterns and dragons as a nostalgic portrayal of Asian culture and aesthetic. Each season we choose a specific subculture we want to spotlight. Last season we worked with Viet Monster, a group of Vietnamese Chicano Gangsters, and this season we worked with The Strangers.

AJT: Why did you choose The Strangers for this campaign? 
HL: The Strangers and the Tokyo rockabilly community that perform every Sunday at Yoyogi Park embody a spirit that is very much LỰU ĐẠN. There is a specificity in their character that aligns with the type of masculinity that we celebrate. With The Strangers, we had an opportunity to work with an iconic rockabilly group and celebrate their way of life. I was drawn by their loyalty and devotion to rebellion and defying tradition.

AJT: What do you appreciate about their culture/style?
HL: The Tokyo rockabillies are iconic rockers much like the punks in St. Marks Place in East Village or the Camden Punks in London back in the day. They are the embodiment of lifestyle through and through. They have been dancing in the Park for 30-40 years. There was a boom of rockabilly bands in Japan in the 80s and they would all meet in the park and express themselves through music and dance, while many spectators would watch them perform. The groups today are separated by their own fashion, donning just denim or some gangs only leather or Hawaiian shirts. They stand alone in their style and coifed hair. They are bold and brash. This whole movement embodies LỰU ĐẠN.