Sadness… Sexy Dynamite London, the Harajuku punk brand, is forever gone. I’m glad I was able to say farewell by taking photos at the boutique in Shinsaibashi, Osaka.

In its final days, Sexy Dynamite London (SDL) featured a Hide collaboration. As my friend put it, X Japan guitarist “Hide Matsumoto was the ‘Kurt Cobain’ of Japan, and his influence is still clear in almost all facets of industrial/metal in Japan.”

But his legacy lives on… Hide has given us a plethora of bands via collaboration, including Spread Beaver, Zilch, Oblivion Dust, and Zeppet Store.

Stigmata, the Goth bondage brand that Kenzo-A created and sold to SDL, is also gone. However, Kenzo-A is undead and well — his current brand, Rituals, is doing well. (Did you see my coverage of the Rituals fashion show with pole dancers?)

The brand carried on the spirit of Sid and Nancy: leopard prints and ripped-up tees.

What do you think of Sexy Dynamite London’s final collection?

Let’s remember the brand through my old store photos… You can peek inside SDL Tokyo and other punk Goth shops in my Japan shopping guide.

Is punk dead? Will Harajuku fashion brands will continue to scale back or close down?

Japanese Word of the Day: Akiraka = Clear
Song of the Day: hide with Spread Beaver – Rocket Dive