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RIP Black Peace Now: Harajuku Japanese Goth fashion brand closes, bankrupt. Final collection photos.

peace now ghost shirt, golden gai, shinjuku bars street, tokyo bar signs

Sad face… one of my favorite Harajuku Goth fashion brands, Black Peace Now, is no more. Please read on for a eulogy, and photos of the very last collection.

golden gai, dolce and gabbana sunglasses, peace now top, bpn

All the BPN Japan stores have already vanished. USA operations remain open, but I doubt they’ll last for long.

Things haven’t been great for Japanese Goth brands in recent years. h.NAOTO is closing its San Francisco boutique, and both Banana Fish and Sexy Dynamite London are gone for good.

tokyo street style stars, japan fashion bloggers, shinjuku shinto shrine

How fitting that I wore this outfit to Hanzono Shinto shrine in Shinjuku, two weeks before the end. My Pirate first mate Naomi Rubin (comic artist and web designer at Naomiyaki) shot these photos.

Ghost top: Peace Now, from Closet Child Shinjuku
White fuzzy coat: got it in London years ago. It reminds me of the one the girl wears in Last Tango In Paris.
Starlet white hat: vintage, from ages ago
Gothic Lolita purse: Spider, Hong Kong
White sunglasses: Dolce and Gabbana (more photos here)
Black heels: Michael Kors

 Hanazono Shrine, 花園神社, Hanazono Jinja,  kabukicho temple, Meiji Jingu, shinto prayer boards

In front of Shinto prayer boards (ema). I should have wished for Peace Now to live on…

white black creeper shoes, tokyo creepers, polka dot backpack, peace now backpack, bpn shoes

Nobody had any clue that the brand was on its last legs, especially since their last collection was strong. Highlights include these epic creeper shoes, which I bought. The pirate bear reminds me of Basil.

pastel goth clothes, ghost bag, black peace now tshirts

I took these photos of the BPN in Vivre (Yokohama department store) a mere fortnight before the brand folded. The last collection had Pastel Goth elements and cute ghosts.

nu goth clothes, new goth clothing, pastel goths, moi meme moitie dress print

I wasn’t a big fan of their Moi-meme-moitie style Lolita dresses. However, I liked the scalloped jacket collars and cloud prints.

studded shoes, creeper shoes, star stud sneakers, peace now boots

Star-studded platform sneakers, enough said.

gothic lolita shoes, goth mary janes, studded shoes, gothic boots

Unlike some other Gothic and Lolita labels, Black Peace Now showed evolution over the years, and didn’t stick to the same old formula. It’s a shame that they had to say goodbye (apparently, they went bankrupt).

moi meme moitie dress, gothic lolita dress, black peace now lolita,  Vivre Yokohama

This is what the Peace Now boutique looked like at Vivre Yokohama, right before the fall.

laforet black peace now, peace now closes down, store bankrupt, goth brand closing, shuts down stores

And then… everything disappeared without a trace. No warnings or clearance sales. Two days after the announcement, there was nothing but empty space in Laforet Harajuku.

last tango in paris coat, white shearling coat, white fedora hat, white sunglasses, glam movie star fashion

Rest in peace, Peace Now. May your ghost guy live on in the secondhand shop, Closet Child.

shinto prayer boards, Ema, shinto wooden plaques, 絵馬, shinjuku kabukicho shrine

Let’s hope that the remaining Japanese Goth Punk brands stay strong. (Here are links to the shop websites, along with photos of coordinates.)

Shinjuku Hanazono Shrine, tokyo temple, red tori gates, shinto shrine, shinto architecture

Were you a fan of Black Peace Now? Surprised by its death? What do you foresee for other J-Goth clothing lines?

Jeremy Scott smart car, smartcar, smartforjeremy, Nancy Zhang illustration, Nancy Zhang artist

PS: Hope you’ve been enjoying Tokyo Fashion Week! Don’t miss the Jeremy Scott smart forjeremy car, on display until Mar 23 (10am-9pm daily at Hikarie, 2丁目 Shibuya). Love how Berlin-based blogger and illustrator Nancy Zhang visualizes the road show in a fashionable comic.

SHARE & COMMENT

60 Comments

  1. Jen
    Posted March 20, 2013 at 2:41 am | Permalink

    I was extremely saddened by the news. It was one of my favorite brands.

  2. Riss
    Posted March 20, 2013 at 2:41 am | Permalink

    Oh my gosh, NO!! Ugh, this sincerely bums me out…..

  3. Didi
    Posted March 20, 2013 at 2:42 am | Permalink

    NOOOOOOOOO

  4. Kyoko
    Posted March 20, 2013 at 3:01 am | Permalink

    i know! when i heard this i was so sad.

  5. Joy
    Posted March 20, 2013 at 3:01 am | Permalink

    maybe if the brands made more availability in the u.s. they would not die out too much

    • Kyoko
      Posted March 20, 2013 at 3:01 am | Permalink

      maybe, the one in California is closing too i didn’t know they were closed in Japan already.

  6. Suteki
    Posted March 20, 2013 at 3:01 am | Permalink

    NOMAMES!!!! COMO QUE BLACK PEACE NOW MURIO?! D:! T______T

  7. Valeree
    Posted March 20, 2013 at 3:05 am | Permalink

    Yeah… I was a huge fan…

  8. apertour
    Posted March 20, 2013 at 3:39 am | Permalink

    beautiful la carmina

  9. oflifeandlists
    Posted March 20, 2013 at 5:56 am | Permalink

    I didn’t follow the brand closely so this is kind of shocking. Makes me sad that I didn’t buy the items I wanted when I had the chance.
    Really sad to hear about h.NAOTO – I was really hoping to visit their store here in the US.

  10. psique
    Posted March 20, 2013 at 6:07 am | Permalink

    I was really a fan :'(

  11. Suz
    Posted March 20, 2013 at 5:00 pm | Permalink

    Such a shame! I loved their style! Alas, it’s very hard to get Japanese brands in the UK, so I was never able to buy anything of theirs, but I could admire the photos in KERA!

  12. Petra
    Posted March 20, 2013 at 7:42 pm | Permalink

    I’m sad that Peace Now is gone. I hope the other brands stay strong. It’s sad when a good fashion store closes… :(

  13. Matt
    Posted March 21, 2013 at 2:04 am | Permalink

    Simply stunning.

  14. Priss
    Posted March 21, 2013 at 2:16 am | Permalink

    I was SO SAD when I learned this… Still am upset!!! >___<

  15. Heather
    Posted March 21, 2013 at 2:16 am | Permalink

    Oh how sad :(

  16. Mavis
    Posted March 21, 2013 at 2:16 am | Permalink

    so sad & shock that BPN wad dead..

  17. Lilly
    Posted March 21, 2013 at 2:19 am | Permalink

    That’s so sad :c

  18. Tara
    Posted March 21, 2013 at 2:19 am | Permalink

    Better hurry up to the San Francisco shop before that us gone also.

  19. Maaya
    Posted March 21, 2013 at 2:22 am | Permalink

    I can’t believe it!! I had hopes to be able to buy something from that brand! TwT

  20. Demi
    Posted March 21, 2013 at 2:22 am | Permalink

    !!! No way, I thought they were still doing well…

  21. Maaya
    Posted March 21, 2013 at 3:26 am | Permalink

    I can’t believe it!! I had hopes to be able to buy something from that brand! TwT

  22. Kira
    Posted March 21, 2013 at 3:27 am | Permalink

    Tell me this isn’t real? :(

  23. Neo
    Posted March 21, 2013 at 3:27 am | Permalink

    ;o;

  24. Heather
    Posted March 21, 2013 at 3:27 am | Permalink

    NO! That was one of my favourites! I have the most BPN in my limited wardrobe

    • Heather
      Posted March 21, 2013 at 3:27 am | Permalink

      … I also really want the cream dress with the cage embroidery. Goth damn it

  25. Adriana
    Posted March 21, 2013 at 3:27 am | Permalink

    I wish they had those clothes where I live

  26. Esther
    Posted March 21, 2013 at 3:27 am | Permalink

    WOAH! that is so sad!

  27. Mia
    Posted March 21, 2013 at 3:28 am | Permalink

    Aw! D: I never had a chance to shop at any of these stores!

  28. Lauren
    Posted March 21, 2013 at 3:28 am | Permalink

    Do they want to come play with my brand? I want ghosts!

  29. Laura
    Posted March 21, 2013 at 3:28 am | Permalink

    it WAS amazing. it was always my favorite look in the lolita catalogs, though i was never able to see it in person. sad!

  30. Karen
    Posted March 21, 2013 at 3:28 am | Permalink

    oh no. it was such a amazing brand

  31. lanciacoriandoli
    Posted March 21, 2013 at 4:05 pm | Permalink

    I really love the light-blue dress!!

    http://www.loveandstuds.it/

    • lacarmina
      Posted March 21, 2013 at 8:38 pm | Permalink

      Thank you, it’s my new favorite! It’s Liz Lisa, My Melody collection. More pics soon!

  32. Lisa
    Posted March 21, 2013 at 8:29 pm | Permalink

    noooooo!

  33. Jade
    Posted March 21, 2013 at 8:30 pm | Permalink

    That’s sad , hope keep business running..

  34. Caderlyn
    Posted March 21, 2013 at 8:30 pm | Permalink

    never even got to buy anything from them… ;-;

  35. Aimee
    Posted March 21, 2013 at 8:30 pm | Permalink

    Oh noooooo

  36. Nicoletta
    Posted March 21, 2013 at 8:30 pm | Permalink

    :(

  37. trashtastika
    Posted March 22, 2013 at 3:38 am | Permalink

    Yeah, that was shocking, wasn’t it? It was one of those brands you thought would go on forever. But it seems that many of his other brands remain intact – h.Naoto, Sixh, Anarchy, Blood, Hangry & Angry, Gouk, Gramm, Ibi etc, so that’s something ;)

  38. MelissaR
    Posted March 24, 2013 at 9:15 pm | Permalink

    I looooove that white hat!

  39. Oliver White
    Posted March 28, 2013 at 5:39 am | Permalink

    Very sad to see it go and right before i got back to Japan allot of my favorite brands have died out sadly and more and more are struggling to survive i mean takuya Angel closed his store ,peace now (rip) its just upsetting :((

  40. Jen
    Posted April 16, 2013 at 1:13 am | Permalink

    I was so sad to learn about their closure. Like you said, they didn’t stick to one formula. I have two very different tops from them, and they were pretty affordable compared to other brands. Last I checked, the supplies in the U.S. store are dwindling so I guess I can only find PN/BPN in Closet Child and on-line sales.

    • lacarmina
      Posted April 16, 2013 at 7:30 pm | Permalink

      There’s still a lot in Closet Child (there is still Banana Fish in CC!) but it’s really too bad.. :(

  41. Nyan
    Posted June 27, 2013 at 11:38 am | Permalink

    I just found out about this by total accident and am shocked. I have been to Japan several times as a university student and of all of my Japanese goth/lolita clothing, my Peace Now and BPN pieces are definitely worn the most. They had some really nice things, and they actually weren’t that outrageously priced compared to a lot of other brands. I was looking forward to hitting the store again this coming winter when I visit my friend. :(

    • lacarmina
      Posted July 1, 2013 at 7:52 pm | Permalink

      I know!! thankfully there are still lots in Closet Child, but so sad…

  42. aozora
    Posted April 3, 2015 at 8:19 am | Permalink

    Oh my goodness. I didn’t even know BPN went bankrupt until now. I bought many of their clothes at the San Francisco store until they closed. I loved the bear and ghost. They were my favorite goth brand. This makes me so sad!

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