In-Between Democratic Imperialism, Visual Reception, and the Colonial Order: Taiwan’s Adoption of Japanese Vintage Subculture

This article examines the formation and characteristics of Taiwan’s contemporary vintage fashion culture, situating it in relation to Japan’s influential vintage scene and broader transnational fashion flows. Building on previous research findings that revealed Japan’s history of shaping Taiwanese fashion sensibilities, this study argues that Taiwan’s vintage culture reflects a layered negotiation of colonial memory, democratic imperialism, male orientated cosmopolitanism, and selective cultural appropriation. Drawing on multi-site ethnographic fieldwork, supported by interviews at retail outlets and observational analysis, the research traces how Taiwanese vintage fashion retailers source garments largely internationally, thereby producing a sophisticated aesthetic aligned with global vintage culture while also distancing itself from China’s cultural sphere. By analyzing Taiwan’s vintage scene through the lenses of consumption, postcolonial nostalgia, and transculturation dynamics, this article contributes to understanding how a niche subcultural fashion culture within a relatively niche state can articulate collective identity while incorporating regional hierarchies of cultural influence.