Yume Kawaii

Yume Kawaii (ゆめかわいい) is a Japanese aesthetic that centers around fantasy themes in pastel colors. It appears like the embodiment of a “girl's dream” and you can find many illustrations, clothing, and goods, which incorporate this aesthetic. Due to the nature of dreams, it can also feature nightmarish elements.

History[]

Although the concept of the aesthetic has existed for some time, it wasn't until 2013 that it started to spread under the name Yume Kawaii. Eventually, the rise of image-centric social media platforms gave birth to online groups such as "Strawberry Milk Gang" (いちごみるく団) that were a major contributor to shaping the aesthetic with their image edits. In 2015, Yume Kawaii caught the attention of companies, and pastel-colored goods with the aesthetic in mind hit up the shelves, spreading its popularity among a mainstream aducience.

Visuals[]

As mentioned previously, Yume Kawaii doesn't only consist of nice dreams but also nightmares. Due to that, there's also image edits and artworks that embody this pale cuteness and slightly sad poems. There's also many artists who focus on the Yume Kawaii aesthetic. One of the most well-known illustrators who represents Yume Kawaii is Kato Rei. He has released his first artbook "Girl Friend" in 2015, featuring a romantic world view drawn in pastel colors, embodying Yume Kawaii.

Fashion[]

Genres_of_Kawaii_Yume_Kawaii — Genres of Kawaii Yume Kawaii

Yume Kawaii fashion includes feathers, frills, ribbons, and other fluffy materials in its looks. The outfits usually consist of printed tops with a sailor collar, sheer jackets, poofy skirts or pants, loose socks, and platform shoes. Sleeping mask headdresses and pillow bags are also popular.

While Fairy Kei emits a vintage, retro kind of kawaii, Yume Kawaii covers many modern styles and features lots of motifs related to Japanese pop culture, such as magical girls, strawberry milk, and conpeitou.

The hair is often bleached and dyed to archive high tones like milk tea, pastel pink, and lavender; but wigs in fluffy styles are also very common.

There are many circle lenses, glitter under the eyes, and very pop impressions. And there is an important element: the "sleepy" look. People achieve this look by applying an excessive amount of blush under their eyes.