In always fashion-conscious Japan, each year brings a handful of would-be hot new trends. Some of these go on to be hits, like the way many women have been dying their hair brown for the last 15 years. Others, like the high-waist bikini many fashion magazines were pushing last spring, never really catch on.

Now, a new look seems to be gaining traction with young women, in which they head out for a day on the town with a friend wearing nearly identical outfits.

Fans of the style call it futago koude, or “twin fashion coordination.” Just like you’d guess from the name, it involves a pair dressing up in either the same or complementing clothes and accessories.

While this might seem odd to the uninitiated, the results of a survey by online fashion retailer Yumetembo reveal futago koude has made surprising inroads already. In a poll of 470 women in their teens, 20s, 30s, and 40s, almost all of them said they’d heard of the trend, with only eight percent unaware of it. What’s more, a whopping 86 percent said they’re interested in trying it themselves.

It wouldn’t be the first time for all of them, though, as more than half of the women polled say they’ve done it before. By far the most common pairing was two friends, but some futago koude veterans say they also coordinated outfits with their sister or mom.

▼ We’re guessing this isn’t an example of a mother/daughter combo, though.

The survey participants also shared their opinions on futago koude:

“It’s a change of pace and helps me and my friend strengthen our friendship!”
“Strangers said we were cute, and we stood out, both of which felt good.”
“I could feel everyone’s eyes on us, so it was a little embarrassing.”
“We got a lot of attention, and it felt like we were twice as cute because there were two of us.”
“I did it with someone who I’m good friends with. We’re already like family, so with futago koude, it felt like we really were twins!”

It’s still too early to know if futago koude is here to stay, but if it does end up striking a chord with fashionistas, how far will it go? Will we see triplet and quadruplet fashion coordination next? Only time will tell.

Source, images: PR Times
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