Archive Angel: Inside the World of
@sl33zyskiz
Harajuku has always held a special place in the heart of Shy, aka
@sl33zyskiz . As a child, she would secretly flip through her mom’s Y2K-era Japanese fashion magazines like ViVi and Egg, mesmerised by the vibrant imagery and the thriving youth culture of the Urahara neighbourhood.
“A place I would always recognise or see mentioned was Harajuku, so coming here healed something in me and my childhood,” she tells samutaro during her visit to Tokyo last month.
Over the past five years, the NYC-born creative has cultivated a loyal following for her distinct personal style—an aesthetic shaped by early exposure to Japanese culture, anime, and late nights browsing FRUiTS magazine. But beyond being a diehard archive fashion fan, Shy is also a devoted animal lover. So naturally, she chose Harajuku Kawaii Land Animal Petting Café as the meeting spot for this interview.
“I’m really big on animals,” she says with a smile. “As much as I’m into fashion, I love animals.”
Her affection for critters—especially hamsters, cats, and chinchillas—is immediately apparent as she dotes on the café’s furry residents. Still, she remains focused as the conversation shifts to her fashion journey.
“It was during Covid when I started posting fit pics,” she says, referring to her iPhone shots that channel the spirit of Shoichi Aoki’s iconic street style photography. “That’s when I started gaining traction.”
Never one to be boxed into a single aesthetic, Shy’s approach to style is intuitive and emotion-driven. This hyper-personal approach, along with her love for scouring online archive resale sites, has earned her a community of over 200k followers and led to the launch of her own label, sl33zyskiz.co.
Born from a desire to create the pieces she couldn’t find online, the brand focuses on rare silhouettes and statement garments that fill gaps in her own wardrobe. What began as a passion project has quickly grown into a full-time business—one that’s now brought her to Tokyo to hunt for vintage inspiration for her upcoming collection.
Here, she shares more about her journey and gives us a glimpse into her favourite hidden gems in Harajuku.
