Every Sunday afternoon, Japanese youths gather on Jingu Bridge in Tokyo to display their fashions, to express themselves through their attire, and to socialize with others doing the same. Shops in the area have opened to sell this street chic fashion known as Harajuku. The shops both take fashion merchandising leads from the gathered youths and sell to them and to the tourists who come to see them.
Harajuku and other forms of costume play (cosplay) are closely linked to music bands, manga, anime, movies, and other entertainment content. Harajuku has attracted dedicated followers around the world, including in Washington, DC. Harajuku differs from dressing up in the well-understood, common social enterprise that counter-balances individual, competitive display.
Selling objects for personal expression in social circumstances oriented toward those objects is a propitious business plan for social networking sites.