Fearing Crime, Japanese Wear the Hiding Place

In news of a solution looking for a problem…

Aya Tsukioka demonstrated new clothing designs that she hopes will ease Japan’s growing fears of crime. Ms. Tsukioka is a 29-year-old experimental fashion designer in Japan. She demonstrates her urban camouflage, by lifting a flap on her skirt to reveal a large sheet of cloth printed in bright red with a soft drink logo partly visible. By holding the sheet open and stepping to the side of the road, she showed how a woman walking alone could elude pursuers — by disguising herself as a vending machine. The wearer hides behind the sheet, printed with an actual-size photo of a vending machine. Ms. Tsukioka’s clothing is still in development, but she already has several versions, including one that unfolds from a kimono and a deluxe model with four sides for more complete camouflaging.

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