Dear my fellow frillies,
If you have been in the fashion for some time, you may have seen the name "axes femme" floating around on Lace Market or Closet Child (you'll certainly see a lot there). For those unaware, Axes Femme is a Japanese casual women's clothing brand that's been around for as long as many of your favorite EGL brands have existed. For a brand that has been around for over 30 years, I'm surprised I don't see more J-fashion enthusiasts wear it in the West. They are one of my favorite brands for affordable EGL and other lolible items. Today I want to share my love of Axes Femme to the frilly world~!
Axes Femme describes their business on their Japanese website as "offer[ing] feminine daily wear that incorporates the stylish spirit loved by Parisian women during the Belle Époque, France's golden age, into a modern style". I think that is a very accurate description of their flagship line at least. They have expanded into many other styles nowadays. They currently offer 13 clothing lines, each specializing in a different fashion style, demographic, or product. There have also been three additional lines that are discontinued. Below are all the active lines available on both the Japanese and Western websites:
- axes femme - classic, elegant, and feminine; very French inspired
- POETIQUE - even MORE romantic and dreamy, otome style
- NIBBLE POISON - the brand describes this line as "dark kawaii", I would just say it's generally gothic and girlish
- axes femme kawaii (now called Chalmiere) - sweet, gothic, and classic EGL
- REZEN - unisex and modern wa style
- axes femme for MEN (now called AXES-X) - was originally for men, but later rebranded to be unisex when the name changed
- Purple Label - for mature ladies
- Axes Femme Kids - the same classic elegant style now for little girls!
- Fickle Bebe - draws inspiration from modern "ryousangata" styles, seems to be aimed at teens and young adults
- AICE - a collaboration line with multiple J-pop groups
- ROSE ROUGE - elegant and feminine jewelry and accessories
- Axes Femme Vintage (now called PASTEQIDOR) - upcycled vintage pieces as a part of a larger sustainability initiative (more on this later!)
- myu:lorét - hard to describe this line, but the brand uses the hashtags "modern mori", "cottagecore", and "shoujo girl" when advertising new releases of this line on X
- Nostalgie - I could not find a lot of information on what this line specialized in, but it seems it leaned towards a "mature" image
- Red Label - items created with customer input via polls on their blog; this label is no longer advertised on either website so it is presumed closed
- Axes Femme Home - kitchenware, decor, and household textiles. I wish this one stuck around :(
Axes Femme started officially in 1988 as "AXES", a wholesale storefront. In 2002, they changed their name to the name we now know them as: Axes Femme. They also started to manufacture their own clothing at this time. By 2006, they had 36 shop locations across Japan! They were hardly slowing down; two years later, the first online webshop opens as well as new offerings: their Nostalgie line, Kids, and Home lines. Then in 2012, the Poetique line launches. The following year is when we start to see Axes Femme expand to the West. Shops are opened in Shanghai and Paris, but eventually closed over the next decade. You can still read about a lolita's firsthand experience shopping in the Paris store here.
Fall 2014 sees the launch of the axes femme Kawaii line, their first step into EGL fashion, with the prints Sweet Halloween and Sweet Swans (though they still had Poetique labels on them). The first print released with Kawaii labels was Classical Marine. Eventually in 2019, the Official Axes Femme YouTube channel opens. Their uploads are varied and sporadic now, but still contain great content on previous releases, coording tips, and interviews with staff and their CEO Akinobu Igarashi. The next year, new clothing lines open: Red Label, Axes Femme Vintage, and axes femme for MEN.
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| Poetique Sweet Halloween (2014) |
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| Poetique Sweet Swan (2014) |
In the following five years, a lot of movement happened. 2021 saw the opening of a brick-and-mortar shop for Axes Femme Vintage in Fukui prefecture (where the Axes Femme headquarters is located!). Additionally multiple lines rebranded, if that wasn't confusing enough. axes femme for MEN rebrands to Axes-X and shifts focus toward more unisex clothing, Axes Femme Vintage rebrands to PASTEQIDOR, and most recently, axes femme Kawaii rebrands to Chalmiere in 2025. A separate webshop is opened dedicated to their EGL line. And finally, most MOST recently, this year saw the grand opening of Axes Femme Taipei Lab.
It's amazing (and a little insane) the amount of movement this company has had. It is obvious they love to experiment with what products they carry and which audiences they want to target. I love that they make it their mission to appeal to everyone across borders, ages, and genders. They also are committed to zero waste, which is not something you often see in J-fashion brands. In 2024, Axes Femme launched the line PASTEQIDOR, which centers on upcycling vintage Axes Femme pieces and using leftover fabric to make new items. This is done through a clothing recycling program held in store, as well as offering cleaning and alteration services to extend the life of their clothing.
The best part of this program is that this line works exclusively with local disability agencies and proceeds of PASTEQIDOR sales go directly back to them <3 Additionally, the upcycling work is supported by local designers and social welfare agencies. You can read more about their sustainability initiatives through their international site. However I want to be clear that while this is a great start, they do not publically announce their numbers, such as how much they recycle every year or how much still goes to landfills. We also know that they manufacture in China, as is a common practice with other Japanese clothing brands. So we do not know how fairly their garment workers are treated.
So... is Axes Femme perfect? It's debatable. The perception of the brand (at least online) is vastly different in the West than it is in Japan. Over here, they have the reputation of being cheap and easy to order, perhaps with sometimes questionable quality. I own five dresses from their flagship and Chalmiere lines. The fabrics vary greatly. My Fluffy Bear JSK has a softer lighter feel than my Circus Doll JSK, which is made from a heavy polyester. I think both are well constructed but one feels significantly cheaper. This is consistent with other reviews of their clothing. They use lots of polyester, though poly is not inherently evil. They also have frequent releases that lean on current trends, which is a strategy fast fashion companies use. The reputation in Japan is far cruder. The perception is that Axes Femme is only worn by older women or mojo 喪女 ("loser" women who are unattractive or plain). Wow, harsh.
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| Axes Femme Kawaii Fluffy Bear (2nd Release) (2025) |
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| Axes Femme Kawaii Circus Doll JSK (2025) |
Whether you love her or you hate her, Axes Femme doesn't seem to be going away anytime soon. They have been a staple in the J-fashion space for a long time and I think more fashion enthusiasts should check them out and formulate their own opinion. Speaking strictly in an EGL context, I think Chalmiere is a wonderful brand to pad out a beginner's wardrobe. Many of their JSKs are plus-size friendly (by my observation, up to <110 bust). And their jewelry is surprisingly good quality! Alas us large foot havers might struggle to find shoes as they only go up to a Japanese size 24.5. But I think they are still worth looking into!
What do you think of Axes Femme? Do you own any of their pieces? Let me know!
Love & laces,
♱ Sara ♱
♱ཐི ʕ.•ﻌ•.ʔ ཋྀ♱