Why ‘Nana’ Is A Resounding Homage to Punk Rock

What’s the real punk rock? Without sounding like Clark Kent in the latest Superman film, punk (or punk-rock) is the anti-establishment subculture that burst onto the scene in the mid-1970s. At the time, the youth were disillusioned and disenchanted, and punk was born as a reaction against everything the previous generations stood for. Punks tightly wrapped themselves in artfully distressed tartan, held together by a plethora of safety pins, and secured with an insane amount of styling gel.  

Punk, like any subculture, has a very distinct aesthetic and style that embodies its rebellious spirit, and one of the best-known names when it comes to pioneering punk fashion is Vivienne Westwood. Along with Malcom McLaren (her partner at the time), Westwood brought New York’s punk rebellion across the pond and unleashed it onto the streets of London at their store on 430 King’s Road, London —SEX. That King’s Road address became the birthplace of punk in the United Kingdom. The band Sex Pistols, founded and managed by McLaren, originated at SEX, with Westwood designing the couture. One of punk’s most definitive bands, the Sex Pistols were partly responsible for popularizing the aesthetic.  

Cut to the Eighties, Westwood opened her first international store in Tokyo. The avant-garde fashion quickly caught the eye of the alternate scene there, and by the Nineties, most fashion magazines catering to those subcultures, featured pieces by Westwood. Today Japan has more Vivienne Westwood stores than the U.K., including the RED LABEL, which is a Japan exclusive.  

But what really boosted this punk brand’s popularity was a manga — Nana. 

Ai Yazawa, Nana’s creator, was a fashion school dropout from Osaka Mode Gakuen, who quit to seriously focus on the career she always dreamt of—a mangaka. Nonetheless, her affinity for the fashion world comes through in her art style and approach to character identity — Nana is arguably one of the best homages to punk fashion.  

Nana follows the story of two girls, both named Nana, who meet on a train enroute to Tokyo. Aside from their names, they couldn’t be further apart. But despite their dichotomy, they strike up a strong friendship, renting apartment 707 (‘7’ is read as nana in Japanese). Together, the girls navigate love, loss and everything in between, finding themselves drifting through the uncertainties of adulthood in Tokyo in the early 2000s.   

While Nana Komatsu (called Hachi), leaned towards frills, lace, lighter tones that suited her softer demeanor, Nana Osaki threw herself headfirst into the maelstrom of punk. Osaki becomes the lead singer of the Black Stones (aka BLAST), a punk rock band in her hometown and starts a relationship with the group’s bassist Ren Honjo. Thus begins the volatile relationship between Ren and Nana that mirrors the relationship between Sid Vicious and Nancy Spungen (Ren’s appearance, character and trajectory in life is loosely based on the former). Osaki even gifts him a padlock necklace that looks like an exact replica of Sid Vicious’s own. He’s a fan of the Sex Pistols and it is he who opens the doors of punk rock to Osaki.      

The series has spawned an anime series, two live-action films, video games and several tribute albums. Nana Best (2007) is the compilation of the OST used in the anime. Punk Night from Nana (2003) is an album that has tracks inspired by BLAST’s set list and performances, including covers of Sex Pistols’ songs. The album that stands out the most, however, is Love for Nana (2005) which is a tribute to the series in which Sex Pistols’ Glen Matlock provides one of the tracks dedicated to BLAST, coming full circle. 

Nana Osaki’s go-to fashion house is Vivienne Westwood. It is perhaps one of Nana’s greatest mysteries how a broke, aspiring punk rockstar could afford the pieces featured in the manga. Of course, some of them are gifts, albeit expensive ones.     

Osaki is almost always sporting the Vivienne Westwood Armour ring, perhaps as a metaphor to the ‘armour’ she wears to protect herself from the harsh world around her.  

She also wears the iconic red heart-shaped jacket from the Harris Tweed collection, designed by Vivienne Westwood, Autumn Winter 1987-88. It makes multiple appearances, not just in the manga and anime, but also in official artwork.  

The Rocking Horse Ballerina shoes, which first appeared in the Spring Summer 1985 ‘Mini-Crini’ catwalk show, is also rocked by Osaki for performances along with the Super Elevated Ghillie Platforms —the very same infamous ones which caused Naomi Campbell’s fall on the runway in 1993. Osaki, however, stands tall throughout, defying the laws of physics while belting out tunes for BLAST’s gigs.  

And it’s not just Nana Osaki who has a penchant for the designer; other characters do too. Shinichi Okazaki, BLAST’s second bassist, borrows a lot from Westwood’s 1974 Bondage collection.  

The signature Saturn Orb symbol (from Vivienne Westwood’s iconic logo) also makes its appearance in all forms– from earrings and necklaces to, most notably, Okazaki’s lighter.  

Thus, Vivienne Westwood and Nana have always been intrinsically linked together and now in a very strange turn of events for the 25th anniversary of Nana, the two are having an official collaboration. The first collaborative item to be revealed was the limited-edition anniversary cover of Volume One of the manga. Featuring both Nanas decked in Westwood finery with sprayed plaid edges, it’s also one of the most affordable items in the collaborative collection. The price of punk is pretty steep these days –ironic, because one of punk’s cornerstones is anti-capitalism.  

What is perhaps woeful is that the manga is still unfinished and stuck on a cliff-hanger. Due to health issues Yazawa had put Nana on an infinite hiatus back in 2009 at Chapter 84. Now, 16 years later, Yazawa plans to finally conclude the story. The jury is still out whether the girls reunite or if Hachi ends up with a fate similar to Hachiko, waiting for Nana Osaki in Apartment 707.  

Whether or not the final curtains will close on Nana, the series still stands as a testament to one of the best depictions of the spirit of punk in media and its fashion choices continue to influence newer readers. Nana Osaki may be AWOL, but she continues to be an enduring presence as the Princess of Punk-rock.