Wednesday August 18, 2010
Shibu
harajuku, tokyo
SUMMER 2010, guys
Emi Kusano
SHOP ASSISTANT, 21
T-Shirt – Patrik Söderstam
Shorts – N/A
Shoes – Nike
Shorts – N/A – (present)
Hair – Letica – JPY 15,000
Hair – Letica – JPY 15,000
Earrings – N/A – JPY 500
Necklace – Yoshiko Creation – JPY 12,000
Bag – Veln – JPY 12,000
Shoes – Nike – JPY 15,000
Phone – Docomo – N/A
T-Shirt – Patrik Söderstam – JPY 14,000
About the PhotographerEmi Kusano spends most of her free time in Tokyo's trendy Harajuku. Both to hang out with friends and to shoot the latest trends. She also enjoys discovering small independent boutiques, vintage clothing shops and nicknack stores. Emi has just started as a photographer, but her work has already been published in Cosmopolitan.
Recent photos by Emi Kusano:
@Annabelle: Ah, you have seen one before? LOL
Kjeld Duits
Aug 18, 2010 (4862 days ago)
Wow, what a t-shirt. I think it takes great guts to wear it in public places. Shibu, you have it.. man.
nonsibi
Aug 18, 2010 (4862 days ago)
@nonsibi: There are fertility festivals in Japan where people carry around huge phallus symbols, and where you can buy penis shaped candies and stuff, like for example the Kanamara Matsuri. Also, lots of shrines and temples with phallus symbols. In Japan it is probably a lot more accepted than in many other countries. I think many Japanese are very natural about their sexuality. Maybe less so than 150 years ago because of Western influence, but a lot more than for example the US.
Kjeld Duits
Aug 18, 2010 (4862 days ago)
@Annabelle: I was just kidding around. Hope I didn’t offend you!
Kjeld Duits
Aug 18, 2010 (4862 days ago)
I absolutely LOVE that shirt!
his hair is awesome too. d(O.O)b
Meg
Aug 18, 2010 (4862 days ago)
Um, this is a little graphic, but to me it looks like both reproductive systems blended together into one… and it’s kinda nifty :)
And the bag is cool, great print.
petitesam
Aug 18, 2010 (4861 days ago)
“Shibu
harajuku, tokyo
SUMMER, 2010, girls
Emi Kusano”
Not a girl :P
Anya
Aug 18, 2010 (4861 days ago)
His look is something else! I must say that his look is so daring (those ear-piercings look so fierce!) that I can’t help but feel awestruck xD
Keekii
Aug 19, 2010 (4861 days ago)
@Anya: Oops! Another slip of the mouse. Thanks for letting me know. I fixed it.
@Meg, petitesam, Keekii: Thanks for the great comments. I am writing this at Bangkok Airport—on my way to Pakistan to cover the flooding there. I won’t be able to reply to your comments regularly over the next two weeks, but Marie will fill the gap whenever she can.
Kjeld Duits
Aug 20, 2010 (4860 days ago)
I'm the photographer of this photo. Thanks for the comment! First I thought his hair and his bag were cool and I talked him. Only then did I notice his t-shirt…omg I got kinda embarrassed…
Emi Kusano
Aug 20, 2010 (4859 days ago)
Kusano-san! Haha..I agree, he is very interesting. I actually saw him working at Kinji, and he was wearing the SAME shirt! I was pretty shocked! Haha. I think it is definitely more accepted than maybe in the states, but I actually mentioned this shirt to my Japanese friends to get their opinions when I saw him at Kinji, and they also thought it was pretty strange/extreme.
What I do love is the size of the t-shirt mixed with those shorts/pants! I would love to design some kind of bag like this with my illustrations on it as a textile like that! If only Harajuku kids one day wore my designs..Ahh..That would be a dream come true. Haha ;)
Lactose Intoler-Art
Aug 21, 2010 (4859 days ago)
@Lactose Intoler-Art: I am absolutely sure that lots of people would love to wear your designs. They are great!
Kjeld Duits
Aug 21, 2010 (4858 days ago)
@Kjeld…Thank you SO much! You are really encouraging, and I appreciate it very much.
Lactose Intoler-Art
Aug 22, 2010 (4858 days ago)
@Lactose Intoler-Art: I love your work. ^ _ ^
Kjeld Duits
Aug 22, 2010 (4857 days ago)
**Just in case you guys were curious, I think the brand of his t-shirt may be more commonly known as “Patrik Soderstam.” I just realized this because I saw a different t-shirt by the same company on another site, then did a google search, and realized it was the same brand. When I searched it including the “Pateik”, I couldn’t find much. I think its a very avant-garde, illustration/art (maybe?) based brand. Hope this helps some! Every design is not like this by the way in case you guys were wondering, but I think there is a definitely a “shock value” aspect to this brand.
Lactose Intoler-Art
Aug 29, 2010 (4851 days ago)
@Lactose Intoler-Art Patrik Soderstam is a fashion designer! He’s low key, though, because he’s a recent graduate of CSM in London. The shirt is actually very similar to some Henrik Vibskov/Cassette Playa/Walter Van Bierendonck shirts which featured graphic phallic imagery but became very popular within Copenhagen and New York.
It’s not so much about shock value, but these designers are legitimately “loony”! If you’ve seen any visual artist’s work, they’re very fascinated with sex, sexuality and the phallus, and fashion designers who are trained in the art are very similar in terms of interests! This is not very shocking or unusual for an art student to see, but I guess i understand why the general public is a bit weirded out!
FNG
Sep 8, 2010 (4841 days ago)
@Lactose Intoler-Art & FNG: Thanks for catching the typo. Fixed it. Correct spelling is Patrik Söderstam. Thanks for the background info, FNG.
Kjeld Duits
Sep 8, 2010 (4841 days ago)
