Shoichi Aoki

SHOICHI SHOICHI 1955 1955 AOKI PHOTOGRAPHER

CREATOR OF

STREET GAZI TUNE GAZI NE FRUiTS NE MA

MA

SHOICHI AOKI

WHAT IS UNIQUE ABOUT YOUR PHOTOGRAPHIC STYLE?

I AM NO SO MUCH PHOTOGRAPHING AS I AM COLECTING MY SUBJECTS. IT’S NOT THAT I JUST WANT TO TAKE PHOTOS OF PEOPLE–

Q:Q:Q:Q: WHAT SPARKED YOUR INTEREST IN PHOTOGRAPHING STREET FASHION?

A:A:A:A: IT WAS DURING A PERIOD THAT JAPANESE STREET BORING FASHION WAS BORING, CONSERVATIVE AND NOT CONSERVATIVE, CREATIVE THAT I SAW STREET FASHION FROM LONDON AND PARIS AND WAS REALLY MOVED BY IT

Q: Q: Q: Q: Q: Q: Q: Q: Q: Q: Q: Q: Q: Q: Q: Q: Q: Q: Q: Q: Q: Q: Q: Q: Q: Q: Q: Q: WHAT Q: Q:IS Q: Q: Q: Q: Q: Q: Q: Q: Q: Q: Q: DISTINCTIVE Q: Q: Q: Q: Q: Q: Q: Q: Q: Q: Q: Q: Q: ABOUT STREET Q: Q: Q: Q: Q: Q: Q: Q: Q: Q: STYLE Q: Q:IN Q: Q: Q: Q: Q: Q: Q: JAPAN? Q: Q: Q: Q: Q: Q: Q: Q: Q: Q: Q: Q: Q: Q: Q: Q: Q: Q: Q: Q: Q: Q: Q: Q: Q: Q: Q: Q: Q: Q:

A: A: A: A: A: A: A: A: A: A: A: A: THE KIDS I SHOOT IN HAA: RAJUKU A: A: AREN’TA: TRYINGA: TO BEA: SEXY, A: THEY A: AREN’T FOLLOWING THE A: A: A: A: TRENDS FROM APPAREL A: A: A: A: MAKERS OR MEDIA –THEY A: A: HAVING A: FUN, A: I ARE JUST A: A: THINK. A: A: A: A: A: A: A: A: A: A:

I APPROACHED SHOOTING THESE YOUNG PEOPLE LIKE A PHOTOGRAPHER WOULD SHOOT A

SCULPTURE IN AN ART GALLERY

I CAME TO SEE I CAME TO SEE THAT MANTHAT MANKIND, SINCE KIND, SINCE ITS ORIGIN, IS ITS ORIGIN, IS INEXTRICABLY INEXTRICABLY LINKED WITH LINKED WITH FASHION– FASHION–

MUCH IN THE SAME WAY THAT LANGUAGE DIFFERENTIATES BETWEEN TWO GROUPS, FASHION WAS BORN FROM THE DESIRE TO CREATE A CLEAR DISTINCTON BETWEEN ONESELF AND OTHERS. THE ACT OF PEOPLE WEARING CLOTHING HAS VALUE AND IT HAS BECOME MY LIFE’S WORK TO DOCUMENT THIS PHENOMENON.

IIIIIWANT TO WANT TO WANT TO WANT TO WANT TO IIIIWANT TO WANT TO WANT TO WANT TO SEE PEOI WANT TO SEE PEOSEE PEOI WANT TO SEE PEOSEE PEOSEE PEOI WANT TO SEE PEOSEE PEOI WANT TO SEE PEOPLES INNER I WANT TO SEE PEOPLES INNER PLES INNER SEE PEOPLES INNER PLES INNER PLES INNER SEE PEOPLES INNER PLES INNER SEE PEOPLES INNER THOUGHTS, SEE PEOPLES INNER THOUGHTS, THOUGHTS, PLES INNER THOUGHTS, THOUGHTS, THOUGHTS, PLES INNER THOUGHTS, THOUGHTS, PLES INNER THOUGHTS, THEIR PERPLES INNER THOUGHTS, THEIR PERTHEIR PERTHOUGHTS, THEIR PERTHEIR PERTHEIR PERTHOUGHTS, THEIR PERTHEIR PERTHOUGHTS, THEIR PERSONALITIES THOUGHTS, THEIR PERSONALITIES SONALITIES THEIR PERSONALITIES SONALITIES SONALITIES THEIR PERSONALITIES SONALITIES THEIR PERSONALITIES COME TO THE THEIR PERSONALITIES COME TO THE COME TO THE SONALITIES COME TO THE COME TO THE COME TO THE SONALITIES COME TO THE COME TO THE SONALITIES COME TO THE SURFACE SONALITIES COME TO THE SURFACE SURFACE COME TO THE SURFACE SURFACE SURFACE COME TO THE SURFACE SURFACE COME TO THE SURFACE COME TO THE SURFACE SURFACE SURFACE SURFACE SURFACE

THIS, TO ME, IS FASHION, AND MY GOAL IS TO DOCUMENT IT. WHEN I SHOOT, I AM TRYING NOT TO EXPRESS MY OWN PROCLIVITIES OR SHOW MY CREATIVITY. SEEING SOMEONE ON THE STREET WEARING SOMETHING KILLER ACTUALLY MOVES ME EMOTIONALLY, GIVING ME A FEELING OF PLEASURE.

ONE THEME I WAS PURSUING, MOSTLY IN LONDON, WAS A

“SLICE OF SPACE AND TIME” MEANING I WAS RECORDING THE STYLE BEING EXECUTED ON THE HIGHEST LEVEL ON THE STREET, WHICH EXISTED ONLY AT THAT MOMENT. I WANTED TO CONVEY THIS YOUTH CULTURE TO JAPAN.

ANOTHER THEME WAS COLLECTING AND RECORDING IMAGES OF THE GUESTS WITH AMAZING STYLE WHO CAME FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD TO ATTEND PARIS FASHION WEEK

AOKI WAS BORN IN TOKYO. HE BEGAN DOCUMENTING STREET FASHION IN TOKYO’S FASHIONABLE HARAJUKU AREA IN THE MID 1990S WHEN HE NOTICED A CHANGE IN THE WAY YOUNG PEOPLE WERE DRESSING.

KIMONO, OBI SASHES AND GETA SANDALS

AND COMBINING THEM WITH

HAND HAND MADE MADE SECOND SECOND HAND HAND ALTERNATIVE ALTERNATIVE DESIGNER DESIGNER FASHION FASHION IN AN INNOVATIVE DIY APPROACH TO DRESSING

1997

FRUiTS

INTERVIEW BY NEW YORK TIMES

DESIGNED BY ZEE LEHAR-DROGIN