journal vol.008 INTERVIEW 【MANA YAMAMOTO】

mizuiro ind released its first photo book on December 1, 2023 at Tsutaya and other bookstores.
Stylist Mana Yamamoto, who has been involved with the brand's lookbook for many years, invited seven creators she trusts on a daily basis to express the "mizuiro ind" worldview in a variety of ways in this luxurious book.
This book, which is filled with energetic and diverse creations, will touch your heart and be a source of inspiration.
We asked Mana Yamamoto what kind of thoughts and feelings she put into this book, which took many months to complete, and what is important in the process of making things.

“This photo book started when they asked me if I could do something to celebrate their 20th anniversary in 2023. Rather than creating something new, I thought that if we added the perspectives of different creators to the brand, we could create something special.
One of the underlying ideas was also to create a book that could feel the atmosphere of ‘mizuiro ind’ itself, rather than a usual lookbook with lots of styled clothes. Something different from a lookbook. I thought these small thoughts became bigger and real.”

This 160-page photo book was created by photographers and makeup artists from Japan and abroad, including Yasutomo Ebisu, Mitsuo Okamoto, Osamu Yokonami, Masaya Tanaka, UDA, Lukasz Wierzbowski, and Yuki Kumagai.
They capture the world view of "mizuiro ind" from different perspective and interprets it into a unique expression. This is a special book, made possible by the relationship of trust between Mana Yamamoto and them.

BY YASUTOMO EBISU

“I trust them because I work with them on a daily basis, and I can share ideas with them without having to talk too much. For example, for the work with Yasutomo Ebisu, we wanted to include documentary elements, so we took pictures freely while driving through the magnificent nature of Hokkaido. We also wanted to shoot a long story like a movie, so the same crew went there twice, in fall and winter, and I think we were able to mix the exquisite atmosphere that changes with the seasons. He also took a video.”

The video shot by Yasutomo Ebisu can be seen on the special website of "mizuiro ind photo book" (https://mizuiroind.jp/pages/mizuiroindbook) and at the exhibition celebrating this book.

 BY MITSUO OKAMOTO

“I asked Mitsuo Okamoto if there was an interesting way to capture the "mizuiro ind" as a fashion visual. Not a usual look shoot, but a more different approach to fashion. As a result, the shooting feature both women's and men's models, and we feel that it was very powerful while conveying the appeal of "genderless" clothing.”

BY OSAMU YOKONAMI

“I asked Osamu Yokonami to shoot a different type of documentary film. I gave him the ‘mizuiro ind’ clothes and discussed with him that I wanted them to be realistic with the keyword "ageless," which is one of the brand's concepts. So he filmed three generations of his parents and their children. I think it turned out to be an interesting story and it's so him.”

BY MASAYA TANAKA

“Shooting with Masaya Tanaka was based on showing the clothes, but I also valued a kind of freedom within that base. I think the occasional image cuts were very effective and the works turned out like a poetic story.”

BY UDA

“I asked UDA what the clothes would look like if you looked at them as a makeup artist and she gave me some interesting ideas. It turned out to be a very impressive work with an artistic feel and I hope many people will see it.”

BY LUKASZ  WIERZBOWSKI

“Lukasz Wierzbowski is the only foreigner in this work. I have worked with him several times in London, and I like the balance between his sensitive and serious personality and his charming and dreamy photographs. We have filmed together in Japan, Berlin and Poland. So even though we live far away from each other, I trust him very much and I can imagine what he would do even before I ask him. I wanted to experience how ‘mizuiro ind’ would look like in a foreign landscape through this project. I think that the depth of the content has changed with the inclusion of stories from overseas.”

BY YUKI KUMAGAI

“Yuki Kumagai is a photographer who knew more about clothes since we had shot several seasons of "mizuiro ind" look shoots together. What will the visuals look like when he sees the brand from a different angle? For the model, we suggested Yu Fujimoto, who had modeled for a look shoot before, and we wondered what would happen if she wore "mizuiro ind" clothes in a free environment. The result was a beautiful look with a somewhat serious atmosphere that is so her.”

Looking back overall

“One thing I can say is that we all created the book together. Each of them has a love for ‘mizuiro ind’ and was thinking about how to express themselves. Maybe I didn't really feel like I was consciously leading. I'm usually like that, and I want to play with everyone equally, or have fun. The work that everyone had enjoy creating is sure to convey the enjoyment to those who see it.  
I hope that this book will not be a collection of past works, but the book for the future of ‘mizuiro ind’.”

PROFILE : Mana Yamamoto
Born in Hokkaido, Japan. Stylist. She works extensively on styling for magazines, advertisements, catalogs, and artists. On the other hand, she also works such as holding solo exhibitions, and opened her own online gallery "SNÖ gallery" in 2020. She is also a close relationship of mizuiro ind, and has been in charge of styling its season's visuals for a long time.
http://www.manayamamoto.net/

text / misaki imamura
photo/ ataro dojyun(TRYOUT)