shibuya street interviews #1

question: "tell me about your outfit."



ryuske (left): i like to dress differently when i go out. in tokyo, it's very hard because so many people want to be eyecatching and have something on that no one else has. it's a kind of duality.... this drive to be different, but by everyone trying to be different, it's a type of conformity. know what i mean? yeah...well, i just want to be "different" different and not conform to anyone else's style.

hiroshi: this was what was on my floor! just grab and go!


question: "tell me about your bags."



aiko (left): i brought the white purse because it matches my boots. and see my coach bag? i have a rich, older boyfriend who gives me presents. [laughs] he bought me these bags on his last trip to america. my friends thought it wasn't a real coach, but it is! he also pays for my trips to the salon. recently, i went to sin den. do you know sin den? it's famous from london.

akiko: well, don't tell anyone, but this bag isn't real louis! i bought it when i went to hk [hong kong]. why do so many japanese have louis? well...i don't really know, but it's kinda like....you have this pressure to be somewhat similar to your friends, but everyone is still an individual. i'm not sure if that makes sense or not, but it's like....well, maybe just seeing it around so much, it just kinda makes you want to buy one too, you know? like advertising, i guess.


question: "tell me about your style."



benjiro (left): this is sort of a new style of fashion. it's called "smart hip-hop." the pants are a little baggy like hip-hop style, and the shirts are like something you might wear to the office. it's kind of like a hybrid of fashion or something.

kentaro: it's just hip-hop style. i like the big size fashions in hip-hop videos, and so that's the style of clothes i like to wear. the cross on the chain really is gold, but the chain isn't. [laughs] no, i'm not a christian. it's just...fashion.

TYO