Video: Kawaii Tokyo women at gunpoint by Thomas C. Card
2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55
New York-based photographer Thomas C. Card spent several months in 2012 wandering the streets of Tokyo, in the midst of a tumultuous and eccentric street culture, re-emerging after two disasters that hit Japan one after another: a nightmare earthquake and devastating tsunami.
The capital of the photographer did not disappoint, there was definitely something to see: from neon wigs, plastic badges, hairpins and wristbands in acid colors, to modern variations on the theme of a Victorian costume and a gas mask as a fashion accessory.
"Japan has experienced a surge of national pride," says Card, "and Japanese youth, passionate about street fashion, began to take an even more active position in the cultural life of Japan, loudly proclaiming their uniqueness to the whole world."
Inspired by the walking art he came across every now and then on the streets, Card began inviting particularly flamboyant characters (mostly girls) into his studio and shooting portraits of them. He enjoyed working with the first two volunteers so much that the idea began to rapidly gain momentum, turning into a kaleidoscope of bright and bold images, a kind of mixture of cosplay, Lolita-style outfits, and the Brazilian carnival. Soon the series began to number 75 different models, turning into a full-fledged project, which Card called "Kawaii Fashion" ("Kawaii Fashion" - from the Japanese word for "cute", "adorable").
“When I came to Tokyo, I was amazed that the fashion there is focused on the manifestation of individuality, and not on the demonstration of belonging to a particular subculture. - recalls the photographer. - When the filming was at the preparatory stage, we thought that the project would be about closed groups and subcultures with a clearly defined dress code and internal etiquette. Amazingly, as I worked, I realized that almost all of these girls see their appearance as a way to express their true self."
However, as Klaus Pitchler's Just the Two of Us photography project shows, dressing up may not be so much a way of expressing yourself as an attempt to create an alter ego and escape reality.
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