Whether it's fashion, music, or sports, there is a style that only each person can express in any genre. "Style is Everything." That's right, someone once said that style is everything. "Style Resume" is a series of interviews with adults who, as the name suggests, have style. Updated every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, in the 14th installment, we hear from Wakatsuki Yoshio, a director who continues to be active in fields around the world, about his behind-the-scenes aesthetic.
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11. Go freelance and meet a new generation of designers.
I quit my job but still had no work. At that time, Toshihiro Sato from Shibaura GOLD (a legendary club that opened in 1989) asked me, "If you have free time, why don't you help out with our project?" I replied that I would only do so if they guaranteed me a monthly income, and decided to help out. GOLD offered free meals, so I would go even if I didn't have anything in particular to do (laughs). But even there, I met a lot of different people.
At GOLD, Fumiya (Fujii Fumiya) introduced me to Jonio (Takahashi Jun, designer of UNDERCOVER), and I started working with him from his third collection. Another time, Maruyama Keita (designer of KEITA MARUYAMA) approached me near my house and asked, "I'm doing a show soon, could you help me?" Of course, I accepted without hesitation. The collapse of the bubble economy led to the emergence of new designers like them, and the opportunity to work with them was a major topic of discussion during this period.
During my time at Saru, Shikata-san would often tell me, "When you read poetry or a piece of writing, you put intonation into it, right? That's what you need to do." I understood that he meant expressing emotion in the timing of when the models appear, that sort of nuance. Of course, it's also very important for a director to have ideas about the stage design and set for a show. So I tried to acquire both. My input came from everyday things like conversations with people and the news, as well as works I came across at art museums and cinemas. I thought it would be interesting if elements like Jean-Jacques Beineix's "Diva" (1981) and Sergio Leone's "Once Upon a Time in America" (1984) were incorporated into fashion.
Profile
Yoshio Wakatsuki (director)
Born in Nagano City, Nagano Prefecture in 1962, he is a member of DRUMCAN, a company that produces music concerts and art exhibitions, primarily for the Paris and Tokyo Collections. He is a professional who has supported various brands as a director for over 40 years. He has committed himself to remaining active throughout his life, adhering to the aesthetics of being a behind-the-scenes worker, and continues to create new creations today.
Instagram @yoshio_wakatsuki
