Kanichiro look.1

Kanichiro is an up-and-coming actor who has appeared in numerous TV dramas and film, as well as on the stage. He has only recently gotten a grasp of who he is and what he wants to show. This has also affected his sense of fashion. The Onitsuka Tiger 2023 Autumn/Winter look that he dons for this shoot seems to have struck a chord with his own sense of fashion. I asked him about how his fashion sense has changed.

Look 1 is an all-in-black top & bottom set that is topped off with a delicately soft knit sweater, then topped off by a cool jacket. This is off-set by a pair of white sneakers.

“I often wear a primarily black-centered garb, so I particularly liked Look 1. Both the tops and pants are knits so they are comfortable to wear. Layering half-length pant on a full-length one was a first for me which made me think. This look deliberately adds a punkish element to something formal to tone it down, and it resonates with my own garb.”

While he was mostly relaxed on the set of the shoot, his mood swung deliberately the moment he stood in front of the lens. He may have also been hiding some stress behind his facial expressions.

“I have been getting more offers to do fashion shoots since last year, but I am still self-conscious. The more I do it, I have been able to be myself and enjoy the process. I love the garb so I wish to try doing fashion shoots more so, and increase my range as an actor.”

Kanichiro says that he is drawn to fashion that attracts a rock-and-roll spirit. As an example of someone who has influenced his fashion sense, he drops Kristen Stewart’s name.

“I have loved rock-and-roll bands from long ago and am drawn to rock fashion that smacks of a rebellious spirit. In recent years, I have been inspired by Kristen Stewart’s punk and rock fashion sensibility. I saw her at a fashion show one time before and she had assimilated the latest items into her own garb and I remember thinking, ‘how cool.’ She is able to dress appropriately despite her attire as she knows herself astonishingly well. My own taste in fashion began to take root from when I was around twenty, so perhaps I am a late bloomer. I feel that I started to know my own attire back when I began to know myself and how I show myself.”

While interviewing him, what impressed me was that he chose his words carefully and continues to ponder who he is without reserve. I asked him what the garb is for him, and from his answer I glimpsed a multi-colored lifestyle.

“If you say ‘fashion’ I get kind of stressed out; but I think it is something that is cultural, something that we take for granted, and something that allows us to reaffirm our taste. While there may be those who know their own taste from the get go, I spent a lot of time thinking about how I want to be viewed and how I want to impress others. I did a lot of trial and error, but being able to enjoy this process is also part of what is appealing about fashion.”

I asked him about how he spends his down time.

“From about last October I got hooked on a video game on my computer. I am fine staying at home all day long, so I can play the game endlessly and be sluggish at home. It is not good. Other than this, I enjoy going into the countryside. I go by myself, or I go driving with a friend and go to a hot spring. Recently, I went to a hot spring in Shizuoka.”

During the shoot, I caught a glimpse of his kindly smile as he talked congenially with stylists and hair and makeup staff about how he keeps fit and healthy. His face when standing in front of the lens is imposing and manly. This disconnect is perhaps what makes him cool and masculine.

→ For Look 2, I ask him about a turning point in his acting career.

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Direction : Shinsuke Nozaka
Photo, Movie: Masato Moriyama (TRIVAL)
Stylist : Masataka Hattori
Hair & Make up : Hirokazu Endo（OTA）
Text : Saki Shibata