NOCONTEXTANIMAS believes in the presence of the “ANIMAS” behind modern self-expression.

SU
Is that skull thing a prototype?
U
No, that one's finished—just plugged the hole in the back.
SU
Okay, okay, okay. Is that a hair tie?
U
Yeah. Thought it might be cute on an arm or something.
SU
Interesting. Kind of feels like an upside-down motif?
U
Upside-down? Ah, yeah, you're right.
SU
Though it depends on which way you're looking at it, right?
U
But yeah, you know, skulls are a pretty common motif in accessories, so I made that one thinking it'd be nice to show it in a slightly different way.
SU
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Right. I definitely see some pretty specific motifs this time around.
U
Yeah. I leaned into really specific motifs, somehow. I was making it thinking it'd be better not to go for abstract shapes. I wonder why that is, actually.

SU
Do you mainly wear silver accessories in your everyday life?
U
Yeah, silver. Gold just doesn't really click with me, you know? It doesn't really suit my personality either.
SU
Gold is pretty tricky.
U
It's picky about who wears it, right?
SU
Or maybe there just aren't many people around who wear it?
U
True. I can't think of a single person I know who wears it.
SU
Yeah. Gold... well, maybe that's exactly why I want to wear it.
U
True. Actually, I kinda feel like gold might be making a comeback soon. Thinking about it that way...

SU
The person who brought us coffee just now... they seemed like they were always there, but they had a ‘Trainee’ badge.
U
I noticed too. They really fit the shop's vibe...
SU
Yeah, exactly. But still ‘Trainee’.
U
They were really beautiful, had such grace, right?
SU
Such gentle eyes... I wonder what she did before this.
U
I kinda want to ask her to model.
SU
Oh, that's totally possible.

U
Like that shoot the other day, where we asked the photographer's mom to be the subject.
SU
Oh, really? Wait, is that published somewhere?
U
It is. It is. See...
SU
Ah, that one! Oh, right. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
U
Somehow, I mean, she had this incredible aura...
SU
It totally suited her.
U
I'm glad. Somehow...
SU
Speaking of which, well, this place itself, somehow... Everyone...
U
I feel that, somehow. It's a bit different from Starbucks.
SU
Yeah. It's not Starbucks or Doutor. It's the people who choose this place, I mean...
U
Yeah. I kinda wanna shoot here.
SU
There's definitely that vibe. Like how the wood curves... What's this?
U
Extra chairs?

SU
I think your way of being on social networking sites is pretty much like drifting around and meeting" people. I feel like all the other followers are like that.
U
I'm glad.
SU
I feel like you have a mysterious way of spreading your message. It's not like, for example, that all of a certain demographic knows... I know this girl in one community and I know this girl in another community. But they don't know each other.
U
Ah.
SU
Some people are reacting to that... It's hard to say, but that stylist, for example, is in a special position in the industry. If I may say so, he is floating.
U
Yes.
SU
That photographer I mentioned earlier is also...
U
a very floating person.
SU
What I think is interesting is that when people find people who resonate with them, they tend to want to get together. However, the fact that they do not make it a tribe, but rather keep a very gentle distance between them, I think it will be interesting as a brand image.

U
I see. I contacted the photographer and asked him to take pictures of my work, but to be honest, when I first saw his work, I didn't understand how good it was.
SU
Oh, I see.
U
But I felt that he must be someone who perceives the world with a unique structure that I just don't understand. It took me a while to figure it out. I offered it to him because I could see the connection with my own activities as I thought about it.
SU
Oh, that's quite unexpected, or I didn't really imagine it.
U
Oh, really?
SU
I seemed to resonate with him from the beginning.
U
That's probably because, as a result, I became quite imbued with his sense of values.

SU
No, but you know, there's this phenomenon where the people who design those things gradually wear all black clothes.
U
Ah-ha-ha.
SU
What kind of faze is that?
U
Is it the same for fashion designers?
SU
Yes.
U
For example... What about that designer? I kind of think I have a thing.
SU
No, that guy, you know. He's kind of stylish.
U
Oh, I see.
SU
I'm a little influenced by him.
U
No, I felt that philosophy. I wonder if he happened to have that kind of styling when I met him. To be honest, it didn't look like I was doing fashion that well, but on the contrary, that's what makes me proud to be a creator. That, craftsmanship.
SU
Yes, yes, yes.
U
The expression is done on the outside, so I'm fine with this myself. It looked like an interpretation like that.
SU
I see.
U
I thought, That's certainly the way to wear black.

U
There was a time when I thought that I was just like an exhibitionist. The only reason I get into clothes is because of the Margiela archives or the nakedness under the coat.
SU
What kind of divergence? Tell me more about that.
U
I feel like there's an aspect of me that's liberating myself. Both me and the exposed maniacs. I'm not sure if you guys can do this kind of crazy layering.
SU
I'm really liberating myself in many ways.
U
I know that nudity is not the only kind of liberation.
SU
I can't feel like my nudity is who I am. Because we are already wearing clothes all the time. I read in a text that the state of being clothed is closer to being naked. I see.
U
Oh, sure.
SU
We don't get naked in front of people, do we? I think it's different for the exhibitionists.
U
Yes, that's true. But even if they can liberate themselves, they have to think about how they can do so within the context of society.
SU
Well, yes, that's true. The most important thing to remember is that the best way to get the most out of your time is to be a good listener. I just said, can you guys do this crazy layering?
U
Yes.
SU
Fashion is not something that can be done alone.
U
It can't be done.

SU
It is something that is possible because of the perspective of others in that society. In contrast, there is a kind of empathy, an overlap of senses.
U
That's right.
SU
The same is true of modeling. It's not just that it's strange. It's a bit like the atmosphere of the times...
U
What do you mean, a gap?
SU
Yes, yes, yes. I think we all felt a kind of sympathy, or a tugging at the heart. The motifs of this time, like the tights...
U
Something like, well, the profile of the devil.
SU
Profile. And, after all, that also means that you turned it upside down...

U
Upside down is the key word.
SU
Maybe it's because I saw it while thinking it was upside down... Was there any particular motif or theme that you were conscious of in that motif...?
U
I try to do drawings on a daily basis. I decide how to connect them according to my mood on the spot. I don't know how to say it. I like to make a collage of mixed images. That's probably because, as I said before, I want to make things that are facing different vectors exist in my body at the same time.
SU
Oh.
U
I think that pop polka dots are a very contemporary motif. I want to use it to create a different image.
SU
I think it's a very contemporary motif. I don't know if it's a longing, or if you want to distance yourself from it, or if you just have a normal feeling of liking it. How about that?
U
That part is based on the skepticism about the dualism we talked about when we met before.
SU
Yes. Yes.
U
If you go too far in that direction, you will not be able to disprove anything, will you? You start talking about the subjective world more and more.
SU
I see.
U
Especially now, I think it's easy to fall into that kind of mode, so it's even more so.

SU
In the message I received before, you mentioned that there is a theme of life and death.
U
Ah, yes.
SU
Yes. There may be a theme like ‘death,’ but when I look at it, there is a sense of ‘mixed life.’
U
Yes. It's not something that will kill someone, but something that allows someone else to participate. If you just look at the motifs, maybe something like ‘death’ will appear. But it's more than that... Fashion is something that makes you feel ‘life,’ or it's something that comes to life by being involved with someone.
SU
In terms of life and death, well, what is it? I think it's a constraint that I've decided to live with.
U
Oh, yes, yes, yes.
SU
It's like, how can you be a motley crew in a community? I think that's what we have to think about. If we don't think about that, we won't be able to make the world more diverse in the true sense of the word. Yes. I don't mean to deny the conclusion that I can't accept something. But I think it is necessary to know various correct answers before coming to that conclusion.
U
Yeah, yeah. I see. By drawing an appropriate line, a different world will emerge countless times within the community.
SU
Yes.

U
Ah, so, in thinking about the state of such a community, how fashion can work.
SU
Yes. It is interesting to think about that.
U
After all, fashion is an icon, isn't it? It is something that unites images, and it is also something that draws a line. It's something, you know. How your items will affect it...
SU
Well, hmmm...
U
It is interesting to think about it.
SU
Well, umm... I'm hoping that it will have some kind of significance within the scope of the life that the person is living. And it's not, for example, just a trendy style, or a self-indulgent ‘me-ness’...I think that when I face that, the time will come for me to dive outside of the world I am used to. Maybe that's what I'm interested in.
U
I see. Well, when you broaden your perspective outside of your own interests, it's similar to what we were talking about at the beginning, drifting and meeting people on SNS. I think it would be great if we could create such a way of meeting people.