Cherry Chill Will, who was deeply involved in Black culture even before hip hop became mainstream fashion and was himself at the heart of club culture, is a well-known photographer. He is frequently chosen to photograph hip hop stars who are at the center of the scene. On the other hand, THE CRIMIE is a brand that has been rooted in the Tokyo street scene and has been refined over time. While the brand seems to have a rock vein running through its foundation, with many collaborations with musicians, they have actually had cherry chill will as their main photographer since 2016, and have worked together on numerous lookbook shoots, making them true allies.

The collection created through this partnership between the two will be unveiled at Isetan Shinjuku Store, Men's Building 6th floor, Men's Contemporary. This collaboration with cherry chill will. adds creative breadth to THE CRIMIE's Spring/Summer 2023 collection. The resulting creations have a natural quality that gives even more credibility to THE CRIMIE's items, which continue to express their longing for America. We spoke with YONHO, the representative of THE CRIMIE, about their relationship from their first meeting and shooting trip to the present day, and he shared many fascinating anecdotes.

THE CRIMIE × cherry chill will.
Click here for a list of collaboration items.

This collection features photographs that symbolize America, where "light and shadow" coexist.

—How did the two of you meet?

cherry chill will. (hereinafter C) : We met thanks to Mr. Ohno (the editor-in-chief of FLJ magazine).

YONHO (hereinafter Y) : At the time, I was having trouble finding a photographer that I felt comfortable with. When I consulted Ohno-san, he said, "Oh! I know someone good," and introduced me to cherry chill will.

—How many years ago was that?

Y : I think it was 2016. That was seven years ago now. That was the initial trigger.

—How was your first shoot in Los Angeles?

C : It was tough, seriously (laughs). It was no joke. If I thought this was the default for fashion shoots, I couldn't keep doing this (laughs). It was really hard. After that, the staff increased year by year, and we started renting really big houses for shoots, so it got easier, or rather, it became more fun. The early days of shooting were really tough. For the first shoot, it was just YONHO, two models/staff, and me, four of us. We had to carry all the clothes for one season and do everything from transporting them to everything else.

Y : Even now, thinking about it, it was terrible (laughs). But at the time, I felt like we couldn't get started unless we did that.


—Do you have any memorable photo shoots?

C : I've always been someone who's focused on the localized aspects of music, specifically the Black culture of hip hop. I've explored various music genres, but I was surprisingly unfamiliar with America outside of Black culture. Filming for THE CRIMIE showed me other sides of America and California. The places I'd been to or was interested in before were South Central, Slawson, Compton, Inglewood, and other areas with strong Black culture.

Y : I used to go to that area a lot before I started production and running a shop in LA.

C : I had only seen that side of LA, but the filming of THE CRIMIE showed me a completely different side. I was quite shocked to see that there are areas like this. When we were driving and decided to go to the desert or Vegas, the radio frequency changed and the radio station changed, right? Up until then, mainstream hip hop had been playing, but suddenly it changed to country music. I was really blown away by that too. And I got hooked on country music. Filming THE CRIMIE was a trip that showed me the scenery, the culture, and an America I had never seen before.

--Regarding this collaboration, you've done collaborations before, right?

Y : That's right. This collaboration came about because we wanted to create and showcase a collaboration with cherry chill will. when we do a pop-up display of our Spring/Summer 2023 collection at Isetan, so we put it all together carefully.


--What do you think of California, cherry chill will.? What kind of things do you enjoy photographing?

C : It's fun from the moment you arrive at the airport, isn't it? It really gets you excited. I love everything about it, from the smells onwards. After just 30 minutes of travel, a completely different area appears, and the scenery, the people, and even the races of the people change, which is really moving. I always get to ride in the passenger seat, always with my camera. I enjoy it so much that I even take pictures of pigeons flying around us in between shots.

—You've basically always photographed people, mainly portraits, right? What about landscape photography?

C : I was taking landscape photos even before I started taking photos of hip hop artists, so my mindset hasn't really changed. In terms of capturing the atmosphere of the moment, it hasn't changed; I just press the shutter when my heart is moved by an intuitive feeling.


—How did you select the photos used for the collaborative products?

Y : I chose them myself. I have a personal habit of always thinking about life and death. America has uptown areas, but also places where homeless people gather, it's like "light and shadow." The world is a mix of light and shadow, and America is where you can glimpse that in a sinister and blatant way. This collection is a selection of photographs that symbolize that aspect of fashion without being too blatant.

C : There are a lot of photos from the early days of LOOK's photo shoots. Back then, I was especially excited about everything I saw, so I feel like the photos bring back that fresh feeling, and I think YONHO understands that.

Y : As you just said, it's like I've gathered all of those things together. I wanted to bring them all together at once, to put them in a package. So this time, it feels like a memorial release, personally.

—It's amazing how many photos are included in the lining, isn't it?

Y : That's right, we made this kind of fabric with an all-over pattern and used it for the rider jackets. This time, there's also the meaning of light and shadow, so for the shirts and T-shirts, we chose photographs that symbolize the light and shadow of America. Like a homeless person standing alone in a tourist spot.


C : There's a difference between what only residents can photograph and how tourists, or outsiders, see things, right? The Tokyo that Americans see when they come to Tokyo is completely different from the Tokyo that we see and photograph. I think I've come to understand that. I can photograph things that locals might not think much of in my own way. I think there's something interesting about Los Angeles as seen through the eyes of a foreigner who isn't a local.

Y : Speaking of T-shirts, this is a sign from a real estate agency in the Salton Sea, and it says "American Dream." The Salton Sea itself is a resort area on a semi-artificial lake that has become an irreparable ruin, a place where the American Dream has crumbled away. But the fact that they have that sign up is very American.


—What kind of items did you intend to create?

Y : This time, I wanted to use the all-over print fabric, which is a compilation of those photos, to line a leather jacket from the pockets up. The rider's jacket, which is a signature piece of the brand and made with Spanish lambskin with the concept of being wearable even outside of midsummer, and the blouson were made with the 1960s and 70s in mind, imagining the style of Black Panther Party members and other similar styles, and created as a luxurious spring jacket. Furthermore, using that pattern, I also made an all-over print short-sleeved shirt, a T-shirt and a long-sleeved dress shirt using photos picked from the all-over print. I wanted to create something that gives the feeling of wearing or being wrapped in photographs.


—Were there any particular items you focused on?

C : I really like badges, these kinds of pin badges. When I have free time, I often go to flea markets. I buy a lot of badges and patches there. It's a remnant of my punk days, so I still like to put them on leather and jackets. That's why for this collaboration, I requested that the leather jackets and shirts come with metal pin badges made using a special technique. I didn't want to specify the location, so I could just punch holes wherever I liked.


—What are your thoughts now that the item is actually finished?

C : I don't feel like I'm just going to California to shoot LOOK for work; I feel like I'm taking pictures with a variety of emotions and that I'm on a journey. There are times when we're all having fun together, and then there are moments when I feel lonely. For me, that's actually very comfortable, and I think that feeling comes through in my landscape photography. So the impulse is the same as when I'm photographing artists at live shows, but what I capture is the silence, loneliness, and nostalgia of that place. I'm simply happy that those kinds of photos are being transformed into clothing in a different form.



▷Jewelry
In addition to signature items from the Spring 2023 collection, the latest fine jewelry collection, featuring luxurious finishes, will also be available at the pop-up store in the Men's Contemporary section on the 6th floor Isetan Shinjuku Store, Men's Building .

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