Just as fashion reflects the times, perhaps idols also speak of those times. Around the time Namie Amuro sang "CAN YOU CELEBRATE?", the streets were filled with girls clad in Burberry Blue Label miniskirts. Along with the atmosphere of each era, the fashion, music, and idols themselves will surely be etched in people's memories throughout the 1990s and 2000s.

One day in January 2015, the members of Momoiro Clover Z (hereafter referred to as Momoclo) appeared at a studio in Tokyo. Appearing early in the morning in their casual clothes, they gave the impression of more like life-sized young girls than "idols" clad in colorful outfits. Having witnessed their passionate performance in front of tens of thousands of people at Saitama Super Arena just a week earlier, I felt a sense of relief at their naturalness. Today, these pure young girls will be transformed by the magic of fashion. On this day, I want them to become "young girls" to the fullest. The staff was busy preparing to create a new image for Momoclo.

On this day, the members of Momoclo entered the studio to shoot the Spring/Summer 2015 image visuals for PINK HOUSE. The brand, celebrating its 30th anniversary, opened a pop-up shop titled "PINK HOUSE - Flower Shower, Eternal Girlhood" on February 18th in the TOKYO Kaihoku area on the second floor of the Isetan Shinjuku main building. The members of Momoclo were chosen as muses to herald the arrival of spring.

■One Autumn Day: Design Drawings Visited the Members

About a month and a half ago, on a November day deep in autumn, a designer from Pink House and a buyer from Isetan visited the members as they were rehearsing in the studio. They wanted to show them the design drawings that Pink House had created with the Momoclo members in mind for the visual shoot. After finishing practice, the girls came to a meeting. As the manager looked on, the members were told, "We'd like you to create a spring image for Pink House." Sasaki exclaimed with delight, "Wow, Pink House! My mom loves it! I can't wait to tell her!" The members then unfolded hand-drawn designs, drawn by the designer based on each member's character and Pink House's archives and worldview. They sighed occasionally as they gazed upon the designs unfolding before them. Any worries about whether the girls knew Pink House were instantly dispelled, and a relaxed atmosphere permeated the room. Finally, when the members were asked for their opinions, Takagi, who usually wears pants, suggested, "How about a pants style?" With that homework assignment, the meeting concluded. From there, preparations for the shoot proceeded at a rapid pace over the next month. This included not only the items the members would wear for the shoot, but also the actual products to be sold in stores.

To be continued in the second part.