In the morning light that heralds the arrival of spring, model KIKI gently holds her familiar camera. She enjoys mountains and travel, but at the same time, she cherishes even the most ordinary scenes of everyday life. We asked this woman, with her bright smile, about her standards for being true to herself.

■The luxurious time that everyday life gives us

Not just a moment, but something nurtured over the passage of time.
Everything that KIKI cherishes in her daily life tells a beautiful story of time. "I've been living in Shonan for about eight years now. My daily life has taken on a slower pace. It's not as convenient as Tokyo, so at first, I felt like I had no choice but to cook. But then I found markets selling fresh vegetables and local fish. I bought them face-to-face, so I got to learn how to cook them directly. Eventually, I started eating at home more often."



Surrounded by the natural beauty of the mountains and sea, there are shops worth visiting everywhere, and historic temples and shrines beyond. "It's a place where various distances are comfortable. In Tokyo, I can go to the movies or an exhibition in my spare time, or drop in on friends' get-togethers. I was born and raised in Tokyo, so I don't mind those kinds of things. But because everything is so far away, it's important to have the feeling that you absolutely want to see something or that you want to meet someone, rather than just doing it casually. And yet, if the sunset looks beautiful today, my husband and I might say, 'Let's go to the sea,' and go on a bike ride, or on a nice day, we might go trail running in the mountains and enjoy the feeling of running on dirt. It's an environment where you can feel the depths of nature right at your fingertips." It's the happy, 'rich time' that lies in the small changes of everyday life.



■What Time Tells

The stories woven by time are quietly engraved in her photographs.
"When I shoot with film, there's a time lag between developing it and seeing the print, so sometimes I wonder what's going on when I see the picture. Oh, I might realize that I pressed the shutter because I thought the light was beautiful, or something I overlooked at the time might appear later. It feels like time is trapped there, and I can enjoy it even more deeply."

KIKI, who has a deep knowledge of architecture, also desires to express the passage of time in her own way. Her favorite architecture is church architecture. "Because it's a place where people gather, you can experience the atmosphere, the things that people have valued, and the history of a town just by visiting its churches. It's something that's been gradually shaped over time, but how can you create it with your own hands? I have a desire to express it (laughs). I'm planning to move before summer, so I'm currently thinking about the space. I don't want to make it look old on purpose, so I'd like to create an atmosphere where you can't tell whether it's new or old."



■One Day, I'll Tell a Story

It may seem surprising, but KIKI explains, "I'm not good at repeating the same thing." Her standard for being herself is to "not make too many rules so that you don't feel restricted." Even when it comes to fashion, rather than simply prioritizing her own preferences, she considers outfits that fit the situation. "Imagine myself standing in the mountains and choose items that match the background, or if I'm visiting a seaside town, I'll try a marine look with stripes. So, the range of clothes I choose is really wide, and I end up with so many things I don't know what to wear (laughs)." Her desire to be many different people, rather than being limited to one color, may be what makes her even more appealing. Her long-standing favorites include her many scarves, which she can wear all year round and, she laughs, "keep piling up." Another item she has inherited from her mother and grandmother is something else. "When you hear stories about when they were with you, it makes you want to cherish them even more. As I get older, I've come to want to own good, long-lasting items. Things that you can grow attached to, that develop a story as you use them. I hope that one day I'll be able to pass them on."




Coat: ¥42,120 (tax included), Top: ¥12,960 (tax included), Shirt: ¥11,880 (tax included),
Bottoms: ¥10,800 (tax included) (All prices are BPQC)


【Staff】
Photographs: Hideyuki Seta
Styling: Setsuko Todoroki
Hair & Makeup: Tomoko Okada (TRON)
Model: KIKI (Now Fashion Agency)
Text: Aiko Ishii
Edit: FASHION HEADLINE
Special thanks: Tokio Plage Lunatic / tel 03-3708-1118