A skeleton covered in sand sat in the front row at the "gege" collection by writtenafterwards and written by at Omotesando Hills on March 16th. This skeleton, along with the sand dress modeled by Nana Komatsu in the final look, was created by Mortar Magic Co., Ltd. in Tottori City. FASHION HEADLINE visited Mortar Magic with designer Yoshikazu Yamagata in late February, when the weather was still chilly. When you think of Tottori, some people may think of sand dunes first. Mortar Magic in Tottori City has produced numerous products, including Moai statues and Kitaro figures, made from sand from the Tottori Sand Dunes (outside the national park). Mortar is a mixture of cement and water, often used in plastering, like putty for building bricks. When we visited Mortar Magic, we were greeted by a row of sand Moai statues.
Yoshikazu Yamagata visits Mortar Magic, who creates skeletons using sand from the Tottori Sand Dunes.
Not only did this skeleton model sit in the front row of the show, but it was also displayed on the wall alongside fresh vegetables and flowers in the "gege" installation at Dojunkan ROCKET, which ran until March 30th. The somewhat humorous depiction of a skeleton, a symbol of death, the ultimate shadow, was striking. At the same time, it seemed to briefly remind us that life and death exist side by side in our world.
Each skeleton was made using approximately 15 kilograms of sand from the sand dunes and took approximately 20 hours to create.
■ Mizuki Shigeru, the manga artist who loved and loved Tottori
The title of the fashion show held last month, "gege," is a Tottori word meaning "below the bottom," meaning lowest place, and also a Tottori dialect word that expresses surprise. It is also the childhood nickname of Mizuki Shigeru, the manga artist who grew up in Tottori and to whom Yamagata paid homage this time.
"gege" is based on the theme of "yokai," a genre of monsters that Shigeru Mizuki continued to draw throughout his life. For the local people of Tottori, "we believe that Mizuki-sensei is a treasure of Tottori," says Mortar Magic's CEO, Ikehara Masaki. Indeed, in Sakaiminato City, Tottori Prefecture, where Mizuki spent his childhood, there is a road called "Mizuki Road." This is a sort of mecca for Mizuki fans, where not only the rows of shops but also the bridge railings, streetlights, and manholes are all decorated with characters drawn by Mizuki. This is one sight that really shows how much Mizuki was loved and adored by the local people.
■Create a dress covered in sand from the Tottori Sand Dunes
The final piece of the show was a sand dress reminiscent of the Sand Hag. Nana Komatsu walked the final look wearing a sled-like sand dress. Despite its elegant silhouette, the dress has a damp, weighty feel, and to create it, the entire piece was made from fabric covered in sand from the Tottori Sand Dunes. We spoke with Masaki Ikehara, CEO of Mortar Magic, who created this dress as well as brooches and sandals made from Tottori sand for the show. Ikehara, who came to Tokyo to watch the show up close, commented that seeing Komatsu walking around in the sand dress made him realize, "Until now, we've developed sand products with a focus on souvenirs, but I feel that sand has even more potential in many different genres."
The final look from gege was a sand dress worn by Nana Komatsu.
Mortar Magic created a fresh new fashion experience by attaching sand to textiles. In the future, they will not only use sand from the dunes to create unique sand figures such as Moai statues and Kitaro, but with financial support from JAXA, they are also planning to take on the challenge of creating products using sand from planets in space. This collaboration made me realize just how far sand can go, and also showed me the possibilities that the material can bring out in fashion.
Yoshikazu Yamagata visits Mortar Magic, who creates skeletons using sand from the Tottori Sand Dunes.
Not only did this skeleton model sit in the front row of the show, but it was also displayed on the wall alongside fresh vegetables and flowers in the "gege" installation at Dojunkan ROCKET, which ran until March 30th. The somewhat humorous depiction of a skeleton, a symbol of death, the ultimate shadow, was striking. At the same time, it seemed to briefly remind us that life and death exist side by side in our world.
Each skeleton was made using approximately 15 kilograms of sand from the sand dunes and took approximately 20 hours to create.
■ Mizuki Shigeru, the manga artist who loved and loved Tottori
The title of the fashion show held last month, "gege," is a Tottori word meaning "below the bottom," meaning lowest place, and also a Tottori dialect word that expresses surprise. It is also the childhood nickname of Mizuki Shigeru, the manga artist who grew up in Tottori and to whom Yamagata paid homage this time.
"gege" is based on the theme of "yokai," a genre of monsters that Shigeru Mizuki continued to draw throughout his life. For the local people of Tottori, "we believe that Mizuki-sensei is a treasure of Tottori," says Mortar Magic's CEO, Ikehara Masaki. Indeed, in Sakaiminato City, Tottori Prefecture, where Mizuki spent his childhood, there is a road called "Mizuki Road." This is a sort of mecca for Mizuki fans, where not only the rows of shops but also the bridge railings, streetlights, and manholes are all decorated with characters drawn by Mizuki. This is one sight that really shows how much Mizuki was loved and adored by the local people.
■Create a dress covered in sand from the Tottori Sand Dunes
The final piece of the show was a sand dress reminiscent of the Sand Hag. Nana Komatsu walked the final look wearing a sled-like sand dress. Despite its elegant silhouette, the dress has a damp, weighty feel, and to create it, the entire piece was made from fabric covered in sand from the Tottori Sand Dunes. We spoke with Masaki Ikehara, CEO of Mortar Magic, who created this dress as well as brooches and sandals made from Tottori sand for the show. Ikehara, who came to Tokyo to watch the show up close, commented that seeing Komatsu walking around in the sand dress made him realize, "Until now, we've developed sand products with a focus on souvenirs, but I feel that sand has even more potential in many different genres."
The final look from gege was a sand dress worn by Nana Komatsu.
Mortar Magic created a fresh new fashion experience by attaching sand to textiles. In the future, they will not only use sand from the dunes to create unique sand figures such as Moai statues and Kitaro, but with financial support from JAXA, they are also planning to take on the challenge of creating products using sand from planets in space. This collaboration made me realize just how far sand can go, and also showed me the possibilities that the material can bring out in fashion.
