MIND MAP: It’s all in Hiroshi Fujiwara’s head — and now in the 30th edition of A Magazine Curated By.
The multihyphenate widely regarded as the “Godfather of Streetwear” considers that “memory is better than a photo,” as he told the publication’s editor in chief Blake Abbie, and that’s the thread running through his turn as guest editor.
“I wanted to share some of the things that I find interesting, or things that I’ve found interesting over the years,” Fujiwara told WWD. “Maybe by putting them together, people can understand a little more about where some of my ideas come from, which is something I normally don’t like to share.”
Rather than assemble a retrospective of his own designs and projects, Fujiwara has brought together a broad creative cast that reflect his wide-ranging interests, moving from Tokyo street life, music and art to history, the suspense genre in film and real stories.
Instinct plays a large part in what catches the eye of the musician, producer and fashion designer, who is behind the Fragments Design project. “I know right away when I like something or feel drawn to it,” he said. “Then, once I become interested in something, I tend to go quite deep into it.”
He described that curiosity, which drives him to learn about the origins of an idea and the people behind it, as central to how he discovers new things. Asked about his experience curating the magazine, he said the process was “actually quite similar” to his other creative endeavors.
“When I design clothes or products, or make music, I’m always sampling things in some way — things I’ve seen before, things I like or things that have stayed in my memory,” he said. “With A Magazine, I was able to go deeper into the things I’m personally interested in.”
Abbie called Fujiwara “one of the most impactful voices in contemporary fashion — and yet one of the most enigmatic,” adding that it was “important to look past what we consider fashion designer, especially as the role has changed so much over the 30 editions of A Magazine.”
“Now a designer must combine all disciplines, like Hiroshi has done over his whole career,” the editor added.
Through the 184 pages of the edition, which comes with a laser-cut metallic silver dust jacket, there is a photographic inventory of Fujiwara’s possessions offering a glimpse inside his home; a series documenting places around Tokyo that hold personal meaning for him; portfolios and conversations featuring artists including Ana Scripariu-Ochiai, Keita Morimoto and Ai Weiwei; a catalogue of products that have never existed with the VVS Tools design and development studio, and a conversation between journalists Plestia Alaqad and Noor Tagouri on independent reporting, the limitations of established media and the responsibility of those documenting stories from within their own communities.
Meanwhile, photographer Hugo Yu and food stylist Pearl Jones reimagine dishes from his favorite restaurants around the world as prepackaged konbini, or convenience store, meals.
To mark the 10th anniversary of Big Crown Records, the independent New York label founded by Danny Akalepse and Leon Michels, there’s a conversation with the label’s founders — and two remixes by Fujiwara of “What’s on Your Mind” by Indonesian band Thee Marloes, one of the label’s artists.
Three hundred limited-edition copies will include an exclusive 45-rpm Big Crown Records vinyl featuring these tracks, plus an embedded NFC chip to experience VVS Tools’ creations in three dimensions.
A Magazine Curated By’s issue curated by Fujiwara is set to launch on Friday, with an event at the Hôtel de Crillon, coinciding with the Art Basel Paris period.