Youth culture is perhaps the one culture that all humans share. Not all at once, of course. But kids and adults alike experience what it means to be young at some point. Everyone from our parents to our presidents to our movie stars have been a part of weaving, enriching, and designing a tapestry that one generation hands off to the next, lifting each other up on waves of hippiedom, punk, grunge, and now trending “sounds” on TikTok.
Mikiya wears shirt stylist’s own / Pants NEWSIAN / Necklace ISHI JEWELRY / Rings VIVIENNE WESTWOOD, Watch G-SHOCK
This shared culture is so massive that it can’t be constrained by boxes nor defined easily. And so when I see generalizations about today’s youth, I can’t help but raise a micro needled eyebrow (see, even I do it). There are circumstances and behaviors that inevitably connect all of today’s young people: the social media revolution, school life during lockdowns, an unhealthy obsession with Ice Spice…
Yusuke wears sweater NKNIT / Scarf, pants, ring MAGIC STICK TOKYO / Watch G-SHOCK
At the same time, I feel it’s our generation’s uniqueness—especially among ourselves—that makes us stand out. That is what this issue is all about: documentation of Gen Z’s variability across the globe.
Mao wears jacket PUMA / Corset NEWSIAN / Watch G-SHOCK
Perhaps the point here is that there are many paths to the same destinations, but also infinite destinations. Life is not formulaic, and neither are young people—not in the past, and not today. No one should tell you where to go or how to get there. Life’s not about fitting into boxes, but rather, drawing around them.
With love,
MINI V
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Photography Bungo Tsuchiya
Fashion Shun Watanabe
Makeup Tomohiro Muramatsu (Sekikawa Office)
Hair Waka Adachi (Eight Peace)
Manicure Tomoya Nakagawa, Saki Yoshino
Models Mao, Mikiya Nakano And Yusuke Ueda (Tomorrow Tokyo)
Photo Assistants Tsuyoshi Kiritohshi, Kenji Kishigami
Stylist Assistants Shota Sasaki, Mone Tamagawa, Seina Tanimoto, Kaisei Nishida
Production Nanami Tashiro
Production Assistant Yukiko Nagata
Casting Shimana
