The Skin of Our Teeth

In keeping with our mission to support and inspire creativity, we ask the artists we collaborate with to offer insight into their work, a look behind the scenes, and the opportunity for our readers to learn more about the process. For our latest fashion feature, photographer Kotaro Kawashima answers our questions.
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What was the inspiration behind this shoot?
Years ago, I watched a film by Miranda July called The Future. There’s a scene where she uses a stretchy t-shirt as part of a dance. I sensed a spark and kept pulling at the thread.
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What is your favorite image from this shoot and why?
The balance of the transparent texture of the Spandex and the form of Elsa was something I was trying to achieve throughout the day. It reminds me of an “en caul birth“ of a child in an amniotic sack. It’s powerful and intimate to me.
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How do you typically find inspiration for your work?
Recently, I’ve been digging deep into my college days as a theater student: the abstract/surrealism/absurdism. These concepts really inspire me lately. Reading mythology and folktales. Watching YouTube videos about Butoh.
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What do you do to overcome a creative block?
I take a break, sometimes it’s hard to perform when you’re staring down the barrel of the gun. I need to step away, listen to other people’s input and come back to it.
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Are there any trends that have caught your attention recently?
It seems to me that there is a trend towards the classics. Ralph Fiennes recently played the role of Odysseus in the movie The Return. Similarly, Christoper Nolan’s next film is The Odyssey.
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Is there anything you’re experimenting with or hoping to explore in your future work?
I enjoy working with dancers and hope to continue working with them. Sometimes fashion can feel quite static, and I try to avoid that through expression. Dancers are naturally detached from that notion and it’s very liberating.
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What is something you wish you had known when you were starting your career?
Finding my consistency earlier; I’ve been assisting for eighteen years and it is only the past couple years that I’ve discovered that common thread in my work. It’s taken a lifetime to get to this point and I went through a lot of growing pains in that time.