Aya Tsukioka is one of those artists who takes refuge in another profession.  In her case, that's fashion.  But whether you call Tsukioka's designs fashion or art, you know damn well they're brilliant.  Here, we have Tokyo Editor Natsuki hang out with her for the day and try on some of her urban camouflage outfits.



Chief: Your designs are creating quite a buzz around the world.  Had you expected this to happen? 

Aya Tsukioka: I would say – yes and no.  The thing is, I’ve always wanted to create something that attracts anyone, not just artists or professors or someone who studies art but anyone in any country, at any age.  I was originally aiming at making people want to see my work closely, feel and enjoy it.  So, I kind of expected that once my work is out there, it will get attention from all kinds of people.

But have you always had the idea of functional fashion?  What kind of clothing were you designing or interested in before? 

Actually, I used to want to be one of those fashion designers who goes to Paris and offers their works to Paris Collection and such—you know, a dream of a high school girl.  So I came out to Tokyo, started studying at Art University (Musashino Art University, one of the most well known art schools in Japan) dreaming about being a boom in the fashion field.  But then, I gradually started losing interest in fashion, or should I put it, consuming fashion.

Lost interest in fashion? What changed your mind?

At University we did all kinds of stuff, from drawing to photographs to space & interior design to making dancers’ costumes.  And the feeling for art itself grew more than that for fashion.  Fashion that is to be only consumed isn’t what I want to make.  When I create something, its concept is very important and it is also very important to express it, let it out of my work and tell people.  So that’s when I came to create clothes but not clothes, art but not only art.  But all that included my work.

So is it wrong to call you a fashion designer? 

No, you can call me anything. People call me various ways, a designer, artist, creator, even a performer.

A performer? 

Yes. You know the clothes I make contain actions and moves.  Often they’re transforming actions, like the vending machine skirts.

Right… Talking about that skirt, we’ve read that your creations (soda machine skirt, manhole purse, fire extinguisher backpack...) are in response to a growing fear of violent crimes in Japan.  Have you found yourself in a dangerous situation?  What makes this project so important to you? 

Ah, yes, the fact that there are more and more crimes in Japan made me come up with the idea of camouflage.  When I first started working on vending machine idea was in ‘99, it was actually for a group project at University.  Stalker crimes and other increasing crimes were sort of big in Tokyo then, so we named our project “shelter,” and tried to express something out of it.  So I went out to look for some ideas.

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And you came up with vending machines? 

Not right away!  You know in stalker crimes or such, anyone could be victims, and not I myself but some of my friends had some stalker problems at that time too. And I was like “Hmm, if you could just blend in with the scenery and hide from criminals like kakuremi no jutsu of Ninja, that would be cool.”  I walked around in the city, looking and looking.

Okay, so that’s when!  

[laughing] Yes. If you’ve ever been to Tokyo, you know it’s everywhere.

It’s a pretty big business in Japan too.  One machine can make millions of dollars a year if it’s placed at a good location. 

I know!  It’s crazy.  Anyway, so that’s how the vending machine skirt was started.  But at that time, it wasn’t perfect.  After we did this group project, I continued working on it myself, developing it to be more light, to look more real, and to be able to transform faster.

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