Life is Edit. #005 ~ What is True Friendship? ~

Akira Shimada | Life is Edit.

#005 EWAN × PARK: What is True Friendship?

Through encounters with others, new "somethings" are woven and born.
Drawn by a single object, new "somethings" are created.
An editor's job is precisely to create such "encounters."
And life itself is, in essence, editing.
──Editor Akira Shimada shares the moving encounters with people, objects, and events that have shaped his life.

Text and photos by Akira Shimada

Even when you've been together for a long time, there are times you can't understand each other. Yet, in a fleeting encounter once a decade,
you can find understanding. After a long time, I met photographer M.S. PARK and designer EWAN, and suddenly thought—
Slurping soba noodles late at night, I pondered—what truly defines a friend????

17 Years Later: Three Men, Serious Talk After a Ginza Shoot

They say "ten years make a world," but memories from 17 years ago, when that era was still fresh, tend to fade. Yet, for some reason, I still vividly recall the atmosphere of that shoot.
At the time, I was working for "Men's Club" magazine and hired PARK for the first time for a shoot themed "TOKYO IVY."
EWAN, who was also making his debut, was the model. It was the first time I had worked with both of them.

Back then, PARK was gaining popularity for his dynamic, live-action photography using motor drive, capturing continuous shots.
Meanwhile, EWAN was a popular 18-year-old model, still with a touch of youthful innocence, who had been active in magazines like Popeye and Men's Non-no.
These two distinctive individuals, along with Yutaka Takenouchi, who has since established himself as an actor, and film director Shunji Iwai,
and Koichi Hashizume (deceased), whose acting talent was later discovered, gathered for what was truly a constellation of young talent.
Looking back, it was an incredibly passionate shoot, and I vividly remember how much fun it was.

At EWAN's office, my first visit. Recently, PARK (left) has been shooting entirely on his own, loading film, measuring exposure, without an assistant.
EWAN, too, manages everything from clothing design to shipping, press, and store design with a staff of three. It's when people simplify that they truly understand themselves.

Being in my 20s, we were full of youthful exuberance, doing bold shoots (laughs). We had EWAN and Takenouchi stand in the middle of the Sukiyabashi intersection, shooting them with a telephoto lens from afar, or shooting on Monja Street in Tsukishima while being teased by local fishmongers and Monja restaurant owners—all without permits, of course (laughs).
Perhaps it was a more tolerant era back then, with both the city and its people being more accommodating to photography... looking back now.

Seventeen years have passed since then. PARK and I are in our mid-40s, and EWAN is now 30.
Have we all grown up? The three of us, but in our core, our "essence," we haven't changed at all.
I was happy to still feel that "passion" from them.

PARK: A Friend Who Offers Precise Advice When I'm Lost

PARK, with his almost Indian-like appearance (apologies),
is such a peaceful guy, greeting Black people in Los Angeles with a smile and a "YO!"

For me, M.S. PARK is a precious friend who provides a clear compass when I'm struggling with work or personal matters. At the same time, he possesses the innate talent for photography. However, in the 17 years we've known each other, we've collaborated on fewer than ten projects. This is because, through our long acquaintance, I've realized that his talent truly blossoms when he's allowed the freedom to shoot. My conclusion is that the constraints of fashion photography feel stifling to him.
One memorable shoot from our few, perhaps "free," collaborations was a sponsored trip to Dresden, Germany, six years ago, for a luxury watchmaker, Lange & Söhne. Typically, watch coverage involves bringing a product photographer skilled in capturing high-end timepieces. However, wanting to avoid a conventional spread, I pleaded with the Japanese PR representative: "He can't shoot watches, but could you let one of Japan's best photographers capture people?" Permission granted, the two of us headed to Dresden in mid-winter, documenting the city, still bearing the scars of World War II, and the Lange factory.

The German staff, accustomed to the diligent shooting style of typical Japanese photographers, were quite bewildered, asking, "Huh? Is that it? Aren't you going to shoot the watches?"
We used the extra time for meals and gatherings with the local staff and residents.
Despite the unconventional approach, the resulting photographs were magnificent! The images captured the people of snow-bound Dresden, their diligent work, and their soulful, characterful faces—a testament to PARK's talent, more than enough to make his name known.
After being published in "d/orb" magazine, the photos led to an exhibition titled "SNOW" held in the lobby ofCLASKA in Meguro.
I directed the event, which was sponsored by Fujifilm and the German National Tourist Board, leaving a lasting impression not only on watch enthusiasts but also on many who gathered at CLASKA.

EWAN: The Designer's Path, a Journey That Felt Meant to Be

There's a scene involving EWAN that I still can't forget. I happened to see him at "ACME FURNITURE," a furniture store on Meguro Dori. In a corner of the store, bathed in the setting sun, he was intently sketching something. Peeking over his shoulder, I saw a fragment of a machine, like a screw, drawn on a scrap of paper.
When I spoke to him from behind, saying, "That's good," EWAN gave a shy smile.
After that, I only worked with him on shoots three times. While it was a significantly smaller number of sessions compared to other magazines, for some reason, we left a strong impression on each other. Come to think of it, I did give him advice once about his career path.
EWAN was at the peak of his modeling career but was contemplating his future. I remember using the story of his sketch as an example and strongly recommending he become a designer or photographer. Whether my advice made a difference, I don't know (laughs), but he's now celebrating ten years as a designer with his own brand, "PLAYFORD." Ten years is an incredible achievement!

His sharp features remain, but his body is powerfully built from kickboxing.
He's married with children now, but I was happy to see that EWAN remains just as pure.

Then, I received a sudden call from him. He was opening a new store in Aoyama, ELESCO, a collaboration with Levi's, and EWAN had designed not only the clothing but also the interior. With excitement in his voice, EWAN urged me to see it. Hearing this, the image of the 18-year-old EWAN, sketching with single-minded focus, flashed back to me!
I attended the opening party and, after nearly 17 years, shared a heartfelt embrace and a firm handshake with him.

As people age, it becomes harder to make true friends, some say.
Past betrayals build barriers, a self-preservation instinct to avoid repeating mistakes, as people mature.
However, I don't want to fall into that pattern.

I believe that if you acknowledge your own powerlessness, you can form genuine friendships.
And if you approach others with sincerity, without fear of getting hurt, true friends will naturally gather around you.
This has nothing to do with age, I strongly believe.

PARK and EWAN. Even though we only shot together once, what is this sense of connection?
The job of an editor is, in fact, a fortunate one for meeting true friends,
I realize, surrounded by these two.
Yes, through work, they have become my "best friends."