CHROME HEARTS | A Special Interview with Photographer Kazumi Kurigami: "Chrome Hearts' Absolute Temperature"

CHROME HEARTS│The Photographer Kazumi Kurigami's Special Interview

CHROME HEARTS│Photographer Kazumi Kurigami's Special Interview

The "Absolute Temperature" of Chrome Hearts

In the office of photographer Kazumi KurigamiChrome Heartsportfolio book is something that, once seen, is absolutely unforgettable. When you open the zipper, inside are Isamu Noguchi, Shintaro Katsu, Shuji Terayama, Yusaku Kamekura, Koji Tsuruta, Kiyoshiro Imawano, Ken Ogata, Fujio Akatsuka, Yutaka Ozaki, Maurice Béjart, William Burroughs, Shu Uemura, the sculptor Isamu Wakabayashi, and Kurigami's own father... As she turns the pages, Kurigami says, "Beautiful people are sleeping here."

Text by OPENERSPhotos by Hiroaki Sagara (CAMEL)

The people in the "tombstone"

My first encounter with Chrome Hearts was in the late 80s at a select shop in LA called MAX FIELD. I was drawn to this leather case and bought it on impulse. I use it as a portfolio book for my photographs.

I was drawn to this large case because it felt like a "tombstone."

Photography captures a moment in time, and then time accumulates within it. But this Chrome Hearts case feels like it holds a human soul, and I thought, "It would be amazing to put my photos in this."

A portfolio book is usually something you carry around to promote your own work, but this one just sits here.

The people inside this book are those I loved, those who influenced me, those I don't want to forget. They are "housed" here. Because of that, it has a greater sense of weight than the actual object.

The reason Chrome Hearts makes you want to touch it, to own it

When I think about the motivation for buying Chrome Hearts, it's definitely the combination of "black and silver." Leather, from an animal, and silver, a mineral, are mixed to create a unique weight and radiance. Within that lies the universality of objects as shown by the designer Richard, and universal time. So, when I touch Chrome Hearts, it stimulates something within me that's usually dormant, like my sexuality, and I feel an irresistible urge to make it my own.

In other words, there's something like an absolute temperature to Chrome Hearts. Whether it's clothing, accessories, or even furniture like couches and tables, it balances comfort with a sense of tension. Chrome Hearts' concept is skillfully controlled, and that's a big part of why I'm captivated by it.

Chrome Hearts Tokyo in Aoyama is a place I sometimes feel like visiting. I try not to go because there's so much I want to buy (laughs), but when I do, I get a certain stimulating buzz and end up buying something. And before I know it, I'm completely taken over.

There's nothing old or new about Chrome Hearts, and its strength lies in its resistance to trends, which is also appealing.

If they collaborated with Leica, I'd buy it (laughs)

It's great that the most expensive store is opening in Ginza, where there's so much news about cheap imports. What would I want Chrome Hearts to make? How about a camera, a collaboration with Leica? I'd buy it (laughs). I think a subject would be stunned if I took a picture with a Chrome Hearts Leica (laughs).