MANAMI, 29 | Model | Miyagi, Japan
Tokyo Station, 9:28 AM, 6 December 2025

“Maybe it’s simply that I always feel I’m still not enough. I’ve never had a moment where I clearly felt I had gone beyond my limits, so to be honest, I’m still not sure what that feels like.”
“I try not to hide feelings of admiration or jealousy toward others.”

YUME, 24 | Model | Osaka, Japan
Hatsudai, Tokyo, 12:15 PM, 6 December 2025

“My perspective will broaden.”
“I’ll make friends in genres I don’t know yet, and travel to countries I’ve never been to.”

EIEI, 25 | Graduate Student | China
Koenji, Tokyo, 2:14 PM, 6 December 2025

“For me, ‘going beyond my limits’ means getting past the walls of restriction I feel within what I think my abilities are. Those walls are shaped by the culture and values I grew up with, and sometimes by my own desires and fears. I think they can limit me without me even realizing it.”
“To get past those walls, the first step is noticing they’re there and understanding how they’re holding me back. Making a conscious effort to push beyond them is important. Coming abroad and experiencing a new culture feels like a real act of going beyond my limits for me. By opening my mind and taking in new perspectives and values without being stuck in old frameworks, I think I can truly move past my limits.”

TAIJU, 22 | Student, Model, Apparel Staff | Tokyo, Japan
Shinjuku, Tokyo, 4:08 PM, 6 December 2025

“I want to forget common sense and the trends of the times, and think only from the lessons I’ve learned through my own experiences. I choose and imagine my future based on the premise that I can achieve anything at the highest level.”
“I start new things anyway — I just try first. Even without proper tools, I begin with whatever I have around me.”

KAZUKI HIRATA, 25 | Model | Hyogo, Japan
Setagaya, Tokyo, 9:19 AM, 7 December 2025

“To discover a new version of myself — whether it’s increasing my lifting weights through training, or showing new expressions and vibes in photoshoots.”
“Consistent training and self-analysis.”

KILALA INORI, 25 | Actor | Osaka, Japan
Gakugei-daigaku Station, Tokyo, 11:28 AM, 7 December 2025

“To be prepared to be cut down as I cut forward — to die from it, and then be born again.”
“To choose what makes me feel excitement and fear at the same time, and dive in!”

FIBI, 23 | Student, Apparel Staff, Model | Taiwan
Itabashi-honcho Station, Tokyo, 1:22 PM, 7 December 2025

“I don’t think ‘going beyond limits’ is only about breaking through some massive wall all at once. To me, it’s in those moments when a new possibility appears within myself, when my perspective shifts even slightly, and I’m able to move forward. That brief instant is what ‘going beyond limits’ means to me.”
“In both daily life and creative work, I try to keep my heart open and challenge myself with things I’ve never experienced before. By looking at the relationship between myself and the world from different angles, I discover small insights and subtle changes — then turn them into my next actions. I believe that this accumulation is my own way of going beyond my limits.”

SAURA, 24 | Actor | Kanagawa, Japan
Kuji Station, Kanagawa, 3:58 PM, 7 December 2025

“To shift my way of seeing the world, even just a little.”
“By taking myself to places where no one is around, or to hours when no voices can reach me, my senses sharpen and the familiar world shows a different face. I want to catch those subtle changes.”

Team Credits:

Photography by Motohiko Hasui
Styling by Yosuke Shoji
Models: Fibi, EiEi, Kazuki Hirata, Saura, Kilala Inori, Manami, Yume, Taiju

Fashion Credits:

1) Coat by Soshiotsuki.
2) Dress and scarf by Hyein Seo.
3) Top and hat by Hyein Seo. Pants by KEISUKE KANDA. Coat: model’s own.
4) Coat by Dior Homme. Jacket by THE SUIT COMPANY. Top and pants: model’s own. Tie: stylist’s own.
5) Blouson by LES SIX. Top, leather jacket, pants, hat: model’s own.
6) Dress by Kiko Kostadinov.
7) Top by Bernhard Willhelm. Skirt by Hyein Seo.
8) Knit skirt by Comme des Garçons. Top: model’s own.

The world has been going through a transitional period, but for French ambient electro outfit The Blaze, consisting of cousin duo Guillaume and Jonathan Alric, it’s been business as usual. “Our lives remain the same,” they tell us. “We’re still doing the same thing, making music and videos, staying in our bubble as much as possible.”

The result of their work during the pandemic is now coming to fruition. 2023 marked the release of their second album, Jungle, featuring two singles – ‘Dreamer’ and ‘Eyes’ – which showcase slightly different sides of their musical identity. “These two singles represent different angles but come from the same creative process,” they say. “We choose our themes depending on what affects us, but we always evoke them in a very poetic way, never head-on.”

“In a way,” they continue, “‘Eyes’ talks about the lack of social connection people experienced because of the health crisis, while ‘Dreamer’ talks about migration and has much vaster emotions.” That’s how Jungle was developed; starting with emotion, they then made it more universal, always putting the human at the center.

They are reluctant to speak about any specific direction taken in the new album. “We’ve never set ourselves a goal to achieve,” they assert. “You could say that we’re always in transition, from one project to the next. The only motivation is to try to surprise ourselves, find new sounds, and get out of our comfort zone. There is no beginning or end. Just what we feel in the moment and trying to transcribe it artistically.”

The Blaze describes their creative process as intuitive. “You can spend hours exploring different styles and different sounds for no reason. Then at some point, the magic happens. It’s hard to explain, but the planets align, offering us something glaringly obvious. That’s when we know that we have a strong basic track. But we’ve never followed a particular path to get there, other than being patient and taking the time to try anything and everything.”

Behind the smooth surface of the music, their art is driven by social issues and, they stress, “something deeply human”. In addition to migration, which has already been mentioned above, they have also touched upon topics such as uprooting, grief, and social diversity. This is evident not only in their music videos but the feeling in their music and the way in which they approach their live shows. “We don’t put ourselves at the center of our work. Everything we do is turned towards the other. Like a humanist quest, devoid of any political stature.” In fact, something along those lines would probably be The Blaze’s manifesto.

The visual and sonic elements of The Blaze’s music go hand in hand. They describe it as “two idea bubbles which are constantly connected.” If you’re planning on catching The Blaze on their upcoming tour, you’re in for a treat. “The first thing we did for this album’s tour was to change the scenography,” they tell us. “That’s why we now have five independent screens on stage joined by suspension cables. We also wanted to make our live show more dance-oriented and deliver a much stronger energy. We came to this conclusion following our festival show experiences on our previous tour, and perhaps also the fact of having been cut off from the world for several months.”

The Blaze has previously named the video for ‘Pass This On’ by Swedish band The Knife as one of their favorites. In addition to Swedish culture, The Blaze also appreciates Swedish nature. “For the French, northern European countries like Sweden seem to us to be much bigger in terms of nature, with these huge lakes and forests as far as the eye can see. There’s the light too, not only are there the northern lights, but you have the longest golden hours in the world when you get closer to the solstices.” They mention that they are also fascinated by Swedish photography. “The film director Johan Renck’s work is amazing. His Chornobyl is an absolute masterpiece. The classic A Swedish Love Story by Roy Andersson is a must-see, too. And of course, you have your Swedish Roberto Benigni, the two-time winner of the Palme d’Or, Ruben Östlund.”

Guillaume and Jonathan are big cinéastes. “It’s always difficult to choose a particular film, but we often name The Tree of Life by Terrence Malik. Surely because he speaks in a very poetic, almost mystical way, about grief and the human condition. He also manipulates a very nostalgic emotion using flashbacks, placing one family’s story at the heart of the theme, whose points of view range from a baby being born to the Big Bang. From the use of the Steadicam to golden-hour lighting and the soundtrack, this film is full of elements and artistic choices that have inspired us a lot.”

Despite their fondness for photography and cinematic production, however, The Blaze are still struggling to get used to photo shoots. “To be honest, we’re not really into fashion that much,” they say. “We have a fairly simple style and have kept it the same for years. That said, we try to dress similarly on stage to be more visually coherent. So, when we arrive for a photo shoot – which isn’t something we do very often – the slightest detail seems so sophisticated, which was also the case with this shoot. We’re never very comfortable in front of a camera, but this time round, the photo shoot was very cool and there was a really good vibe with the team.”

The theme of this issue is ‘Transitive’, a term denoting a relation between a property and two elements. (As an example, in the sentence “The kids love rock’n’roll,” the verb love is transitive.) So, in artistic terms, it bears a resemblance to Impressionist painter Claude Monet’s stated intent: “The motif is something secondary; what I want to recreate is what lies between the motif and me.” Modern art is essentially transitive. The term ‘transitive’ also relates to transition – a step in the process before the end goal. In a sense, portraying an artist in an interview like this is an attempt to capture a transitive moment when a property (in this case the artist) is moving from element a (perhaps their past discography) to element b (their new album). This is certainly the case with The Blaze – always in transition, moving on to the next mystery.

Talents: The Blaze

Team Credits:
Photography by Matthieu Belbreuve
Styling by Victorie Seveno
Words by Jonathan Södergren
Photo assistant Kevin Ramon
Stylist assistant Pauline LeLong
Make-up & hair by Émilie Plume
Production by Amal Jefjef & Carole Congos & Agency

Fashion Credits:

1&2) Jonathan wears a leather shirt by Loewe and pants by Dickies. Guillaume wears jeans shirt by Loewe and jeans by Levis
3) Jonathan wears a Jacket and trousers by Arket. T-shirt by Dior Homme. Shoes by J. W. Weston.
Guillaume wears a jacket and T-shirt by Dior Men. Suit trousers by Cerruti 1881
4) Guillaume wears a suit jacket by Maison Margiela. Top and shoes by Dior Men. Trousers by Cerruti 1881. Jonathan wears a jumpsuit by Etudes Studio. Shoes by Asics
5) Guillaume wears jeans jacket and jeans by Kenzo. Shoes by Dior Men. Jonathan wears a T-shirt by Uniqlo. Jacket and trousers by J. Lindeberg. Shoes by J. W. Weston
6) Jonathan wears a leather shirt by Loewe and pants by Dickies. Guillaume wears jeans shirt by Loewe and jeans by Levis
7) Guillaume wears a shirt by Egon Lab. Jeans by Dickies. Jonathan wears a knit sweater by Paul Smith. Jeans By Levi’s
8) Guillaume wears a sweatshirt by Acne Studios. T-shirt by Dior Men. Jonathan wears a jacket by Acne Studios. T-shirt by Dior Men

Jones was a key player in bringing streetwear onto the catwalks. Referencing his past collaborations while at university with Gimme5, a London based streetwear brand, he was able to cut through the boundaries of high fashion. Many influential players in the fashion industry have been singing his praises, citing him as leaving an important mark on the entire industry. However, Jones isn’t likely to leave the industry altogether just yet.

There was speculation surrounding Jones making his way over to Versace, or to replace Christopher Bailey who recently stepped down from Burberry. For a brand like Burberry, Jones’ influence couldn’t come at a more critical time. They recently unveiled a collaboration with Russian designer Gosha Rubchinskiy but the brand have been losing credibility in recent years.

Unfortunately for Versace and Burberry, earlier this year Jones set his sights in Dior Homme where he has now taken over creative duties. He will show his first collection for Spring/Summer in June 2019. He released a statement about his love for the brand, “I am deeply honoured to join the house of Dior, a symbol of the ultimate elegance. I am committed to creating a modern and innovative male silhouette built upon the unique legacy of the house.” Jones has never been one to turn his hand to women’s fashion, having only been involved with menswear for all his years in the industry. You won’t find any womens sleepwear or designer lingerie in his repertoire. It’s clear that Jones will be using a mixture of classic and contemporary when curating his vision for where Dior Homme should head next.

Dior x KAWS

In a recent interview, Jones admits it’s been non-stop since he took the position of Creative Director at Dior. Just before the end of the year, Dior has released its much-anticipated capsule with luxury art designer KAWS. It was teased at Paris Fashion Week earlier this year by Jones and is now available online as well as in selected stores. High-profile celebrities such as A$AP Rocky, Virgil Abloh and Kid Cudi were all in support of Jones’ first show in Paris.

KAWS is a highly sought-after name, so it makes sense that the first big release for Jones would be on such a monumental scale. The collection features reimagined pieces with a fun and tongue-in-cheek twist that may remind some of classic Moschino pieces. The range features everyday outfit essentials as well as alternative pieces such as shirts, trousers, bomber jackets and sweatshirts. The highlights of the collection are the backpacks, pouches and saddle bags which have proven to be extremely popular.

The Future For Kim Jones

There’s no doubt that Jones was pivotal in the movement of “athleisure”. The sector has increased in value by 8% to £2.5bn in the last year. Before Jones, the idea of wearing a tailored suit with trainers was alien, out-of-touch, even. But he was able to bring a culture to Louis Vuitton that it was desperately in need of. To many, his move to Dior was a shock that shows he’s not a man who is afraid to take risks.

It’s clear that his work at Dior will be nothing short of iconic if his KAWS collaboration is anything to go by. Jones says the main reason he chose Dior to work with was because he wanted a change and a change he’s certainly got.

Team Credits:

Words by Vicky Layton

Photo Credits:

#1 Brett Lloyd
#2 & 5 Dior Men’s Summer 2019 Show
#6 & 7 Dior Pre-Fall 2019 Men’s Show