Born and raised in Tokyo, he began taking photographs in 2008 with a NIKON F2 camera given to him by his grandmother, and later moved to the United States on his own in 2010. Currently based in Los Angeles, he is a member of the prestigious L.A. label, now known asDelicious VinylHe is a multi-talented beat-maker and DJ as well as a fatographer belonging to the "FATOGRAPHER" group.Iida Mato. He and "UNITED ARROWS" have teamed up to launch the "DOLOVE" project. Special items will be released.
He himself tells the story of how he got started in the first place .
I was always thinking, "Everyone around me is making their own clothes. "Everyone around me is making their own clothes. They are making graphic T-shirts, cut-and-sewns, and whatever they want, and I always thought they looked like they were having a lot of fun. I myself liked graphic T-shirts and wore many of them, but it was hard to find something that I liked exactly. I loved the ones sold at record stores for $18 or so that had my favorite artists or album covers printed on the terro cotto fabric. But I wasn't looking for a rock T-shirt, I was looking for a jazz T-shirt, and there aren't many jazz T-shirts. One day, I was talking to an acquaintance about this, and he suggested that I do a project with United Arrows, since no one else was doing jazz-inspired graphics and it seemed to fit the atmosphere. I had the opportunity to ask him if he would be interested in working with UNITED ARROWS, and that's how this project started.
The offerings include jazz-inspired T-shirts and long sleeve T-shirts that create a unique mood.
T-shirt ¥7,500+tax each
Long sleeve T-shirts ¥9,000+TAX each
. and the name of the project, DOLOVE. . He spoke further about the naming of the project, and by extension, the concept.
I am now working as a photographer, but I originally came to Los Angeles to study to become a recording engineer. While studying at school, I used an AKAI MPC and vinyl records to make hip-hop beats and create songs with Compton rappers, and there was a time when I did nothing but that. Since I was in Japan, I was looking for records to use for sampling, and eventually I got into jazz, which at first I thought was too boring to listen to. Of course I liked it from a musical standpoint, but I also came to appreciate the culture and background of the times when jazz was around, and the freshness of the changes that always came with improvisation, and I began to feel that it was somehow more than music. I don't want to sound like a jazz critic, but jazz makes my heart dance, and I was always struck by the lyrics of the songs, which were always straightforward, simple, and powerful songs about love. This simple and powerful love is the main concept behind the name of this project, "DOLOVE. The literal translation of the word is "to love," but can you imagine what it means? Doing what you love, doing what you love, and cherishing what you want to cherish. The visual aspect of the design is based on my favorite jazz album covers, what the artists said, and what I was inspired by at the time, and I took all the photographs included in the design.
Based on jazz, "DOLOVE" embodies what Asato Iida loves. . The idea must be all the more special since it has been in the works for over a year. All items will be available at all "UNITED ARROWS" stores (except DST, SVH, and Womens Sotre) from June 27 (Tue). Please take a look at the items in the stores.
Text_Jun Nakada
DOLOVE for UNITED ARROWS
UNITED ARROWS Harajuku Men's Building
Address: 3-28-1 Jingumae, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo
Phone: 03-3479-8180
Hours: 12:00 - 20:00 (weekdays) , 11:00 - 20:00 (Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays)
http://store.united-arrows.co.jp/shop/ua/storelocator/
www.asatoiidaphoto.com
