Five books that influenced Mr. Morinaga's life.
Since her encounter with Keisuke Kanda, Ms. Morinaga has undergone a change in the way she reads books and has used them as food for enhancing her own thoughts and creations. When asked to share five books that have influenced his life, he anxiously introduced a broad lineup of fashion magazines, manga, and essay collections.
Chugakusei eigo vocabulary 1850" (Gakken Plus)
A study reference book with a selection of English vocabulary for high school entrance exams. For Mr. Morinaga, it is a reference book for selecting collection themes. All the past themes such as "SHADOW," "LIGHT," "REFLECT," "CLEAR," "DETAIL," and "ANGLE" have been selected from this book. The theme for the Fall-Winter 2020 collection, which is about to launch, is "BLOCK. The theme of the collection is a simple word. I always want to do something that people cannot imagine the clothes when they hear the word of the theme," says Mr. Morinaga.
Zyappu (Zyappu)" (Korinsha Publishing Co., Ltd.)
A magazine by the now-defunct Korinsha Publishing, which cross-skewers society and subcultures with fashion. I like "DUNE" and "COMPOSITE" by Mr. Sugatsuki, but I especially like "Jap". It was exciting to see Takeji Hirakawa's critique of the Tokyo Collection. It was very strong in its critique. I think it was a magazine that broke many rules.
Martin Margiela: Street Special 1&2" (Street Editorial Office)
An out-of-print book that expresses the world of Martin Margiela through an abundance of photographs. No matter how many times I look back at it, I still find something new. Even if I didn't think something was beautiful, it tells me that this is possible, too. Even a plastic bag, a price tag, everything is beautiful. I sometimes wonder what Martin would make if he were around today. I would like to make something that is still a piece of that philosophy in a different form," says Morinaga.
Different Short Stories" Fujiko Fujio (Shogakukan)
The name is from Fujiko Fujio's era, but by Mr. F, not Mr. A. In a sense, it is the complete opposite of his masterpiece "Doraemon," a manga characterized by its dark, cynical aspects. It is full of what I want to do in Anrealage. I like the story titled "One Day. When I was in junior high school, I fell in love with Hiroto Komoto, and he recommended this book as one of his influences. It is not "science fiction" science fiction, but rather "slightly mysterious" science fiction. I often look back on it when I think about my next collection.
Dropout no eraihito" Hiroshi Morinaga (Tokyo Shoseki)
A reference book on how to live, following 45 people who have dropped out of a rigid way of life. Many people cite this book as a bible to read while young. This is the book that led me to know my uncle. I found it in my grandfather's secret library. The Morinaga family is a rather tight-knit one, but my uncle was expelled as a dangerous member of the family. My uncle was hidden from my sight until he was over 20 years old. My parents were worried that I might have been influenced by a dropout who had graduated from Waseda University but decided to pursue a career in fashion. That doesn't happen now, though (laughs).
