3 June 2024 |
With her signature neon hair, a closet full of Comme, and manga-inspired illustrations, the self-made artist has caught the eye of industry giants like Miuccia Prada and Marc Jacobs.
SS20 by PRADA jacket, T-shirt, and shorts by COMME DES GARCONS HOMME PLUS SS24, shoes by DEMONIA
Though she is hesitant to admit it, the New York City–based artist Eri Wakiyama is making moves. In the past few years, Miu Miu, Supreme, and Heaven by Marc Jacobs (among other top fashion brands) have enlisted her to cover their wares with her wistful and whimsical drawings. But when I speak to her at the start of the year, it’s Wakiyama’s biggest move (moving house) that has her all atwitter. “I’m moving to Williamsburg from Chinatown,” she says. “I’ve never lived outside the city before, so I’m a bit sad! Plus there are so many clothes to pack.” It is a combination of her outstanding collection of clothing and her impressive works—featuring moody girls with elfin ears or flowers growing out of their faces—that has brought us to this moment.
Born in Japan and raised in Cupertino, California, Wakiyama came to New York to study at Parsons, where she got her MFA in fashion design. For the past 15 years or so she has worked in visual merchandising at Dover Street Market. The proximity to the world’s finest garments is not lost on Wakiyama—most of her closet is filled with Comme des Garçons and the like. (Talk about a fantasy wardrobe.)
top and skirt by COMME DES GARCONS SS06 and jacket and skirt by COMME DES GARCONS FW08, shoes by MIU MIU
10 USA: How do your drawings come to be and where do you see these characters going?
Eri Wakiyama: A lot of people say that they’re me. I don’t have any intention of that when I’m drawing. I think the characters have developed since I was a child. When I was at Parsons we used to have to draw hundreds of croquis. You spend all of this time doing fashion illustrations, and I feel like when I was drawing an amazing Comme des Garçons outfit on my girls, it kind of created a character of them. So it overlapped in some way. The girls have a style. I don’t know where they are going. I feel like they’re all the same person but just in different scenarios. They’re essentially sad girls looking to be hopeful.
Recently I’ve been using more colors, which was never the case before. It used to always be black and white, so I think that’s also a reflection of my lifestyle. I don’t look at references when I’m drawing, it just comes from my brain. It’s mostly my thoughts expressed through a girl because I’m not good at describing things with words.
10 USA: How have some of your collaborations with brands come about? Miu Miu, for example.
EW: Working with them was a milestone moment for me. The stylist Olivier Rizzo, who works with Mrs. Prada, would come into the Comme des Garçons store when I was a sales associate. I didn’t have these types of collaboration gigs back then, and I never spoke about my drawings when I was at work. But one day I was getting my hair done and I got this email from the Miu Miu team [saying] that Olivier had recommended me to Mrs. Prada and the team wanted to use my illustrations. I was so surprised, but then it all just happened so fast.
10 USA: Have you ever met Mrs. Prada?
EW: Oh yeah. I was invited to the Miu Miu show in Milan and I was seated in the friends and family section, near Raf Simons, who I also fucking adore. Olivier said, “Just stick around after.” I was like, “I’m sweating right now.” It felt unreal. I couldn’t even process it.
So when Mrs. Prada came, Olivier introduced me to her and I just started mumbling. I didn’t even know what I was saying, but she was like, OK, and came in for a hug.
She has the same energy as Rei [Kawakubo] in a way. They’re such powerful women, mothers of the industry. I’m so indebted to them.
top and dress by MARC JACOBS, shorts by COMME DES GARÇONS FW12, shoes by PRADA and PRADA SS24
10 USA: How would you describe your style?
EW: I have a lot of comfy clothes. So many T-shirts, so many hoodies. I like it when [my style] feels rebellious. I hate attention. I know that is a contradiction because a lot of the clothes I wear are very standout-ish. I studied fashion design, and I appreciate amazing construction and if there’s a thought process behind the clothing. Music culture has inspired me as well. I’m obsessed with Eminem.
10 USA: What brands take up the most space in your closet?
EW: Comme and most of the labels under that umbrella, like Junya [Watanabe]— both men’s and women’s. There’s not a distinction in my closet. My sizes also run from extra small to XXL. I love Demna, too. I would like to seek out some pieces by John Galliano. He’s one of the reasons I got into fashion. I love old Margiela. I love what Mrs. Prada does for Miu Miu as well. I don’t feel mature enough to wear Prada, but if I did buy something I’d probably keep it forever.
10 USA: Can we talk about your contact lenses for this shoot? They’re red with little dots.
EW: I buy them from this website that has a cosplay category. They’re from a cult anime called Naruto. It’s about this one ninja clan and when their eyes are triggered like that they have special powers. I’m obsessed. I have the contacts in multiple colors, but I like the red ones best because sometimes people on the street who have watched Naruto will call it out.
10 USA: These looks are pretty spectacular even without your special anime powers.
EW: I wish I could show you all the details of that rainbow- colored Comme des Garçons skirt. The construction is crazy and the fabric feels like it’s waterproof. When we got the delivery it was folded like origami. It almost felt like a North Face duffel bag, but when I styled it out it looked like a bubble.
jacket and dress by COMME DES GARCONS SS24, shoes by DEMONIA and jacket by BALENCIAGA, vintage T-shirt, hat by HEAVEN BY MARC JACOBS X DONNIE DARKO FW23
10 USA: What about the look with the ripped-up blazer with the pink velvet?
EW: Oh my God. That is one of my favorite CDG collections. It’s from fall 2008 and was called Bad Taste. The construction of this piece is so crazy. I didn’t even know the back looked like that until the photographer [for this shoot] showed me the photo. Seeing it on feels a bit different because it looks like it’s just being ripped apart. The skirt is a fun piece that I always wear, actually sometimes with a hoodie. These are pieces I will never let go of.
10 USA: What do you want to say about the look with the bunny ears and oversized denim?
EW: The bunny ears are from a Donnie Darko collaboration with Heaven [by Marc Jacobs]. The ears are perfect. I bought them while I was working one day. It was one of those days where you just, like, have to shop. When I wear them in the store, it doesn’t feel abnormal because everyone’s dressed up and whatever. But when I step outside and get on the subway, people just look at me.
10 USA: And that’s your vintage Eminem T-shirt?
EW: Mm-hmm. I still like to find real vintage ones because they’ve been reproduced a lot and they get quite pricey. I just need him to do one more tour, you know? The top is Balenciaga, which is my version of an everyday denim jacket. I’m looking for the black one as well.
10 USA: Nice. What sites do you like for consignment?
EW: Do I gatekeep things or do I reveal them?
10 USA: Your call.
EW: There’s one that I go to for Comme items. It’s a store in Japan. You’d be surprised what you can find on eBay, Depop too. Then the other ones, like The RealReal. There are so many that sometimes they lead me to another one that I’ve never heard of. There are a lot of resale shops opening up on the Lower East Side lately. I always look at James Veloria on East Broadway, they always have good stuff. I also like Big Ash. It’s a good one.
jumpsuit by MIU MIU X ERI WAKIYAMA, shoes by MIU MIU and top and skirt by COMME DES GARCONS SS24, shoes by DEMONIA
10 USA: Do you find that art and fashion tend to blend pretty seamlessly for you?
EW: I think they are very different. I’m comfortable in the fashion industry because I’ve been working in it forever. Art feels like a whole different thing. I’m just trying to ignore the rules and the way people are supposed to become a quote, unquote artist. I don’t know anything about that. It’s intimidating and it’s easy for me to spiral and doubt myself, but with fashion it’s, like, I can do it.
10 USA: What’s coming up next for you?
EW: There are some more fashion brand things coming up, which is exciting. I want to do a show in New York at some point, certainly. It’s not planned, but I would like to. The last one I did was in 2019. And I don’t know when this movie is going to come out, but my friend [the model and actress] Rila Fukushima is in a film called Electric Child and she asked if she could use my artwork in her studio as if they were her drawings. It’s going to be cool to see my art shown differently. It’s a different dimension from the usual.
10 USA: We forgot to discuss this CDG blazer with the green extensions.
EW: It’s Comme men’s! I was in Chinatown shooting this and all of the Chinese aunties were taking photos of me standing in front of their grocery store. They were like, “Who is she with the orange hair [on my head] and the green hair [on my jacket]?”
orange hair [on my head] and the green hair [on my jacket]?”
10 USA: Do people ask you about your hair a lot?
EW: I’ve had this hair color the longest out of all my other colors. I used to be more intense, I never thought I would adjust to orange. Do you know Leeloo from The Fifth Element? That’s the orange I wanted and I have stuck with it. Now I feel likeI can’t be without it.
10 USA: Is fashion armor for you in a way?
EW: Yes, I’m so shy. I’m not friendly or outgoing all the time. I am mostly terrified. My senior thesis in high school was about the psychology of dressing. It’s a decision, what you wear. Fashion matters!
Photographer WAYLON BONE
Fashion Editor and Talent ERI WAKIYAMA
Text SARAH CRISTOBAL
Instagram: @mermaidhair
eriwakiyama.com
