A series of features from the idea notes of hair & make-up artist Akemi Nakano, each issue picks up a theme. This time Namie Amuro appears to float on air!  Please enjoy this mysterious world that no-one has seen before.

Nakano – “For this float play theme, I created a mysterious world in which the beautiful and sensuous Namie Amuro lightly floats. I got Namie-chan specially to appear in this series which uses a photographic method that hasn’t been done before, so how about a Namie Amuro that hasn’t been seen before? Up until now she hasn’t been shown as a ‘sexy’ person, so to emphasize that this time, the clothes we used are somewhat more sexy than usual. This beautiful Namie Amuro is floating in a room. I think the sense of mystery makes this enjoyable”

Namie Amuro & Akemi Nakano Special Talk

Nakano and Amuro have known each other for 20 years.  Covers for sweet magazine of course, many jacket photographs and PVs etc, They talked about the secrets of the wonderful world that they made up.

Nakano – We have worked together for about twenty years, but in the make-up room it’s usually trivial, enjoyable stories, we don’t discuss hair & make–up concepts (laughs). But since make-up isn’t something that can be completed instantly, sometimes you feel it’s not right during the completion process, doing it how I like it. If I think I might have lost my way,  I’ll say “This is no good?” and get a hint from Namie-chan. On the other hand, I think I should hear her ideas right at the start (both laugh)

Amuro – But I leave it up to you and don’t change it completely (laughs). Besides, you’ve probably touched my face for longer than anyone else, you have a thorough knowledge of what sort of skin, eyelashes, shape of lips, all the more reason I think.

Nakano – Whatever sort of face, the most important thing is the expression‚ but in Namie’s case, how to create it and how to bring it out changes constantly with age or situation. There are still unknown expressions hidden in her, I fear (laughs).

Amuro – I’m not hiding them! (laughs).  Being made-up by Akemi-san makes me feel in bloom. Each time I think, what sort of hair & make-up will I get today, what different person will I change into today.

Nakano – I have various wild ideas inside me concerning Namie-chan, so it’s fun to draw them out. sweet is loved by many people now, times change, things are linked in various ways, everything becomes like a vortex from the thing in the centre. Without conscious reason‚ by chance Namie-chan was that mode, the thing inside that vortex. I call that god’s chosen person, and though it was just by chance that Namie and sweet met up, many people have told me that sweet x Namie Amuro is really good.

Amuro – I think that was Akemi’s strategy. In the past, when I was brought straight pretty things I didn’t know which way to go, but Akemi-san gave me suggestions at that time “How about like this?”. That is to say, nobody saying anything and being told things, the possibilities to move forward are very different. So thanks to Akemi-san little by little I became more flexible. Because in the past I was really inflexible. (laughs).

Nakano – There are times when I am like that, though I think I was more stubborn then than I am now. Since I was a child I have always been stubborn, the only art and music I like is quite odd (laughs).

Amuro – But for jackets and such, it makes no difference if the hair & make-up person is a music-lover or not. With Akemi-san especially so. Whatever the music of Namie Amuro, the make-up person only does my eyeliner, they don’t know what type of person I am (laughs). But I do think that I can get them to express “music of Namie Amuro ” with a visual aspect.

 

“It’s not my skill that I want to express, it’s a world that I wanted to see”

Amuro – Saying that, if I see a photo of an actress in a magazine or on a street corner billboard, I absolutely know when it’s Akemi’s make-up. It’s not the habit of Akemi-san, if the person who gets made-up is pretty, has become even more beautiful credit surely Akemi-san (laughs). To feel the faces of these people were like this and have become like this, in the sense it draws out the best in those people. And also, whatever the situation there are make-up products. Since to increase feminity “products” are an absolute must.

Nakano – Thank you (laughs). But that is understand Namie’s sense (both laugh).  But I don’t want to paint my signature on Namie’s face, in any case a work can be made good.  Therefore we do our best.  That runs out.  For this series, I don’t want people to look at my skill on the page, the feeling I want is “This is interesting. I haven’t seen anything like this before! Oh, it’s a make-up page”.

Amuro – I think the MOJIMOJI-kun like situation was cute.  (※carried in sweet February issue)

Nakano – You saw it? Thanks.  Since you always see sweet, though I didn’t say it at the start of the series,  when I heard you say of the first in the series  “That was good”, I did a happy little dance (laughs).  That was when you promised to appear this time. ~ On hands and knees ~ floating ~ but still being sexy, I think that is good (laughs).

Amuro – Today I dived inside Akemi’s wild fantasies, as mentioned above, as much as I can (laughs).  Since I enjoyed it this time, next time by all means do let me know!