The Look Book

Kosuke Okawa, Student

Spotted on the corner of Elizabeth Street and Prince Street.

By Amy Larocca
Published May 21, 2005

Back

Next

(Photo: Jake Chessum)

What brought you to New York?
FIT. I wanted to study fashion, so I came three years ago. I enjoy New York, but in Japan everything makes sense more. Here is more exciting, with all the drama and the troubles.

The drama?
Yes! I’m writing a book right now because I’ve had so much drama. My apartment caught fire in Queens, and somebody broke into my other apartment and robbed me. Also, I got robbed in the elevator with a huge knife. And one of my roommates went really crazy mentally, and I had to put him in jail.

That’s a lot of drama.
Yes! And I couldn’t even get here. Last time I came, I flew fifteen hours to Detroit and I had all of my papers and everything and they still sent me home. Then I got in a huge car crash and broke my collarbone.

And you still wanted to come here?
Yeah. New York is very popular in Japan right now. That’s why I’m writing so fast.

How do you get your hair like that?
My hairstylist gives me a permanent curl—it takes six hours, and my hair is so straight we have to do it twice. Luckily, she just moved to New York. She was No. 1 on the west coast of Japan, but she can’t really speak English, so now she’s a stylist at Q Hair on Bleecker Street. We’re waiting for new chemicals to come from Japan—usually, I have a big, round Afro, bigger than Foxy Brown.

Do you shop a lot?
I go shopping every day. Whenever I go and find something special, I have to get it right away, because I don’t want to think somebody else is wearing what I want. Sometimes I get five jackets in a day.

Where did you find this outfit?
I think the orange coat is vintage. I bought it in New York. I know that the pants are Alice + Olivia.

What is your style?
Kooan.

What does that mean?
It means Kooan. It’s my nickname. I’m my style.