🧵
elsewhere
What have you been wearing on stage? Anything new you've been liking?
MIZU (@iammizu__)
Over the past year I was wearing lots of hyper-feminine garments and accessories - tutus, exaggerated dresses, crop tops, bows, and hair clips to accentuate the story-telling in my first album ‘Distant Intervals’. The music is very much about stepping into femininity, and embracing a child-like innocence and sense of wonder; wearing clothes that reflect the themes of the music felt both affirming and freeing.
As I’m starting to perform my new album Forest Scenes, I’ve been wearing more elaborate deconstructionist pieces that I can perform with away from the cello as well. I’ve been doing some movement work as part of my new live set, and multi-layered garments that double as props and figurative characters can heighten the story-telling in my performance.
elsewhere
Do you collaborate with anyone? A stylist? A friend?
MIZU
I love wearing pieces by friends - sometimes they are even custom made for me! For my upcoming tour I’ll be wearing a multilayered garment by designer MEGHUN. I also wear accessories by dear friend Bagtazo, and have been performing with a tulle dress that was made by the amazing Phuong Nguyen for a special showcase at Spring Hill Arts Gathering last summer.
elsewhere
Do you make any special pieces?
MIZU
I don’t make clothes, but the textures and layers in clothing definitely inspire my music making. For example, MEGHUN’s garments are pieced together by hand from fragments of other feminine pieces of clothing or fabrics - they are like wearable memories. I try to create a similar poetry in my musical storytelling and performing.
elsewhere
Where do you find stage clothes? Any fav shops?
MIZU
Tokio Seven is a local favorite - an excellent curation of avant-garde designer pieces. Stores like 2nd Street or Beacon’s Closet have a great blend of thrift finds and designer pieces. And it’s exciting to check out stores like Comme des Garçons or Simone Rocha, even if just for inspiration. You can try things on and see what silhouettes you gravitate towards, and then try to piece together your own outfits from there.
elsewhere
Where does your sense of style come from? Any special sources of inspiration?
MIZU
One of my first loves was musical theater - I actually acted for years as a child before starting to focus more on music! So I suppose I gravitate towards more theatrical pieces; clothes with an exaggerated fantasy that live within their own unique world.
As I got more interested in fashion, I felt a special affinity with deconstructionist designers such as Rei Kawakubo and Martin Margiela. Many of their pieces tell a story, even without being worn. I’ll check out the amazing archives on Vogue Runway sometimes, or watch old fashion shows on YouTube.
LINKS ↓
● ig → @iammizu__
● youtube
● website → iammizu.com
● stream → spotify, apple music
