Shoichi Aoki Collaborates with Palace Skateboards, Shoots on Film

Shoichi Aoki, a 70-year-old documentarian of Japanese street fashion and the founder of Fruits magazine, partnered with London’s Palace Skateboards in 2024 after his interest was piqued in 2022. Palace sought film photography and rented Aoki's Fujifilm GA645Wi. Despite difficult lighting conditions, the film images were ultimately selected for the project. Aoki commended the styling by Vivienne Westwood and Lev Tanju, the founder of Palace. Since 1985, he has been capturing street fashion, leading to works like Street and Tune. Currently, Aoki is digitizing his archive, aiming for completion by the end of the year, and considering transforming it into artworks and a potential Fruits brand. His influences include Ferdinand de Saussure, Georges Bataille, and Surrealism, and he regards Harajuku as the most fashionable district globally.