Here is the Making of: Vogue Japan – Special Issue – Obsesskion by Mario Testino.
To celebrate Vogue Japan’s 15th anniversary, the November 2014 edition is a special issue that has been photographed and guest-edited by influential photographer and regular Vogue contributor Mario Testino.
Testino chose the theme of ‘Obsession’ for the special issue saying: “I have been going to Japan on and off since the 1980s and since my very first experiences there I felt a spirit I really connected with. I found, on so many levels, that whatever the Japanese did, they did with absolute and unwavering conviction. It was this, which I came to view as obsession; it is a way of being that I have followed in my own life and career.” Not only photographing all the magazine’s editorial features, Testino, with his agency MarioTestino+, has applied a one-off bespoke treatment to the magazine’s design. This is the eighth special edition of an international Vogue that Testino has guest-edited
Testino photographed many of his stories for this special issue while on assignment for the magazine in Japan. Exploring the theme of obsession, Testino, together with Vogue’s Fashion Director Anna Dello Russo, first took to the streets of downtown Shibuya in Tokyo to capture a story devoted to the extraordinary street styles unique to this part of the world. Testino’s obsession with tradition can be seen expressed in another editorial showing the bourgeois elegance of the modern Geisha. Also in the issue is an homage to Yoko Ono and John Lennon, portraits of Japanese artists and performers, a celebration of Comme des Garcons and a shoot inspired by Testino’s take on Japanese precision and the styles of the moment.
Gracing the cover is world-class model Miranda Kerr, who appears in the special six-page cover spread dressed in an array of spectacular attire in the style of geisha, samurai and manga; all representative themes of Japanese culture. Inside, in a candid interview, Miranda talks about working with Mario, about her love of Japan (which she goes as far as calling her second home), and about her beauty secrets. On Testino, “He has a warm personality that’s contagious. He has a great energy and he’s also a very good person to collaborate with, he listens to your input and I find that if you can work as a team, so that everyone can get the best results, that’s ideal.”
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