Shinjuku Skyline

One night feeling lonely, as I stared out into the Shinjuku skyline, I got a call from friends in Australia - members of a fashion brand that had reached both international fame and a cult-like following in Tokyo's Fashion Scene. They were about to leave for Tokyo for the opening of their new store in Shibuya and were bringing an entourage of their closest friends to accompany them.

Unexpected Arrival of an Independent Music Star

One of the members of their entourage was a vocalist from a very popular band - a friend from home and rising star in Australian Independent Music. All members of the fashion brand's entourage had hotel bookings in Tokyo, except for one - my friend, the vocalist from Melbourne. They asked if he could stay for a few days with me.

It was far from 5-star hospitality for a rising musical talent, but we made do. We used scissors to cut layers of cardboard into the shape of a futon bed and my friend brought a sleeping bag - which we placed on the stacked cardboard sheets on the floor.

My apartment was beyond tiny, but had a giant window, near floor to ceiling - looking out into the city. In the midst of the freezing Tokyo winter, it was like camping out in the cold with a brilliant view of Shinjuku in the night sky.

Rendezvous at Le Baron de Paris

Le Baron de Paris was a nightclub established in 2006 by André Saraiva, Lionel Bensemoun, Marc Newson and Nick Wood. It was located in Minami-Aoyama, very close to Gaienmae Station - one of my favorite areas in Tokyo.

A Unique Nightlife Genre in Tokyo

The club was really a first in genre for Tokyo and there had been nothing like it in Tokyo's nightlife history. While there had been other exclusive venues tailored to celebrity clientele - many of them were literally that - places where celebrities, entertainment executives or large company owners mingled. Le Baron de Paris connected with very particular types of celebrities - those interested in art, fashion, music and a cross between Tokyo and Parisian Street Culture.

Hub for International Celebrities in Japan

It was the first stop for travelling film directors, fashion designers, hip hop superstars and generally many overseas personalities seeking a different type of aesthetic to the mainstream to connect with other international level creators.

Upon confirming that we were on the guest list we entered the club - which by the names written on the pages of the list, seemed to be filled with those famous in the fashion industry.

Electro Aesthetics in Deep Crimson

The one thing that hit you as you descended the stairs into basement of the Aoyama building was the interior aesthetic - Deep Crimson Shades of Color and a sea of glittery socialites moving to and fro - in waves of electronic sound. In the later 2000s and early 2010s, Tokyo had a flourishing Electro Scene and Le Baron de Paris vibrated until the early hours of the morning as its key center.

Creative Street Style

Around that time, I wore a lot of extreme color combinations, custom made clothes and occasionally accessories I made myself. It got to the point where friends walking next to me, would ask me to change my clothes because the contrast and brightness of the colors was making them feel embarrassed. Regardless of their repeated requests - I never changed my clothes.

Lost in the Rhythm on the Dancefloor

Upon entering the club, I avoided mixing with the cliques of coolly clad socialites and went straight to the dancefloor - dancing in the middle of the floor by myself. I went completely crazy dancing in my own world, without care of what people thought of me. Though my movements were not completely crazy, but perhaps - coordinated crazy. Carefully avoiding bumping anyone around me, in a semi-nonsensical rhythm - feeling the beat in my own world.

This caused a lot of shocked and curious looks from around the room, as it was the sort of crowd where certain amount of restraint was expected considering the celebrity presence.

Curiosity from The DJ Booth

Behind the DJ booth, I saw a small head bobbing and ducking to look at me in between mixing tracks, although I kept dancing in a nonsensical fashion. The DJ peered over the mixing equipment at me often, while concentrating on synchronizing beats and tracks.

The Approach of a Powerful Silhouette

After only a very short time, perhaps the space of two or three songs more, there was DJ set changeover and the rhythm of the sounds slowed to a deeper faded beat. Amongst a crowded dancefloor, the DJ stepped around the mixing equipment and moved with complete purpose through rhythmic motions of bodies in a straight line directly towards me. I saw a petite, beautiful woman with long hair in a defined cut walking toward me, accompanied by a young man who appeared to be in his mid to late 20s. While she may have been petite in size, she moved with a powerful sense of confidence, focus and concentration, cutting through the crowd. They walked straight up to me and the woman said...

"Hello, my name is Hiromix."

"Hi, my name is Sean." I replied.

ＤＪブースの後ろで、私が意味不明なダンスをしている間、女性ＤＪが私を見ていました。 ＤＪはビートとトラックのミックスに集中しながら、ブース越しに私を時々に見ていました。 ほんの少しの時間、多分２，３曲ほど経った後、ＤＪセットが変わり、音楽のリズムがより柔らかいビートに変わった。 ＤＪはミキシング機器の周りを歩き回り、混雑したダンスフロアをまっすぐに私のほうへ向かってに動きました。 長髪をきれいにカットした小柄でとても美しい女性が、２０代半ばと思われる若い男性と一緒に私の方へ歩いてくるのを見ました。 女性は小柄だったかもしれないが、強い自身と集中力を持って、人々の群れの中を集中して歩いていた。 その女性から強力なオーラを感じ、彼女には何か特別なものがあると思いました。

「Hello, my name is Hiromix.」と女性は言いました。

「Hi, my name is Sean.」と私は答えました。

ヒロミックスの才能

今このページを書いていると、ヒロミックスが９０年代と２０００年代にどれほどの影響を与えたかを伝えるのは簡単ではありません。 インターネット上の英語では、彼女が触発したムーブメントについて最近書かれた記事がありますが、当時の本質はそのまま伝えられていないと思います。 多くの場合、筆者は９０年代か２０００年代に何が起こっていた体験できる年齢で生まれていなかったり、 あるいは日本に住んでいなく、当時のエネルギーがあった体験していなかったりするのです。 これらの記事を読むと、誰かが雑誌とインターネットで過去について学んだ情報を要約しているように感じます。

日本で好きなファッションブランドがどれだけ大きくなったか、ちょっと想像できれば。。。　ヒロミックスも東京のトップレベルの多くと同等か、 それ以上の規模でした。しかし、彼女はただ一人の人間でした。 ファッション会社にはデザイナー、プレス、生産チーム、販売スタッフなどがいます。彼女は、唯一の力として、アーティスティックムーブメント全体を一人で導きました。

HIROMIX's Artistic Impact

Writing this in 2025, it is not easy to convey how much of an impact Hiromix had in the mid to late 90s and 2000s. You might find or read articles about her written in recent times, detailing a generic theme of the movement she inspired. Although in many cases, the writer was not born at a time when they were old enough to experience what was going on in the late 90s or 2000s, or also just not living in Japan and experiencing what was going on in aesthetics at that time.

HIROMIX's Popularity was Huge in Japan and Internationally!

A Singular Artistic Force Leading Japanese Pop Culture

If you can imagine some of your favorite Japanese Fashion Brands and how famous they became, or perhaps… How much of an underground following they inspire. Well, Hiromix was at least as big as many as of Tokyo's Top Labels - if not bigger. The only thing is she was just - one person. Fashion companies, have designers, press, production teams, sales staff etc... She guided a whole aesthetic movement by herself - as a singular force.

Cosmic Level of Creativity

Before I first arrived in Tokyo, I saw features about her in every fashion magazine and after I arrived on billboards all around the city. While she was primarily known for her distinct talent for photography - her creativity flowed into every aspect of Japanese Popular Culture. There were T-Shirts, Fashion Items, Drawings, Graphics, Advertising (styled by Hiromix), TV Commercials, Video Clips, Music CDs, and even Interactive CD ROMs - a type of media popular in the 90s and early 2000s. She also modelled and featured in movies at the time - notably Sofia Coppola's 'Lost In Translation'.

A Level of Celebrity Beyond Elusive

She was the epitome of the Japanese term 'Maruchi-Tarento' - meaning simply - multi-talented and exceptional in more than one medium. Also, while being involved in so many streams of artistic media - she was also extremely selective as to what she would be involved with. She never took opportunities just for the sake of exposure. It was hard to find interviews with her at the time and I never heard of anyone I else I knew seeing her in public or let alone meeting her in person.

Talent Beyond Imitation

Although while so many young, ambitious creatives tried to be like Hiromix - nobody could do it. It would be asking someone to model their career on Andy Warhol and reach his success.

It was impossible.

There was also a lot more to Hiromix's work than what one could see on the surface. What they saw and tried to emulate, was only that - the surface. They could not see into the emotional intensity and deep talent of the actual person. She was a Superstar for being herself, with her own fashion and creative world - just as much as for her photographic work.

Having Fun Dancing

While speaking, we danced in a group of three - Hiromix, her friend and me. Moving to rhythm of the sounds and lights, Hiromix starting asking me questions to which her friend translated into English - but they quickly realized that I didn't need a translator.

Foreign Japanese Bilinguals Were Rare in the 2000s

At that time, foreigners who spoke Japanese were quite unusual - actually somewhat rare. While it did give her a bit of a surprise, I don't think that is what caused her to ask me so many questions. It could have been the crazy dance movements I was doing or my opinions on subjects - or perhaps my unusual clothes. Whatever the case, Hiromix seemed entertained by the encounter and laughed as we continued to speak. I think that Hiromix and her friend could have possibly thought - that I was just an unusual person in the purest sense.

Hiromix's Perceptive Insight

I distinctly noticed Hiromix's sharp, perceptive gaze. It was as if she was gathering information about me by visual observation. Although she was listening to what I said intently, it was like she 'listened' through the visual world - starting to ask me many questions, which started off as small talk…

"Where are you from?"

"How come you speak Japanese?"

"How long have you been in Japan?"

"What are your impressions of Tokyo?"

To deeper questions about my experiences in Japan and thoughts about different parts of Tokyo - leading to more abstract questions about my favorite colors and combinations of color. She asked a barrage of questions, all of which varied - in some ways to test me and see what type of person I was - through the refined perspective of an artist.

TO BE CONTINUED...

「出身はどこですか？」

「どうして日本語が話せるんですか？」

「日本にはどれくらいいるの？」

「東京の印象はどうですか？」

その後、ヒロミックスは私の日本での経験と東京のいろいろな場所についての考えなどについてさらに深い質問をし、 私の好きな色と色の組み合わせについての質問へとつながりました。彼女はまるで私がどんな人なのかを試すために質問をしているようでした。 すでにヒロミックスの考え方を感じており、それは本当に天才的な芸術精神からきているように思えました。

「続きはまた今度」