GEO Takes Us on a Journey Through Tokyo With a Series of Disposable Camera Shots

After working as a graphic designer for Kanye West’s firm DONDA and creating some of the most notable album artwork and merchandise within the hip-hop realm, London-based GEO channeled his experience into his first clothing line titled “Collection One.” The designer recently took the range overseas to Japan and held the collection’s global launch and installation at GR8 in Harajuku, Tokyo. We met up with the ex-DONDA creative and gave him a disposable camera to document his twenty-four hours in Tokyo and talked to him about the future of GEO. Check out GEO’s photo documentation of his time in Japan’s capital above and the follow-up interview we conducted with him to understand his time spent below.

Congrats for the global launch of “Collection One” in Japan. How come did you choose GR8 as the first physical store to carry your merchandise?

Well, thank you. The reason I launched the collection at GR8 is that they reacted really fast to my products. It’s easier for me to have a wholesale business deal in further countries than in local stores. At this entry level, I can sell my products from my online store if the orders are within Europe and America, but for Asian customers, it’s more reasonable to have stockists.  Also, I can trust the Japanese customer service that can actually tell people what my brand really is. United Arrows offshoot monkey time will also be carrying my collection this season.

Are you planning to open a flagship store in London?

Yes, hopefully sometime in the future.

Was it fun shooting with disposable cameras in Tokyo?

Definitely. We are so used to shooting with our phones and digital cameras. Using a disposal camera has a certain texture and tone towards them. Also, it was funny because when you suggested this project, I had already brought a disposable camera from home and shot the preparation of the launch at GR8. You can see us putting the huge earth graphic onto the glass that took around 2 or 3 hours. Also, I was invited to this Japanese TV station NHK’s project Tokyo 2020 Olympics shot by Leslie Kee. He also came over to my launch party and bought the last denim jacket. He was rocking the jacket while he was shooting the next day.

Oh that’s why you have the “Domo-kun“ statue in your photo roll.

Ha ha, the brown guy? Oh, I didn’t know It was the NHK mascot, but I had seen it before! Dope.

I assume you have visited Japan before. What’s your impression of this country?

Real nice people and they pay attention to details. Japanese people are well mannered and I feel respected. That’s the best part. Japan even feels somewhat like home to me. I could definitely move here for a while.

You have unique ways to display your products in lookbooks and in-store. For example, putting the T-shirt backwards on a torso and wearing the belt as a choker necklace etc…

Haha, yes I guess I was just trying to see the products with different angles. For the socks, I haven’t made footwear yet so I thought it’d be a little more honest not to show something that I don’t offer. The tees and belts are also the idea of being free and trying different ways of wearing them. That also leads to one’s self-expression. Fashion is always about expressing who you are, right?