Kira launches KazeKami magazine
Kira, a 19-year-old independent creator, has launched KazeKami, a magazine dedicated to the fashion of shōjo and magical girl anime from the 2000s. The first issue, released on August 27, combines Kira’s personal anime memories, her family’s tailoring background, and a belief that the cultures associated with teenagers and young women deserve serious recognition.Kira’s artistic and academic background
Kira has studied arts since high school, focusing on applied arts, design, and design sciences. After training in these areas, she attended the IIM Digital School, where she explored graphic design, 3D, animation, video games, and audiovisual media. She is now about to enter a fashion school, continuing a family tradition of tailoring that spans four generations.Kira’s perspective on being a creator
Kira defines herself more as a creator than an artist, noting that the term "artist" often implies recognition and a community, which she has not fully achieved. She does commissions and sells paintings occasionally but still considers herself an artist.Fashion in Kira’s family history
Fashion has a strong presence in Kira’s family. Her great-grandmother made dresses in Algeria during the French colonial period, and her grandmother had a small atelier in Algeria before moving to France. Her mother studied styling and pattern making and has recently opened her boutique. Kira initially resisted entering the fashion industry but eventually decided to pursue a fashion school to continue the family tradition in her own way.Kira’s introduction to manga and anime
Kira first encountered manga and anime around 2013 when she started watching anime with her cousins, who mainly showed her shōnen. She became interested in shōjo after insisting on watching Pichi Pichi Pitch at age 11. Works like Paradise Kiss, Nana, Vampire Knight, and Kilari have greatly influenced her aesthetic. She prefers to imagine her characters as in a video game, where their appearance depends on their personality.Origins of KazeKami
KazeKami began as a poster created at school. The name echoes Kamikaze Girls, which brings together two girls with completely opposite styles. Kira chose to make it a printed object rather than purely digital media, believing that magazine culture has almost disappeared in France. She wanted to create a physical object that people can enjoy with their senses, flip through, and return to for inspiration.Target audience for KazeKami
KazeKami is aimed at people who love manga and fashion, those who grew up with these works, and those who want to discover this universe. It is not limited to girls, as themes like interpersonal relationships, friendship, betrayal, or self-construction are not specific to girls. Kira plans to expand the magazine to anime, video games, and the music of the 2000s, keeping fashion and aesthetics as a central theme.Nostalgic and analytical content
The first issue of KazeKami is primarily a nostalgic object but includes real fashion analyses. Kira connects the clothing, the character’s personality, the context of the work, and aesthetics that exist in reality. The magazine includes selections of clothing a heroine could wear today, the contents of her bag, her bento, her makeup, her favorite movies, or her passions, linking her to real life.Iconic fashion in shōjo anime
Kira believes a manga look becomes iconic when it aligns with the character's personality. In Nana, the silhouettes of Nana Ôsaki and Nana Komatsu already show their differences. In Kimi ni Todoke, Sawako Kuronuma’s simple and minimally accessorized outfits reflect her introversion and sweetness. In My Dress-Up Darling, Marin Kitagawa’s colorful tips and pink nails are enough to distinguish her.Shōjo’s importance and challenges
Kira emphasizes the importance of taking shōjo as seriously as shōnen, noting that shōjo deals with very human topics such as emotions, friendship, betrayal, sadness, love, or self-construction. She believes that shōjo, often discredited, has long been devalued because it is associated with teenagers and young women. This devaluation fits into a broader hierarchy between cultures associated with girls and those considered masculine.Future goals for KazeKami
Beyond aesthetics, shōjo can offer realistic relationships and stories that resonate with the audience. Kira wants KazeKami to bring more ambition to shōjo, including more professional trajectories and characters who evolve as women. She also wants to preserve the visual heritage of the 2000s while showing that it can still evolve and rediscover its full ambition.Pop-up event for KazeKami
KazeKami will also come to life outside the pages with a pop-up event from October 24 to 31 at 27 passage Choiseul, 75002 Paris. The first issue of the magazine will be available for sale there, alongside craft workshops imagined as an extension of its universe.
