DEW is a Jakarta-based online media created by fashion enthusiasts for the global market.
It began as an online platform dedicated to scout local talents in 2010.
DEW continues to encourage creativity, defining the times with a vanguard of next generation image makers,
stylists and writers.
In the story, Nana Komatsu, who is known for her idiosyncratic artistry as an actor and a model, reinterprets
PERVERZE.
Jo Motoyo, who is a video director and a photographer, shot the story.
Having both Japanese and Taiwanese roots, the director's works depict various phenomena and emotions delicately
from a unique point of view.
The stylist Ayaka Endo mix-and-matches PERVERZE with vintage pieces, creating the unmistakable street looks.

DEWは、ファッションを心から愛する人々よって創設された、ジャカルタを拠点に世界へと発信するオンラインメディアです。
2010年にローカルな才能を発掘するためのプラットフォームとして始まり、次世代の先駆者となるイメージメイカー、スタイリスト、ライターとともにクリエイティビティを追求しています。
俳優、モデルとして、唯一無二のアーティスティックな表現力で知られる小松菜奈がPERVERZEの世界観を新たに解釈します。
撮影したのは映像ディレクターとしても活躍するJo Motoyoです。
日本と台湾にルーツを持つ彼女の作品は、独自の視点から様々な事象や感情を繊細に描き出します。
スタイリストの遠藤彩香による、PERVERZEとヴィンテージピースを組み合わせたスタイリングもお楽しみください。

Nana Komatsu

Text by Vanya Harapan

The multi-faceted star shares with us her latest projects, her thoughts on fate, and her key to confidence.

We last talked with the starlet in our Recharge issue where she talks with us about her career, work ethic and how she stays optimistic for the future. She says to us in our last interview, “In 2021, I will be 25 years old. I will work hard to step up as well. I will do my best from the beginning of 2021 so that I can deliver good products. I'm looking forward to going into a new frontier by feeling what I haven't seen yet!” And stepping up was exactly what she did.

This year, Komatsu has been nominated for Best Actress in the Japan Academy film prize and also won the title of Best Actress in the Japanese Professional Movie Awards, both being prestigious achievements to attain at such a young age. When asked about how she felt during these victorious moments she shares, “Receiving an award is not everything, but I am happy to receive recognition for the work done with the people involved and the love put into this Film. At the same time, it gives me courage.” But despite the acclaim, recognition and prestige also adds on to the weight on her shoulders, “I thought if I was going to do this for forever? Will I be okay? the anxiety loop continues in my head.”

The actress was awarded for her role in ‘Threads: Our Tapestry of Love’. The movie is based on a Miyuki Nakajima song titled ‘Threads’ that talks about the miraculous moment of meeting a loved one and the ties that are woven throughout their journey in life that continues to bind them. Similar to the song, the movie features two childhood lovers (Ren, who is played by Masaki Suda and Aoi, played by Komatsu) who were drifted apart through the tendencies of life but despite the completely different lives they live, the manage to keep each other in their heart and mind.

The movie revolves around the idea of two souls who you can say are somehow connected by the red string of fate. But is Komatsu one who believes in fate and destiny? Does she believe in soulmates? “I want to believe it,” she answers, “As in the line from the film (Threads: Our Tapestry of Love), I also feel that “People meet the right people at the right time.” Even with friends, there are times when I feel that this is the person I absolutely encounter for my life, not just for now.”

The star shares that her favorite part from the sentimental love story was a scene where Ren and his child were in the hospital room after a shopping trip. “I think everyone will cry when you watch these scenes,” she reckons. As part of the shooting process, Komatsu had the chance to travel to Singapore for the film. She shares that the trip was hectic since it was still a work trip above all, “but the food was delicious, people were kind and the city was futuristic! I could really enjoy it. Hopefully, I will go sightseeing in my private time.”

Travelling was a big part of her work both as an actress and a model, but the pandemic has made globe-trotting almost impossible, so it’s no shocker that the star misses being able to hop on planes and take in the beauty of various cities around the world. “I just want to meet my friends overseas, some restaurants I want to go to, the food I want to eat there, and so on,” Komatsu reveals, but she states that with the new restrictions being implied, her imaginations have instead expanded even more.

Her other movie, Moonlight Shadow, is to be released this year as well. Although not much has been revealed about it, the movie is based on a short story of the same title from Banana Yoshimoto’s collection of short stories titled “Kitchen” that was originally released in 1988. The movie follows Komatsu’s character, Satsuki’s journey of grieving her lover that’s recently passed. During this grieving process, she discovers the moonlight shadow phenomenon and that’s when the story starts to unfold.

For this film, Komatsu had to step into a darker-natured role, which could be an emotionally draining task for actors to do. We asked the actress how did she slip into this heavier mindset, she tells us, “When I play a dark and heavy role my feelings are taken away, but thinking positively in that’s what the role means, I honestly want to accept all those feelings.” The movie itself could be considered one of the gloomier ones amongst Komatsu’s repertoire, and considering the state of the world right now, doing work that touches upon darker themes could seem like a bad idea for one’s well being.

So how exactly does Komatsu get rid of the luggage after somber shoots? “Every time I finish a project, I cut my hair, even if it's just a little bit. By cutting my hair, I feel like the role is gone and I can finally move on. After that, I try to refresh myself by traveling or going to nature,” she answers. The starlet also shares with us how she implements self-care on a daily basis, which is by drinking a cup of coffee and having her dose of sweets, although it might seem like a simple routine, “taking this combination is a blissful time of day to me. [...] Although anxiety is a part of life, I feel refreshed when I’m enjoying delicious food with my close friends and having a good sleep.”

With her success continuing to take off, self-care and maintaining a good mindset is highly important. As both of her film and fashion career requires confidence, we ask the star what her key to staying confident is, but shockingly she reveals that confidence isn’t exactly a strong point, “but I turn on some kind of switch when I need to be confident.”

Insecurities have always been a shared struggle everyone faces, so the actress shares that having a supportive team behind her has been her secret catalyst for confidence. “It is necessary to show that [insecurities] sometimes, and I think this job cannot be done alone, I am where I am today because of the support of many people,” she alludes, “Especially when I'm in the filming place, I can feel it the most, which is one of the reasons why I can continue this work. I also believe that my family, friends, and the people who always support me have given me confidence.”

PERVERZE
The cool-kids’ favorite brand that’s all about challenging the current.

Text by Vanya Harapan

Privacy is a luxury in a time where oversharing and exposing so much of yourself is the norm. With people putting their lives and their work on display whether it’s for acclaim or just for the sake of putting it out, it feels like remaining unperceived and unobserved is a rarity. PERVERZE is a brand that’s known for their anonymity, with no one knowing exactly who's behind the brand. Most would assume that behind every fashion brand, a singular mastermind is in the reins, but behind PERVERZE is a collective of Japanese creatives whose names remain unknown to the public.

Even on the internet where information is so easily accessible, there’s really not much information on who these creatives are or who’s even part of this said collective but perhaps anonymity is what makes the brand so desirable. It gives the brand a mysterious allure that might attract a following of audiences who want to feel like they’re part of an exclusive community that’s ahead of everyone else’s times. Although reasons for the PERVERZE craze might vary, you can for sure see the cool kids of Tokyo or even other cities worldwide sporting the brand.

It could seem quite questionable on why creators of a brand that’s been on headlines and on the buzz would remain unknown, especially knowing how hard it is to get public acclaim and recognition in the fashion industry, but perhaps the team behind the brand wants to focus on what’s really important — the clothes.

You can see that PERVERZE is not one to do over-the-top marketing campaigns. There’s no facade or gimmick to them, they just simply let the clothes do the talking. But the brand makes sure that their clothes are not only targeted to a specific niche. With the absence of a strict marketing scheme, their clothes have an added sense of approachability as they don’t target a specific demographic. With the lack of flashy ads and press statements, PERVERZE allows their audience to interpret their clothes in their own personal way, very much like the nature of viewing artwork.

When you observe the brand’s visual identity on their social media, you can also see that their castings and campaigns don’t conform with the societal norm of beauty. They’re defining their own normal and they’re making their own rules. There’s no conventional or stereotypical aspect in their editorials, be it in set or in the casting. This little rebellious act speaks volumes to the crowd, in fact it makes their brand ever more relatable and realistic.

Their rebellious attitude can also be seen in their designs. With everyone hooked on determining what the future is for fashion, the brand continues to find their musings on the golden age of ‘cool’, aka the 80s and 90s. Unlike most cult-favorite brands, the brand makes sure to keep function in mind along with form. They take the grit and the grunge that’s commonly felt from the era and implement it onto timeless designs that you can wear on a night out with your friends to watch a live band gig, or on a day-to-day errands like picking up coffee or doing some shopping. It’s also notable that with the high wearability of a garment, the brand also keeps the quality of their pieces on point. A PERVERZE piece is edgy cool kid on the outside, but a refined craftsman on the inside. So if you’re looking for a new piece to invest in, perhaps give one of their pieces a try.

When the brand first started out in 2016, buzz was created about a new rule-breaking brand hitting the streets of Japan, and since then the brand has continued to grow steadily towards where it’s at now. In 2018, the brand started their follow-up project, PERVERZE PHOTOGRAPHY where they collaborate with various photographers to create exhibitions and publications. The next year, the brand decided to launch in the States, with a pop-up space at Assembly in lower Manhattan to celebrate. At that point, the brand has already reached $2 million in sales, and it’s definitely hit a new stepping stone this year.

“It’s important for us to not to just be a fashion brand, but a platform for young people to create inspiring works,” says one of the team members of PERVERZE in an interview with Vogue. With the brand's love for embracing creativity and thinking out of the box, we can be sure to expect the unexpected when it comes to PERVERZE. We might not have a clear vision on what’s exactly next for the brand, but we can definitely envision a future of new exciting projects that helps spread the rebellious spirit of the brand into new horizons.