H. Lorenzo Presents - 99%IS POP UP & EXHIBITION / Black Chalk Magazine

Words / Photos – Justin Howard @Jthnomad

Fashion – 99%IS @99percentis

Location – H. Lorenzo @h_lorenzo

“Punk rock should mean freedom, liking and excepting anything that you like. Playing whatever you want. As sloppy as you want. As long as it’s good and it has passion.” – Kurt Cobain

The whole reason I went to this fashion exhibit at the H.Lorenzo store in West Hollywood was to meet the designer behind the line 99%IS. When I, first got the invite for this event, I was mildly curious, but after I cyber stalked the line (thanks to be to the Great God Google) I became obsessed! The designer behind the line is named Bajowoo, he was born in Korea in 1984 and honestly I don’t think he ever left the 80s mentally. Which in this case resulted in him manifesting a kickass fashion line that is acknowledged as Korea’s first “Punk Couture” line! All of it is hand made in his workshop in Tokyo. He moved to Japan to finish his fashion schooling in 2008 and launched the brand in 2012. He debut his first ‘whole’ collection at the Mercedes-Benz Tokyo Fashion Week in 2014. Since that time the line has gained fanatical celebrity fans like Lady Gaga and Justin Bieber, just to name a few. Bajowoo doesn’t design pieces with an eye towards gaining celebrity fans. Rather he spends much of his time dwelling in the underground punk scenes of cities like London, Paris and of course Tokyo where he has become something of a local fixture. He takes his personal experiences and translates them into colorful, yet dark creations that truly attract the eyes!

H. Lorenzo Presents – 99%IS POP UP & EXHIBITION

As a kid growing up I remember hearing from some shy adults at my parent’s parties saying that they didn’t want their photo taken because it ‘might steal their souls’ and in a sense I think they are correct. When I am at a party with my camera taking photos, there are really two types of people present – those individuals that naturally gravitate towards the lens and basically demand that I take their photos. Then there are those individuals that for whatever reason shy away from the camera. They will literally go and hide until I pass by. It is as if I am some predator about to devour them. The funny things is that both of these people really don’t see me per say they only see the camera. It is as if I only exist as a vessel of movement for the camera.

For the individuals who want their photos taken, there is a standard formula in their behavior. First they do their best to be noticed by me, peacocking for all the world to see. And if that doesn’t work they will come up to me and ask why I am taking photos. The very moment I utter the words “I am covering the event” they then pose as if they are Madonna and I simply must take their photo. Now if for some reason I decline, they will spend the whole event either following me around like a sad puppy until I take their photo or they will glare at me for the whole night. Either way it kinda ruins the atmosphere for me. The whole reason I go out and take photos at events is to capture ‘interesting characters’ that show up and the ‘natural beauty’ of the scene – both of which are equally important to me as a photographer. I hate boring things, absolutely dread them!

I crave the same things from my photos that I crave from my writing, best explained in the words of my favorite writer Anais Nin “Ordinary life does not interest me. I seek only the high moments. I am in accord with the surrealists, searching for the marvelous. I want to be a writer who reminds others that these moments exist; I want to prove that there is infinite space, infinite meaning, infinite dimension. But I am not always in what I call a state of grace. I have days of illuminations and fevers. I have days when the music in my head stops. Then I mend socks, prune trees, can fruits, polish furniture. But while I am doing this I feel I am not living.” Yes, this may sound a bit manic, but to me this is what truly feeds my soul – the extraordinary! Everything else leaves me feeling like I am either dead inside or simply hibernating until the first wondrous touch of Spring comes to thaw my inner world!

That being said when I go to events and I am taking photos I really want to just want to capture people who draw me to them, either because of their visual being, their sense of style, or honestly I think the most important thing are the eyes of a being. I do completely and utterly believe that ‘eyes are the stairway to the soul’ and I want to capture that soul’s story. To that end, I find myself going after the shy kids who are afraid to reveal their suffering, sorrows and joys to the world. I always have to warm them up before I take their photos because otherwise they hide their souls from the lens. But it is amazing what a genuine compliment will do to break that barrier they have in place… Ok, enough about me and my quest to capture a souls story, let’s get to this funny little exhibit!