A Second First Time in Kyoto
By Estudio 1999
Photography and styling: Eleonor Delecluse
Model: Kade
Location: Kyoto
Date: April 2025
Through Eléonor's eyes, I discovered new color ranges on the other side of the world.
Kyoto, a city I've never set foot in, but which I now miss.
There's something about these images that feels like a shared nostalgia.
The pieces from Estudio 1999 blend with the colors of the streets, and Eléonor's text takes you to that intimate and distant place.
I felt like sharing it with you.
IL 🪽
Corset Shirt and Cloud Shorts
I turned 20 the first time I went to Japan. That was 11 years ago.
I remember being sent to Tokyo as a young model, working there for months, with very basic English.
Far, far away from my birthplace in northern France, I learned codes that weren't my own. A culture so rich and different from anything I knew, that I felt like I'd been sent to another planet.
The way people dress and move, the subcultures, the traditions, and that ancient culture so deeply rooted in Japanese society had a profound impact on me: on my style, on my way of seeing and living life.
I felt alone, but also amazed and inspired.
The concept of Ikigai began to resonate within me: what is the reason I get up every morning? What gives value and joy to my life?
Japan taught me to appreciate the little things.
The scent of a rose, the wind moving the leaves of a tree, the tranquil view of nature from a train window, the beauty of shadow in contrast with light…
Waterfall Shirt and Sleeping Skirt
She was a silent observer, and I began to capture that beauty through my lens.
Japan opened my eyes, and since then, they have never closed again.
Flower T-shirt in gray and Poetry Skirt
Life took me back to Japan many times.
Until this trip, eleven years after the first one.
I'm an adult now.
I traveled to Kyoto for work and decided to stay a few more days, to experience Japan in a way I couldn't do years ago.
I spent days in traditional onsen , immersed in hot springs, letting go of thoughts.
I slept on a futon and tatami in a ryokan , and walked around the city in geta sandals .
I climbed mountains, I got lost on purpose just to find my way back.
I let my steps guide me through towns and cities.
I took photographs.
Kaede is 20 years old, the same age I was the first time I arrived in Japan.
Flan Top long sleeves and Poetry Skirt
Text and photographs: Eléonor Delécluse