Fukase, the vocalist of Japanese supergroup SEKAI NO OWARI (which translates as End of the World) is a creative polymath. Alongside directing and producing projects, the singer is deeply involved in all aspects of the band’s projects, including their costumes. From their 2017 stadium tour outfits provided by Gucci to the clown looks for their current tour, he masterminds their image. His love of fashion runs deep. For 10 Men, Fukase showcases looks from the SS25 collections. Getting into character, and with typical frontman charisma, he plays it cool, chic, charming and occasionally melancholic. With a new solo project in the works, Fukase is already planning a new look. Here, he explains why music and fashion are always entwined.

How was the photoshoot?

When shooting as a musician, I tend to approach it just as my natural self. But for fashion shoots, I think it’s important to focus on making the clothes look good. That’s why I avoided overdrinking the night before and showing up with a puffy, swollen face! [Laughs]

Are there any artists who have influenced your sense of fashion?

When I was in middle and high school, Eminem was globally popular. I remember going out to buy velour tracksuits like the ones he wore and wearing them myself. I really wanted Timberland boots, but they were too expensive, so I settled for more affordable K-Swiss sneakers. But that kind of fashion wasn’t popular with girls at all, which caused a lot of inner conflict during my teenage years. Are there any artists whose fashion catches your eye now? I think Tyler, the Creator’s fashion is really cool. His use of colour is amazing – catchy but never vulgar. Now that I’m in my late thirties, I feel like I should focus on fashion with elegance and cleanliness. His style strikes the perfect balance between refinement and edge, and that really appeals to me. There’s this idea that you should dress more subdued as you age, but I don’t think you have to be bound by that. When I see people older than me rocking bold fashion, I think, “That’s so cool.”

Are there any fashion styles or items that have caught your attention recently?

I’ve always loved vintage T-shirts and have been collecting them, but recently, I’ve developed an interest in vintage denim as well, since many people around me wear it so stylishly. I think it’s a great hobby, especially as I aim to age gracefully. You’ve mentioned that playing badminton in your favourite clothes has been a personal trend for a few years now. This morning, I played badminton at 9am wearing a Stüssy set-up. People I play with might think I look a bit rough! Around the time the pandemic settled down, I experienced some health issues so, for the past two years, I wasn’t in any condition to do sports, including badminton. My sleep schedule was also completely off. I’d go to bed around 10 or 11pm and wake up at 8pm the next day. Thankfully, my mind and body have stabilised and I’ve started going back to the gym to resume training. During the New Year holidays, I managed to avoid binge eating and drinking in preparation for this shoot. When I decided to start going to the gym again, the first thing I did was buy a sweat set-up that I really loved. I actually started playing golf yesterday. When I reflected on my life as the pandemic calmed down, I realised I had poured everything into my music career and hadn’t made any effort to enjoy my personal life. I thought that if I took up golf as a hobby, it might make my later years more enjoyable. That said, I’m not slacking off in my music activities. I just don’t feel any sense of urgency any more. I’ve reached a point where I can calmly and carefully do what needs to be done, without unnecessary panic or struggle, while re-evaluating my life.

You often direct Sekai No Owari’s costumes. What do you think about the relationship between music and fashion?

When it comes to the band’s costumes, I always strive to stay away from trends. Many of our songs are meant to feel timeless, so I want the costumes to reflect that by avoiding anything overly trend-driven. I try to align the costumes as closely as possible with the concept of each song. I think it’s fine for them to exist entirely separate from fashion trends.

Sekai No Owari will celebrate their 15th anniversary in 2025. Additionally, Fukase is planning to launch his solo career. The band has resonated deeply with a wide range of listeners, whether through fantastical and bright tracks or cynical and dark ones, and has continued to deliver one-of-a-kind entertainment, crafting live performances that feel like stepping into a theme park.

You’re starting your solo career this spring, and it seems you’ll be focusing on a hip hop direction?

That’s right. I’ve always had a deep respect for rap, and while the band have released J-pop tracks with a hip-hop vibe several times, I have a strong intention to clearly pursue the genre in my solo work. I believe hip hop is closely tied to fashion, so the style of my solo work will likely be very different from Sekai No Owari’s costumes, reflecting something that feels more rooted in my personal origins.

Nearly 15 years have passed since the band formed, and now you’ve decided to fully embrace hip-hop as a solo artist.

I’ve always had a great relationship with the band members and it’s not like I’m trying to do something in my solo work that I can’t do with them. It’s more that I didn’t want to drag them into something that’s essentially an extension of my personal hobbies. That said, while creating tracks, I did end up involving [the band’s guitarist and producer] Nakajin on an arrangement and had [another member] Saori play the piano. The band have always operated with the intention of creating music that’s easy to understand, pop-orientated and able to reach a broad audience. Some people might equate “easy to understand” with “shallow”, but I think it’s quite the opposite, as reaching deeply into various audiences requires something much more profound. With my solo work, I’m trying to explore a different direction. Right now, what I envision is Japanese hip hop that places a strong emphasis on rhyming. One of the reasons I love hip hop is its cleverness, the way it’s packed with playfulness and technical brilliance, using different approaches to rhyme.

Sekai No Owari recently released Kohaku, a poignant and heartwarming ballad that serves as the theme song for upcoming film The Boy and the Dog. How did that come about?

I wrote the lyrics and the composition came from a melody sent to me more than 10 years ago by my late friend Ryutaro Chiba, who was the bassist and vocalist for the band Shinsekai Lithium. Chiba passed away in 2018, but I had always wanted to complete the melody he sent me. Knowing his personality, I felt like he would have said, “If you’re going to finish my song, don’t just make it a B-side.” I also remembered him being fond of dogs, so while watching The Boy and the Dog I thought, “This melody of his would be perfect as the theme song,” and the ideas for the lyrics started coming together. The environment for sharing music has changed a lot over the past decade. The melody he sent me was stored in an app that’s no longer accessible, and he never sent it to anyone else but me. There wasn’t much I could do to retrieve it, but it stayed in my mind all this time. It was a melody without a chorus, but I finally realised how I wanted to shape it into a complete song.

The band will soon celebrate its anniversary. What’s been the best part of continuing for so long?

The fact that I still get to share my life with my childhood friends. While I don’t live with the members any more, we still spend time together. At the end of 2024, we made mochi [ice cream] together and we also celebrated Halloween, New Year’s and even Setsubun [a festival that marks the end of winter]. It’s not just the members – their kids and classmates’ kids all gather at my house. The kids even sing our song Saikou Totatsuten, which was the theme for the animation One Piece. My house is always full of people and I often think, “It’s because I’ve kept making music that so many people can come together like this.” That’s something I’m grateful for.

Nearly a decade ago, Saori [band member] said to you, “Have a sexy thirties.” Now that you’re 39, how do you feel about these years?

My thirties were about learning how to preserve my strength while letting go of the more rough and harsh sides of myself. In my teens and twenties, I sometimes used strong words without realising it. I believed that expressing myself forcefully was the right way to assert my creativity and felt like I had to push through with my own way of doing things, even if it meant being a bit aggressive. But in my thirties, I became aware that while my words could help or protect someone, but they could also unintentionally hurt others. Not fatally, but enough to have an impact. Now I feel like I’ve gained better control over my words and can maintain my inner strength while being more at peace. I even got my driver’s licence, and I feel like I’ve become the kind of person who’d make a great partner. The problem is, I just don’t have anyone to marry!

@fukase

SEKAI NO OWARI FUKASE’S NEXT STEP

Photographer HOUMI SAKATA
Fashion Editor GO MOMOSE
Creative Director SAORI MASUDA
Talent FUKASE
Text KAORI KOMATSU
Sittings editor TOMOMI HATA
Hair and make-up HIROKI EGUCHI
Photographer’s assistant KANA TAKENOBU
Fashion assistant RUOU KIRIBUCHI
Props SHIZUKA AOKI