A Dream Girl on Tokyo's Streets: Ibuki Sakai Shot by BINKO for Leica Camera Thailand
If we had a free day in Tokyo we’d probably mess around, wear our best fit, and blow a considerable amount of coins [100 yen coins to be specific] on gachapon toys at an arcade, all while looking good doing it.
Then we’d definitely document the occasion too, because near-perfect days like that don’t come around all that often.
That’s the hyper-specific feeling a recent photo series shot by BINKO featuring multimedia artist/model Ibuki Sakai for Leica Camera Thailand gives. It’s a vibe that’s a Tokyo rite of passage to recreate with friends but perfected by Ibuki and BINKO.
If you’ve been following sabukaru for a bit, you’ll know we are high-key fans of Tokyo-based Ibuki Sakai’s Y2K meets secondhand store haul aesthetic that pieces together vintage characters, knick-knacks, and her original doodles, that she transforms into stickers and designs for brands like Heaven by Marc Jacobs to HYSTERIC GLAMOUR. Pair her Tokyo dream-girl essence with BINKO, a Thai-born illustrator who also deserves the label of “dream girl” [trust us!] not because she’s simply a hollow type of “style influencer”, but because she had the guts to drop out of school at 16 to pursue an art career full time after family misfortune left her unable to afford her high school tuition fees.
She started selling decorated phone cases on Instagram and at local markets but soon gained commissions from international brands for her design work. Eventually, BINKO saved enough money to travel the globe as a teenager and started to document the experience through photography.
The Ibuki and BINKO's recent shoot in Tokyo gives a dreamy coming-of-age movie-esque energy that was shot with a Leica camera, featuring subdued pastel tones and a copious amount of “gacha”. The photos are part of BINKO’s ongoing takeover of Leica Camera Thailand’s SNS, featuring snapshots she's taken in Japan whether it’s atmospheric landmarks, or this time doing everyday things like walking to a local gachapon corner with a friend.
