“Find” the similarities with the “Diamond Lily” Costumes
–I would like to hear about the charms of the costumes of each single’s title songs. Please start from your 1st single, “=LOVE”.
Kiara: I deeply remember wearing and dancing in this costume at our first TIF (Tokyo Idol Festival 2017). Every time I see the “=LOVE” costume, I get nostalgic, and I return back to my initial resolution whenever I put on this costume, and can give my all to the performance.
Morohashi: “=LOVE” was known as the survival costume, but immediately we turned into the “cute” classic idol-like image with our 2nd single, “Bokura no Seifuku Christmas”. The white costume was cute, and I like the boots with the fur on them. In the MV we put on coats and filmed, and I think they matched well with the costumes.
Sasaki: Our 3rd single “Teokure Caution” was the first time we wore sailor outfits, but I personally always admired and wanted to try wearing a black sailor outfit, so I was happy. We could arrange them in both short sleeves and long sleeves, so I think it’s a pretty elaborate costume.
Otani: Starting from our 4th single “Want You! Want You!” costumes, it turned into different styles for each member. While those costumes were designed to match each member’s individuality, they became costumes that showed a sense of =LOVE’s unity. I like them so much that whenever I’m asked about my “favorite costume”, I will answer that it’s “Want You! Want You!”, and it’s also popular among our fans. I think it was also a factor that triggered interest from girls fans.
Noguchi: Our costumes for our 5th single “Sagase Diamond Lily” was a light green, and I thought that it was a rare color for our group. The designs for everyone were different. It was split between jackets, one-piece dresses, and sailor outfits which made it interesting. I think that our fans had fun finding the similarities between each member’s costumes.
Kiara: I think that in challenging a dark song for our 6th single “Zurui yo Zurui ne”, Ikorabu’s expressiveness was polished. Because it was a lace costume, even our fingertips looked graceful. Please pay attention to how our skirts spread beautifully when we turn.
Morohashi: The costume for our 7th single “CAMEO” is very delicate. Even the gem accessories we used were beautiful. Depending on which member it was for, the types of shoes were different too. Some wore pumps, while some wore knee-high boots. I think that it is a costume that looks great on stage during live performances. Because we didn’t have many opportunities to wear the “CAMEO” costumes because it was during the COVID-19 period, I was very happy that we got to wear them for (Saito) Nagisa’s graduation concert.
Otani: The costumes for our 8th single “Seishun ‘Subliminal’” were very colorful, with each member having their own image color. It was our first classic idol song in a while, and it became a costume that treasured everyone’s own color even more.
Sasaki: The costumes for “Sakura no Saku Oto ga Shita”, which was the lead song for our 1st album, expressed the suddenness at which budding cherry blossoms bloom, and from each and every sakura that were attached to the skirts, we could feel the sincerity of everyone in charge of the costumes. Furthermore, it is made to quickly transform. I have always admired the scenes where idols’ costumes change instantaneously so I was very moved when I wore this costume.
Noguchi: The costume for our 9th single “Weekend Citron” is one that shows a lot of skin even among Ikorabu’s various costumes. The back and shoulder parts open, but even so, you can feel the elegance from them. And yet it is a costume that has the Ikorabu cuteness that only we can express. When we made our first appearance on Music Station (TV Asahi series) with “Weekend Citron”, the alternative costume especially made for it is also a notable memory.
Kiara: Our 10th single “The 5th” had a checkered costume and a white costume, which I both liked. I also like that both had gloves for them. We had checkered scarves during “Bokura no Seifuku Christmas”, but “The 5th” had a checkered one-piece dress with fur on it, so it changed into an even more mature cuteness. I like how it has a sense of fleetingness to it too.
Morohashi: The costume for our 11th single “Ano Ko Complex” matches well with the music, and it lets you feel the sadness. The long skirt is made with lace, so it looks pretty when it turns. The flower hair ornaments are cute too.
Otani: We wore a denim costume for our 12th single “Be Selfish”, and our costume designers’ were very selective on using a fabric that’s easy to dance in, which they did. The distinctive boots that Iori, who was the center, wears are cute too.
Noguchi: The “Be Selfish” costume is the most sparking one ever, and yet it was also delicate. It was also the first time I was the center for a title song, so it is a very special costume to me.
–Your newest single “Kono Sora ga Trigger” was released in February. Please tell us about its costume.
Sasaki: Similar to “Seishun ‘Subliminal’”, each member’s color is different. This time the costume makes use of each member’s penlight colors. Since we have more opportunities to appear on TV now, the costume designers designed them with having the viewers remembering each member in mind. The sporty design is refreshing too, and we’re grateful for a seemingly cool summer (lol).
Otani: Rectangular lights were shining in the location where we shot the MV, so the situation matched well with the mesh costume.
We want to create a fashion trend through an Ikorabu transmission
–What kind of song is “Kono Sora ga Trigger”?
Sasaki: The composer is Tsukada Kouhei-san who composed “Seishun ‘Subliminal’” and “Natsumatsuri Koi Shitau”, and this time too as soon as we heard the intro we know that “It’s Tsukada Kouhei-san!”. It has a bright melody, but the lyrics are about an unrequited one-sided love, so you feel a sadness in it and causes chests to tighten. I think the song’s image and the costumes match each other perfectly.
–Since Saito Nagisan-san’s graduation, this is the first single that embraces your new formation.
Morohashi: I feel sad whenever I don’t see “Nagisa” in the song’s lyrics part division anymore. During “Kono Sora ga Trigger’s” production, in the dressing room I would think to myself, “Hm? There are so few members right now…… Oh, it’s because Nagisa isn’t here” and feel lonely. It might become “natural” one day, but I am still not used to it yet.
–Please tell us about the charm of Ikorabu’s costumes.
Noguchi: The staff from the Osare Company who makes our costumes all know about Ikorabu very well. They are always thinking about each member, such as “She looks good in this design” and “She will look nice in this color”, so we are always grateful to them. Also, I believe one of Ikorabu’s charms is the range of our music, and Osare Company-san is fixated with every song as they make our costumes, so I think it’s also great that you can see a variety of sides of Ikorabu.
Otani: Because I produce clothes as well, there are many times when I see the costumes from the producer’s angle I think to myself, “This design is nice”. Just as AKB48-san conquered a generation with songs that have scrunchies and hairbands as their motif, I think it would be great if we can create a fashion trend through Ikorabu.
–Do your feelings change whenever you wear the costumes?
Kiara: Because the costumes from Osare Company-san are beautiful, my tension goes up whenever I put them on. Especially for songs where our emotions clash like “Zurui yo Zurui ne” and “Teokure Caution”, the way we immerse our feelings from when we are in our practice clothes and when we put on the costumes is different.
Are there any “common costume occurrences” with Ikorabu?
Noguchi: I tend to panic when the accessories for “Be Selfish’s” costumes stick together (lol).
Morohashi: When we forget the accessories during a shoot, we tend to have to re-shoot it (lol). Lately, all the members confirm with each other, “Did you put on your accessories?”.
Moving forward, what kind of costume do you want to try wearing?
Kiara: During our 5th anniversary concert, we wore a fairy-like skirt that was short in the front and long at the back. I want to try wearing a similar costume for a different song.
Morohashi: I want to try wearing short pants. Iori, (Otoshima) Risa, (Takiwaki) Shoko, and (Takamatsu) Hitomi have worn them before, but I haven’t. I want to try wearing short pants with high heels to give a slim and long legs appearance while dancing to a cool song.
Otani: I have an aspiration to try, at least once, at wearing a cute costume that only an idol can wear like the one Nagisa wore in her solo song.
Noguchi: I want to try wearing an asymmetric costume, like long trousers for the right leg and short pants for the left leg. Maybe something similar to “Want You! Want You!”.
Sasaki: I don’t have anything like “this type of costume”, but rather I want to be able to attach the in-ear monitor receiver on the outside. There seems to be costumes with pockets that are made for that, so that’s what’s on my mind.
Source: ENTAME May Edition
Translator: BoAddict
QC: yumi
Unequal Subs 