Cover Story • Vogue Man Korea
James of CORTIS Just Made History as Vogue Man Korea’s First Ever Cover
James for Vogue Man Korea. The first person ever to appear in the magazine.
And yes, we are screaming.
Let’s set the scene. Yesterday Willem Dafoe dropped his latest iconic photos and before anything else the brain went straight to James. Because if you have been paying attention you already know James used one of Willem’s pictures as his Weverse profile picture. He has been telling us who he is this whole time.
The Willem Dafoe photos. One of these has been sitting on James’ Weverse profile this whole time.
And now the Vogue Korea pics dropped and Ga Namhee, the digital editor and creative producer for Vogue Korea, posted an Instagram story of the shoot with the caption “나의 윌렘 대포 지니어스 천재 짱짱맨” which translates to “my Willem Dafoe is the ultimate genius and the absolute best.” She gets it completely.
Ga Namhee’s story from the set. That caption lives in my head now.
Oh and one more thing. Willem Dafoe’s real name is William James Dafoe. Make it make sense. It was always him.
The first. Ever.
James opened
Vogue Man Korea
The First. Ever.
James is the first person to ever appear in Vogue Man Korea. Not just the first from Cortis. The first person. Full stop. When the editors heard it was going to be James they said they couldn’t help but applaud. That tells you everything you need to know.
Art & Science. James. The special edition cover.
The Interview
The Vogue Man interview is one of the best things James has ever put out and that is saying something because this man always delivers when he talks. Let’s go through it because every single answer deserves its moment.
When asked what kind of person he finds cool:
On what makes someone cool
“Someone who’s full of passion for what they do and isn’t afraid to take on new challenges. You can feel this huge energy from people like that. They inspire the people around them and leave a deep impression. Especially when I see someone completely immersed in what they’re doing, I think, ‘Ah, this person really has no limits.’”
He is literally describing himself without realizing it. Or maybe he knows exactly what he is doing.
Ga Namhee came back from the shoot and said “this is what I wanted to do” and described James as having an artistic side that stirs something inside people. So they asked what awakens his inspiration:
On where inspiration comes from
“I usually try to keep my senses as open as possible and really take in as much as I can. I’ve realized that inspiration doesn’t only come in special moments in life. Even things we normally don’t pay attention to can feel completely new if we just shift the way we look at them a little. There are so many different things that inspire me too. Very occasionally, when I hit a slump or feel stuck, I look to movies or anime for a breakthrough.”
James said anime saves him and we respect it deeply.
The eccentric artist concept, in two moods.
The shoot concept was an eccentric artist and they asked him which artists have captivated him. His answer is genuinely one of the most eclectic things you will ever read:
On the artists who captivate him
“Basically, I think that once someone reaches a certain level in any field, it enters the realm of art. Film director Guy Ritchie, Stephen Chow, who is both a director and actor, Matthew McConaughey and Cillian Murphy, animation director Takeshi Koike, boxer Muhammad Ali, basketball player Allen Iverson, chef Anthony Bourdain, stand-up comedians Jimmy O. Yang and Mark Normand, and musicians like Blur, Nirvana, and Tame Impala. Those are just a few examples. They’re all at the top of their respective fields.”
No genre, no field, no box. Just excellence. James has been thinking about craft this deeply for a long time and HOME as a trainee was already proof of that.
The Prada clothes from the shoot talk about the beauty of imperfection so they asked him about it:
On the beauty of imperfection
“Most of the world we live in is beautiful because it’s imperfect. These days, a lot of people focus only on the result, but I think the beauty of life is in the process of searching for new challenges in order to become better, and in the experiences we gain along the way. As human beings who feel emotions, the memories we build while chasing our goals and the passion we had while trying to get closer to perfection are what become stories we can share for a long time.”
The way he thinks about this at his age is not normal. This is someone who has been sitting with these ideas for a while.
Behind the scenes. Golden hour on set.
They noted that the way James speaks paints pictures like a movie, like when he talked about the LA song camp and said the members ate so many acai bowls their tongues were purple all day. So they asked him for the most peaceful scene that comes to mind:
On the most peaceful scene
“I recently went to a jjimjilbang by myself. It was such a quiet place that I could hear my own heartbeat. The moment when I was just lying there still felt incredibly peaceful.”
This man contains multitudes and we love him for it.
On Lollapalooza and how his eyes visibly changed on that stage:
On owning the stage
“There is a quote that always comes to mind whenever I step onto any stage: ‘Don’t step into the room like you want the role, step into the room like you own it.’ I always try to approach every performance with this mindset. It was a true honor and a privilege to appear at Lollapalooza Chicago, a stage that has been my dream since childhood. With that in mind, I steeled myself with the determination to conquer that stage.”
We all saw it happen in real time. The quote, the eyes, all of it made sense.
And the background music of his life right now, after a number one, Lollapalooza and their first tour:
On the song playing over his life right now
“X Japan’s ‘X’. It is a song that awakens the mindset to break the mold and keep trying and challenging ourselves. We are still rookies, and there is so much we want to show you. It is a feeling of wanting to go as far as we can. Just like the lyrics in ‘X’, ‘Let’s go crazy’!”
Still rookies. With a Vogue Man cover and a Lollapalooza set already in the bag. Imagine what comes next.
And the one item that best symbolizes the PYPD tour:
On the item that symbolizes the tour
“Cup noodles! The cup noodles I ate during the tour were really delicious.”
Iconic. Undefeated. The most real answer to any interview question ever asked.
What This All Means
James opening the door for Vogue Man Korea is not just a cool milestone. It is a statement about who he is as an artist and how the industry sees him. The Willem Dafoe Weverse pic was not random. HOME as a trainee was not random. The list of influences spanning film directors, boxers, chefs, animators and rock bands is not random. None of it was ever random.
James has always known exactly what kind of artist he wants to be. Vogue Man Korea just put it on a cover for the whole world to see.
The short version
First one in. As he should be.
The first person ever in Vogue Man Korea, and the interview to match.
Keep going: our review of Motion feat. Juicy J, or what Martin has been listening to lately.
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