If you know me, then you know that Milan is far from one of my favorite places to be. In the past I would skip Milan Fashion Week and come to Copenhagen (before I lived here). The metro annoys me. The large-format cobble stones and tram tracks make riding a bicycle feel like you’re competing in Supercross. It’s too hot and humid in the summer. And often too cold in the winter. But Milan has two annoyingly redeeming features: The light + the people. They make it very difficult for me to rest my case that I “hate” Milan as these two things test the verdict and it drives me nuts.

At some point in time, I met Ken. Honestly, we probably met in Florence now that I think of it. But “Florence” means “Pitti,” and Pitti falls immediately before Milan Men’s Fashion Week so let’s pretend it was Milan for the sake of this story. Ok, so, back to Ken. Ken (Kensuke) is relatively small in stature with an extremely calm and friendly demeanor. Although Ken is from Chiba, Japan, the way he presents himself is 100% Italian. Ken has lived in Italy since 2009 and his body language, gestures and speech reflect a total immersion into his elected home. Ken and I converse in English as I do not speak Japanese (aside from the ability to ask to take someone’s photo) or Italian (aside from the ability to order a cappuccino or get a taxi to the airport).

Ken has always supported me since the early days crossing paths outside of the shows. He was one of the first ones there when I launched my book in Milan. In fact, my book was standing on the shelf of his atelier when we met to take these portraits. And when Ken launched his own brand, I made sure to be there to show my support for him. The funny part is that Ken and I had never “hung out” until we met to take these photos. Work was always the setting before. So, in September of last year before meeting up with Scott Schuman in Navigli, I met up with Ken to get a coffee at the café of his choosing. It was nice. It was relaxed. And aside from the fact that I snapped a few photos of him chewing his food, work was not on the menu.

Context has allowed me to see people in my life in new ways. Take people out of the box that their career has placed them in. Place them into an environment which is normal to them, but new to “us.” Context is the intersection of Me and You.

Personally, it drives me nuts to be known by most of the world as a “street style photographer” which, although maybe have been fact for the better part of seventeen years, does not define me. In reality I spend more time running errands, cycling, actually running, and a myriad of other activities which do not involve the use of a camera. I want to use this project to show the other side of the coin for these subjects as well. Ken is a classically trained tailor, but I hardly know that part of him at all. I know him as a friend who always says hello and is always genuinely happy to see me. We are not only our jobs.