When I Was Seven

Rinko Kawauchi created this nostalgic, serene series of images for French fashion brand agnés b. Featuring her daughter Kaoru, soon to be seven, Kawauchi reminisces about her own childhood, her process of growing up, and the future that lies ahead for the young girl. In the second half of the book Kawauchi looks back at her own life at that age, dressing her daughter in a red cardigan as a visual link to memory. A dialogue that has connected parents and children for generations unfolds. In a tender afterword, she writes to her childhood self, “In 40 years, you will be enjoying life with your daughter. And though it took time to get to this point, it was all worth living for”.