Since launching just over two years ago, Marc Jacobs’ bratty little sister line Heaven has grow to be a bona fide Gen Z favourite, constructing a worldwide community of talents riding the foaming crest of youth culture.

With the likes of Bladee, Doja Cat, Pink Pantheress, and Charli XCX all starring in past Heaven campaigns, Jacobs and right-hand woman Ava Nirui are also intent on tapping rising creatives inside their many projects. Just last 12 months, the 2 enlisted Elisa Sue Young Park to work on a zine called Just Like Heaven, which featured DJ Enya Umanzor, and now, former Dazed 100 photographer Alexandra Leese has been called upon to create her very own publication for the brand.

Entitled Kiko in Heaven, the zine stars model and actress Kiko Mizuhara as Leese’s muse. Encapsulating the fragile, intimate nature of the photographer’s aesthetic, the pictures were shot at Mizuhara’s home in Tokyo and in quite a few surrounding locations including Shibuya,

Shinjuku, and at her friend’s beach house in a seaside town called Izu. “The themes I often explore are humanity, beauty, the body, the gaze, and sensuality,” says Leese speaking on the series, with the zine capturing exactly that.

Alongside Leese’s photos, Mizuhara wrote a small, heartfelt journal entry in Japanese which reads: “Something I’m feeling now. If you ought to love someone, love yourself first. Only you possibly can hear the voice of your heart. It’s vital to trust your gut feeling. We’re magical beings. Let all of our lives be very special ones! In the event you treat others with kindness, you may be treated the identical.” Perhaps most significantly of all, though, the zine includes stickers.

In celebration of its launch, we spoke to Leese about her creative process, working with Kiko, and what heaven means to her.

Hey Alexandra! What was your place to begin and inspiration for the zine?

Alexandra Leese: I fell in love with this book of model and actress Mikako Ichikawa by Takashi Homma. I began to take into consideration all of the photographers I love and certain images, zines, or books I love of theirs. They are frequently stories of their muses and their on a regular basis surroundings.

The images are beautifully raw and intimate, with the occasional humour or surrealness. I loved the concept of working with someone like Kiko, who often embodies so many different characters for her job, and creating images that felt relatable, authentic, and celebrating her just as she is.

Why did you select Kiko to be the centre of your zine?

Alexandra Leese: Since it’s Kiko!

How did you two meet?

Alexandra Leese: We hadn’t met prior to shooting the zine, but she very sweetly invited me to remain together with her to collaborate on the project. We had plenty of fun.

Could you talk us through the strategy of creating the zine?

Alexandra Leese: It was a really docu-style way of working. We went to her favourite places, met her friends explored the town, frolicked at home together with her cat Ciccio, and I captured her and the environment as we went. The method felt organic, and we left room for spontaneity and creativity. We were consistently bouncing ideas off one another. She’s very creative and we were often on the identical page. It felt easy collaborating together with her.

When it comes to the design of the zine, I worked with art director Jamie Reid. I’m really into all the small print he added to make it feel special, just like the holographic sticker and the pull-out poster. Heaven is the dream client – they gave us plenty of creative control.

The photographs are so splendidly authentic, how did you approach the shoot? Was all of it shot in in the future or are they candids from a time period?

Alexandra Leese: We shot this over 4 days. It was our intention that it felt authentic as possible, which is why we didn’t over-plan it. We made sure to remain as true to Kiko and her life as possible.

What emotion did you hope to convey through the pictures?

Alexandra Leese: I wanted it to be a celebration of Kiko, femininity, authenticity, and wonder within the everyday.

How did you go about choosing the Heaven pieces to incorporate in the pictures?

Alexandra Leese: Kiko chosen her favourite pieces, and we worked together on pairing the looks to the locations.

Lastly, what’s your idea of Heaven?

Alexandra Leese: A giant bowl of noodles and my cat. Also feeling a way of inner peace. The world’s chaotic on the market!

Head here to grab your copy of the zine, which launches October 25.