Over 1 million followers! A direct interview with Asia’s leading virtual human “imma
With the development of image-generating AI, virtual beauties are everywhere: AI influencer Ai Jinguji’s TikTok has received 1 million views in two days; AI beauty accounts are popping up on social networking sites one after another; AI gravure photo books are available on Amazon; and the pioneer of such virtual beauties in Japan is “imma”. One of the pioneers of such virtual beauties in Japan is imma.
In 2006, imma suddenly appeared on Instagram and began her activities, and from the time of her debut, she was covered by the world’s media. Since then, she has appeared at the closing ceremony of the Tokyo Paralympics in 2008, and has worked as a model for numerous global brands including SK-II commercials, FENDI, and PRADA. Today, she is one of Asia’s leading virtual influencers with 400,000 followers on Instagram, 480,000 on TikTok, and over 1 million followers if other SNSs are included.
Recently, she was featured on the cover of the Taiwan edition of “Harper’s BAZAAR,” a fashion magazine published in 37 countries around the world, in a 36-page feature, the longest ever. The magazine has also featured Tomohisa Yamashita, Sojung Park, and Rihanna on its cover in the past.
Imma is kind enough to do an interview with us for this magazine. We took the opportunity to ask her about her work and personal life.
Please tell us about your recent activities. What is your most impressive work?
I’ve been doing a lot of interviews and public appearances because of the current worldwide excitement about AI and virtuality. I was featured prominently in a newspaper ad by Nomura Securities and collaborated with Jeff Staple, a famous NY designer, on his NFT collection. I work in a wide range of industries, from fashion to corporate projects to attending events.
Most recently, I participated in the Metaverse game created by AllRightsReserved, a creative studio that includes world-renowned artists KAWS, FUTURA, Joan Cornella, and Yusuke Hanai. Moreover, I made it so that my own animated character would be included in the game.
Of course I was happy to be able to participate in the same world as KAWS, a company I have loved for a long time, and I was also able to discover a new side of myself through the animation, which is the most exciting project I have been involved in recently.
T : Being in animation is a very rare and precious experience. Then, is there any job in the field of fashion that left a deep impression on you?
I was impressed that all the models became me at the doublet runway for the Paris Fashion Week. It was a memorable experience, or rather, a runway with a strong image that I cannot get out of my head. lol Moreover, the models were so diverse that I was able to see a lot of things about myself that I had never seen before. I thought that because I am a virtual human being, it is possible to be in a situation where there are so many of me.
You have attracted attention from all over the world, and your number of followers on social networking services has reached an astonishing level.
What do you think is the secret of your popularity? But really, if I had posted freely what I liked and always said what I wanted to say, I would have noticed that my followers had increased. Most of my followers are from overseas, so there are many people who are happy whenever I post Japanese content. With that, I realize every day that Japanese content is loved around the world.
