conscious fashion for creative minds
launch issue
the self and the subconscious
A movement united in forging new ideas from old habits. Diverse in origin and craft, we aim to explore fashion from social and cultural perspectives; working with creative practitioners who shape the landscape of their industry. We are fashion's diverse present and future. We are MULTITUDE.
celebrate. educate. debate.
Photo credit: Alisa Milchevskaya
CONTRIBUTORS camillefontaine.format.com imonina-inspires.tumblr.com www.eliskys.com www.behance.net/sasha-malevich www.alisamilchevskaya.com www.turkinafaso.com alinazamanova.com
Camille Fontaine Editor-in-Chief
Main areas of research question normative representation and sociological impact using a variety of mediums. Previous work includes concept design for charity Hopes and Homes For Children.
Imonina J. Dafe
MRCSLT.
Speech & Language Therapist
Eliška Kyselková Photographer
Specialist in speech therapy and language development. Her love of language extends to writing poetry.
Eliška’s fashion work explores themes of consumerism and beauty. Is an international. exhibitor.
Alisa Milchevskaya
Kati Turkina
Fashion and lifestyle photographer whose images are shaped by the richness of the urban landscape and colour experimentation.
London-based journalist, tutor and independent photographer. Research extends to themes of humanity, and sustainability.
Photographer
Photographer
MULTITUDE is published on behalf of All Walks Beyond the Catwalk. Printed by Love Print Group: www.loveprintgroup.com. With thanks to All Walks Beyond the Catwalk for permission.
Valerie Masalevich Photographer
Mixed media artist. Creative Director of online publication MART pages: www.martpages.com.
Alina Zamanova Illustrator
Ukrainian illustrator with skills in print and textile design. Work have been published in several magazines and is currently based in London.
“It's not just about representation, but how people are represented."
- Jody Furlong
CONTENTS 8.
The Apparel Oft Proclaims The Man Bespoke tailor Sasha Harris experiments with design to experiment with the relationship between fashion and social class.
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True Chroma Alisa Milchevskaya’s vivid lens provides an expression of acceptance of the bigger picture.
26. Inner Weathering A journey into the element of self, expressed by two creative mediums - illustration and poetry - both of which presents a graphic tale of discovery.
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Speaker's Corner: Beach Bodies and Beyond Speaker’s Corner is a space for one of our contributors to stir the debate pot with insights on a current issue. This issue’s guest speaker is Imonina Dafe who discusses the impact of beauty aesthetics in relation to Protein World.
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Dance To Your Own Beat An editorial sorrounding the power of self-expression in music and dance.
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An Appointment with the Subconscious A series of images looking at hair outside of mainstream beauty representations intended as a moment of reflection. What will you see?
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Photo credit: Kati Turkina
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Letter from the Editor The first issue of MULTITUDE presents fashion as a diverse visual landscape with a selection of curated works from a range of creative disciplines. We are not bound to fashion alone; here at MULTITUDE we source inspiration from industries which shape our world today. From the poems in Inner Weathering written by a medical professional, to the vibrant images captured by fashion photographers, each story is underpinned by core cultural contexts which are areas of personal interest to each contributor. With the challenge of representational diversity a hot topic within the fashion industry, it only seems fitting for the launch issue to tackle notions of identity and its construction - whether the identifiers are gender, size or age to name a few. All of the projects featured in this issue are inspired by the concepts of self and in particular the relationship between passively being identified and the various forms in which we project our identities (subconsciously or not). Additionally, sociological implications including themes of normative identity are also considered. Hopefully, some of the imagery will provide the opportunity for the development of new perspectives, which MULTITUDE hopes to expound upon in subsequent issues. My parting wish is that you are positively impacted and inspired to contribute to the ever-changing debate. That being said, do sit back, relax and enjoy! CAMILLE FONTAINE Editor-in-Chief
“THE
APPAREL OFT THE MAN� Is it truly possible to know a man by the cut of his suit? Bespoke tailor Sasha Harris explores social class through design.
Photography: Valerie Masalevich Clothing: Sasha Harris Model: Tony Alston Art Direction: Camille Fontaine
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“My muse is a man of experience. His career is where a uniform is essential. I illustrate the progression of the social classes. Today the boundaries are blurred.�
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THE APPAREL OFT PROCLAIMS THE MAN
“This makes room for a new man, allowing him to move between social groups; making it difficult to distinguish his class.” - Sasha Harris, Tailor
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“[...] a study of fashion allows us to try to understand the differences between the type of society that is gradually disappearing -- one in which fashion represented hegemonic ideals -and the increasingly fragmented society that is emerging -- one in which clothing is used to articulate individual’s relations with dominant societal values.”
- Linda B. Arthur ‘Social Forces’, September 2001
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TRUE CHROMA The world isn’t monochrome. See the whole picture in all it’s colourful glory.
Photography: Alisa Milchevskaya Styling: Youdunnos Make-up Artist: Venika Kalambay Art Direction: Camille Fontaine
Models: Nelo Yuhui Liu
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TRUE CHROMA
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TRUE CHROMA
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INNER WEATHERING A journey into the construction of the intersectional self, exploring the elements of identity that are in a constant state of flux.
Illustrations: Alina Zomanova Poetry: Imonina J. Dafe MRCSLT Art Direction: Camille Fontaine
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INNER WEATHERING
I
d molde myself to your expectations
Until, they actually became
MINE
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No one, including myself, could tell where youendedandibegan So enmeshed were we That we seemed to be one
And I was comfortable with that Because I didn’t want to accept the responsibility of being the unique person I was called to be.
Exerpts taken from: Inner Weathering (Leading to Self-Actualisation)
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Once
I walked toward my destination
Which played in my And motivated me
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Full of the
heart
music of life
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Then Suddenly And without warning The music stopped And I was forced to turn around, Walk back to where I’d come from And find another path to tread, My heart no longer full, but empty And silent.
A Change of Circumstance
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You were conceived as an incessant yearning for more in life Yet you were not quite evident in my body or through coherent thought, But planted and rooted in my spirit. For years you have asserted your presence in this way And I have nurtured you and acted as your incubator. Watching the different stages of your development, from the young unrecognizable seed you initially were to the full-bodied life form you have now become, I realise that, though my yearning for more in life was the making of you, your birth will be the making of me For you were never just a dream or possibility, but the X that marks the spot
My ultimate My destiny.
Nina in Real Life
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SPEAKER'S CORNER:
BEACH BODIES AND BEYOND Imonina Dafe talks trips to the beach, diverse beauty ideals and leaving the protein shake behind.
Art Direction: Camille Fontaine
So, I was recently doing my usual stint
of Facebook surfing to unwind after work, when I came across something that drew my interest. It was a headline informing me of the offence caused (to put it mildly!) by Protein World's most recent ad campaign. It features their Weight Loss Collection protein shake with the caption, "Are you beach body ready?" The accompanying visual also included a model that - simply by being associated with the product - can be assumed to embody the very essence of what it means to be 'beach body ready'.
“My indifference is born of the expectation of the media to regurgitate a particular form of beauty." I must admit that I tend to have two prevailing emotions when I see such imagery - indifference and resistance. The indifference really is born of desensitisation. The message in the ad campaign (which can only be interpreted as, "if you don't look like our model you are not, in fact, beach body ready") is one that women are constantly fed on a regular basis. This is not just through adverts but in varying forms of media such as movies, TV programmes, music and of course fashion. Another observation is the common aesthetic that the more successful - or mainstream - feminine representations have in comparison to those who are on the fringe, 'niche' or considered 'other'. Like it or not,
there is a trend and thus, the standard of beauty is set. Therefore, my indifference is born of the expectation of the media to regurgitate a particular form of beauty, whereas the resistance that I experience is more complicated to explain. Being a British national of Nigerian heritage, there has not only been a pressure to keep up with the Jones' westernised idea of beauty but also that of the Jimohs! This complex ethnic foundation has always meant that my identity constructs are as diverse as my nationality, including what I perceive to be beautiful in opposition to how I compare to the varying ideals that have been thrust upon me throughout my life. In hindsight, I have been consciously internalising beauty ideals; there has been a constant conflict between two schools of thought - the Jones' western, "Does my bum look big in this?" versus the Jimohs' affinity with 'nyash' (big bums), a key part of beauty aesthetics within the wider black diaspora. This is most commonly known to be represented by our African-American counterparts. The former of the afore-mentioned schools of thought is traditionally associated with western beauty standards, which tend to market exclusively to women of a similar disposition to the model featured in Protein World's campaign (tall, slender, European features and blonde). My resistance to this comes from the pure fact that I do not biologically fit that aesthetic. I am obviously a black woman (if you refer back to my ethnicity) and although I am tall (standing at approximately 178cm), I
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RESEARCH HAS SHOWN THAT A QUARTER OF CONSUMERS WANT TO SEE MORE IMAGES WITH LARGER, MORE REALISTIC MODELS.
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- Source: Mintel Roshida Khanom (2014) ‘Kate Who?’
SPEAKER'S CORNER: BEACH BODIES AND BEYOND
am no waif. I have always been what the mainstream proclaims as 'plus size' ('big' for the politically correct and 'fat' for the realists amongst us). Therefore, I have long since rejected the western mainstream beauty ideal, not out of bitterness, but out of honesty. If I choose to accept that there is only one form of beauty, then I have accepted the title of 'ugliness' in the eyes of normative western society. Sorry, but I cannot fight my genes!
“ I, too, am beach body ready and always have been." By default of not fitting western ideals, there has continued to be both a gross miss and under-representation of black women within western media. Through his hit Hip-Hop song Baby Got Back in 1992 Sir Mix-A-Lot addressed some of these issues. He included lyrics such as, "So Cosmo says you're fat? Well I ain't down with that!" as a rejection of the western beauty standard imposed on black women and what is suggested to men as physically desirable femininity. Within contemporary culture, one of the only facets of mainstream media that can be said to represent black women (the accuracy is debatable) is Hip-Hop. However in the 90s, HipHop was a sub or counterculture. Hence, many within the black diaspora internationally perceived Baby Got Back as a positive affirmation of one of the more typical aspects of the
black female beauty aesthetic outside of the mainstream. Over time, many such songs have followed and as HipHop has crossed over into commercial music charts, it has become a truth universally accepted that all black women have big butts. I, personally, identify with this, but I also know of many who do not. Also although I may, "have much back," I am not, "little in the middle"… So, Hip-Hop also has its issues and the disqualification of certain aesthetics within blackness (for me as well as others) is still rife within it. I came to many of the realisations outlined in this article in my teens (my age now? Let's just say a lot of time has passed since then). From that point onwards, I cultivated and crafted my own beauty ideals. So, going back to the headline that peaked my interest, it grabbed me because it showed me that I was not alone. The outrage and subsequent backlash it caused was impressive. People literally set about creating posters stating that, although they may not fit mainstream beauty ideals, they are in fact 'beach body ready' and therefore beautiful. These included many reasons such as disabilities and age with women from various backgrounds united in the underlying message of, "who is anyone to say whether or not I am beautiful?" So, while I may not resemble Protein World’s model, I would like to end this by stating that I, too, am beach body ready and always have been. Are you? 39
DANCE TO YOUR OWN OWN BEAT BEAT Pick your favourite song and dance like no-one is watching. The power of music expresses our individuality but also brings us together.
Photography: Eliška Kyselková Styling: Dara Udom Customised Headphones: Andrea Katonova Make-up Artists: Lauren Reynolds & Victoria Todd Hair Stylist: Vassilis Ioannou
Clothing by: Philip Michael Jacobson Young Hwan Yang Satu Maaranen Maria Piankov Seth Yeung Shimo Zhou
Art Direction: Camille Fontaine
Models: Bruno Bonfim
Cadao Nguyen Viet Phan Dara Udom Duong Nguyen Gemma Huh Josharmond Mckinson-Romney Lauren Reynolds Marlon Kameka Michael Moon @TIAD Terry @Real London Casting
Song: RuPaul
Dress by Seth Yeung
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Song: Bjรถrk
Vintage scarf styled as a top Trousers by Satu Maaranen
DANCE TO YOUR OWN BEAT
Song: Björk
stonemilker
Song: Afro House
Afro Imperio
Models’ outfits by Young Hwan Yang
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Song: Paramore Misery
ss Busine
Top by Maria Piankov
Song: Rihanna Only Girl (In The World)
Coat by Satu Maaranen
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Song: Gnarls Barkley
Crazy
Crazy
Song: Bridgehead
Only Natural
Top by Seth Yeung
Jacket by Satu Maaranen Trousers by Philip Michael Jacobson
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Viet: coat and top by Shimo Zhou Cadao: top by Seth Yeung
Song: Bryan Adams
Everything I Do
An Appointment with the Subconscious An exploration into the unique and versatile textures of black women’s hair outside of mainstream fashion.
Photography & Art Direction: Camille Fontaine
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AN APPOINTMENT WITH THE SUBCONSCIOUS
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AN APPOINTMENT WITH THE SUBCONSCIOUS
“I am a bit of a fundamentalist when it comes to black women’s hair. Hair is hair – yet also about larger questions: self-acceptance, insecurity and what the world tells you is beautiful.” - Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
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“Good hair means curls and waves Bad hair means you look like a slave” - India Arie, 'I Am Not My Hair’ 58
AN APPOINTMENT WITH THE SUBCONSCIOUS
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“The most damaging thing is to think that a situation can’t be changed or challenged, and we can challenge and change situations through fashion.”
- Tim Lomas
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