“A Contemporary Perspective on Black Fashion“
I took some time and planned to photograph today’s fast-paced world. The relevance of pop culture and new fashion trends cannot be overstated new things are happening every day, especially in NYC. I plan to deliver an intricate insight into the relationship between Fashion Statements and African American Culture while highlighting the contemporary trends of popular culture, the interesting, the weird, and things you may have seen before. I have a deep feeling for fashion photography in some weird way; it speaks to me and makes me feel alive by capturing people in their unique styles and their confidence in what they are wearing, I get to have instant insight into who are and how you carry yourself through fashion it’s kind of like a mini telepathic interview without you even speaking. In this age of constant communication and visual communication it influences our societal aesthetics so photographing these trends of fashion allows us to examine how much the media and societal changes have influenced us to individually shape and express our identities. In a way not only am I capturing the style of these models, but their voices are being heard through this digital outlet. I feel like diversity has always been an area of lack in the fashion industry from casting models to looking past sheer talent because of one’s background or skin. In recent years, I feel like modern society has challenged the fashion industry to become more inclusive; it’s been refreshing to witness many creatives of color being given their moment. Fashion plays a huge role in our lives and allows us to be brave and express ourselves so why not show it off and show people who you are, those artistic visions have always been there they just needed an opportunity to take off and stand out.
Black fashion is a great topic but it is pretty broad and you may want to narrow it a bit. One of the examples below is Afropunk. Ruth Ossai doesn’t only do fashion with an African inspiration but is interested in that and that is another type of direction that could help you define your topic.
How are you going to approach it? Are you going to have models or do street fashion? From a practical point of view, I would encourage street fashion. If you do decide on street fashion, you are required by the assignment to do three shoots. Think about where in late November, early December you are most likely to find the looks you are interested in.
Take a look at:
http://www.simonchetrit.com/streetstyle
http://www.simonchetrit.com/afropunk
and
@ruthossaistudio on instagram