AW 20 BRITISH EDITION

The 15th Anniversary Issue. Cover by VIRGIL ABLOH™

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14 New Bond Street • Tel. 020 7499 5765 patinated leather. Chronograph movement.
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 CON T E N T S
GQ STYLE. ISSUE 31. LIBERATION.

38
Liberation
An introduction from GQ Style’s Deputy Editor
& Fashion Director Elgar Johnson, curator of this issue

41
Young, fresh & new
Exciting Black designers who are ready
to take the world by storm
Photography Danny Kasirye Styling Ben Schofield Text Dominic Cadogan

50
Poetic justice
Julianknxx uses words, film and performance to tell
stories that are rooted in his heritage
Photography Jessie Lily Adams Styling Ben Schofield Text Kamin Mohammadi

63
Introducing… Rhythm Nation
Meet the new Black British music artists mining their
heritage, and their experiences of life in the UK,
to create a soundtrack for our times
Photography Danny Kasirye Styling Lewis Munro
Text Aniefiok Ekpoudom

76
Statues of liberty
Photo Scandebergs Stylist Ben Schofield Munroe wears feather-trimmed satin mini dress by 16ARLINGTON from MATCHESFASHION;

Where are the Black British figures in our urban landscape?

Text Olivette Otele

79
1980s vintage Chanel earrings from SUSAN CAPLAN; long velvet gloves by DIOR; black satin pumps by JIMMY CHOO

Educate and liberate

Five London-based designers explain how their heritage,
family and education have informed their creative aesthetic
Photography Jessie Lily Adams
Artwork Patrick Waugh Text Julia Sarr-Jamois

92
Directory
Four creative talents who helped to make this issue
share their fashion and culture picks
Compiled by Sophie Clark

101
Black Lives Matter
The creators of our bespoke covers explain the messages
behind their Black Square artwork
Text Virgil Abloh, Munroe Bergdorf, Amoako Boafo, Tommy Hilfiger, IDK,
Elgar Johnson, Terry and Tricia Jones, Little Simz and Riccardo Tisci

112
Transatlantic love affair
Model and activist Munroe Bergdorf highlights the on-going fight
for transgender equality, and curates a celebration of transgender
talent, strength and beauty from the UK and the US
Photography Scandebergs, Sharif Hamza
Styling Ben Schofield, Anatolli Smith Text Munroe Bergdorf
 CON T E N T S GQ Style/Spring Summer 2020
GQ STYLE. ISSUE 31. LIBERATION.

124
Every little step
Photography Ekua King Styling Candice Bailey

134
The knowledge
Rapper, writer and producer IDK shares his thoughts on fate,
his creative process and his musical influences
Photography Micaiah Carter Styling IDK/Taylor Okata Text Nick Grimshaw
Cover by ELGAR JOHNSON Cover by LITTLE SIMZ
for GUCCI
148
Cover up
To mark the 15th anniversary of GQ Style, we present
a retrospective of our iconic covers

154
Express yourself
These are the faces of activists in Los Angeles, working for liberation
Photography Danielle Levitt Styling Corey Stokes

168
Amoako Boafo
Cover by IDK The acclaimed Ghanaian painter presents his collaboration with Dior Cover by TERRY AND
and reflects on the evolving interconnection of art, identity and fashion TRICIA JONES

Photography Lyndon French Styling Gary Armstrong Text Dean Kissick

180
Don’t dream it’s over
After six months of protests in the wake of George Floyd’s death,
five writers share their thoughts on the fight for racial justice and their
vision for the work that still needs to be done
Text Alpha Dia, Maria Casely-Hayford, The Rt Hon Stuart Lawrence,
Chidozie Obasi, Wilfried Zaha

190
Kingsley Ben-Adir
Cover by VIRGIL ABLOH After two life-changing roles (and one epiphany), the British actor is Cover by MUNROE BERGDORF
laser-focused on making his work count. And, as he observes, ‘the time is now’
Photography Jamie Morgan Styling Luke Day Text Boyd Hilton

196
For the culture
Russell Tovey and Rob Diament’s love of art gave
birth to the wildly popular podcast Talk Art. Here they pick some Black
artists they love and unpack the diversity in minoritised art
Text Kamin Mohammadi

204
Ascension
Musician Shaznay Lewis celebrates 11 Black British trailblazers who
personify excellence and are at the top of their game
Cover by AMOAKO BOAFO Photography Olivia Rose Styling Karen Binns Text Kemi Alemoru Cover by RICCARDO TISCI
for DIOR for BURBERRY

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of-practice] and are committed to upholding the highest standards of journalism. If you think that we have not met those standards and want to make a complaint please see our Editorial Complaints Policy on the
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 GQ STYLE. ISSUE 31. LIBERATION.

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Dylan Jones

EDITOR CURATOR OF ISSUE 31, DEPUTY EDITOR & FASHION DIRECTOR CREATIVE DIRECTOR
Luke Day Elgar Johnson Paul Solomons

SENIOR FASHION EDITOR FASHION EDITOR

Gary Armstrong Ben Schofield

PRODUCTION EDITOR MANAGING EDITOR CHIEF SUB EDITOR

Kamin Mohammadi George Chesterton Laura Eddy

ART DIRECTOR PHOTOGRAPHIC DIRECTOR

Jane Hassanali Robin Key

SHOOT PRODUCTION FASHION ASSISTANT SUB EDITORS

Henrietta Hitchcock Kit Swann Michaela Twite
at KO Collective Willemijn Barker-Benfield

CONTRIBUTORS

VIRGIL ABLOH / JESSIE LILY ADAMS / KEMI ALEMORU / CANDICE BAILEY / MUNROE BERGDORF / KAREN BINNS / AMOAKO BOAFO / DOMINIC CADOGAN / MICAIAH CARTER
MARIA CASELY-HAYFORD / DELFINA CONTI / PRIMULA CONTI / ALPHA DIA / ROB DIAMENT / ANIEFIOK EKPOUDOM / SIMON FOXTON / LYNDON FRENCH / NICK GRIMSHAW
SHARIF HAMZA / TOMMY HILFIGER / BOYD HILTON / IDK / TERRY AND TRICIA JONES / DANNY KASIRYE / EKUA KING / DEAN KISSICK / THE RT HON STUART LAWRENCE
DANIELLE LEVITT / SHAZNAY LEWIS / LITTLE SIMZ / JAMES MCINTOSH / JAMIE MORGAN / LEWIS MUNRO / CHIDOZIE OBASI / OLIVETTE OTELE / OLIVIA ROSE
JULIA SARR-JAMOIS / SCANDEBERGS / ANATOLLI SMITH / COREY STOKES / RICCARDO TISCI / RUSSELL TOVEY / PATRICK WAUGH / WILFRIED ZAHA

PUBLISHING DIRECTOR
Nick Sargent
HEAD OF ADVERTISING AND EVENTS FASHION MANAGER
Vikki Theo Roya Farrokhian
ADVERTISING DEPARTMENT
Advertising and Digital Director Hannah O’Reilly / Associate Director Silvia Weindling / Advertisement Director Tom Spratt
Head of Revenue: Digital And Brand Partnerships Rachel Reidy / Senior Partnerships Director Sam O’Shaughnessy
Associate Director of Partnerships Jessica Holden / Partnerships Executive Amelia Morley
Art Editor Jeffrey Lee / Partnerships Designer Duarte Soares

SENIOR FASHION MARKET EDITOR EVENTS DIRECTOR BUSINESS MANAGER

SOPHIE CLARK MICHELLE RUSSELL JAKE PUMMINTR

US OFFICE ITALIAN OFFICE

SHANNON TOLAR TCHKOTOUA MIA SRL
KERYN HOWARTH

Executive Assistant to Editor-in-Chief Sophie Hamblett / PA to the Editor Poppy Scarlet Norton
Director of Press and Publicity Emily Hallie / Circulation Director Richard Kingerlee / Production Director Sarah Jenson
Commercial Production Manager Xenia Dilnot / Commercial Senior Production Controller Louise Lawson
Senior Production Controller Emily Bentley / Senior Production Coordinator Skye Meelboom / Director of Editorial Administration and Rights Harriet Wilson
Editorial Business Manager Sam Naylor / Syndication syndication@condenast.co.uk / Head of Finance Daisy Tam
Digital Director Simon Gresham Jones / HR Director Hazel McIntyre

CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER MANAGING DIRECTOR

Sabine Vandenbroucke Albert Read
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 CON T R I BU TORS
GQ STYLE. ISSUE 31. LIBERATION.

We asked our contributors this issue the question:

‘What does liberation mean to you?’

Aniefiok Ekpoudom Julia Sarr-Jamois Nick Grimshaw

WRITER STYLIST DJ, PRESENTER AND WRITER
‘To me, liberation means having ‘The freedom to be who you ‘It is the freedom that comes from the
the freedom to express and achieve want to be.’ acceptance of others, equal rights and
your potential.’ equal opportunities for all.’

Taylor Okata Kemi Alemoru Candice Bailey

STYLIST WRITER STYLIST
‘Liberation to me is when you are able ‘Liberation is freedom in its purest and ‘The ability to be completely free
to live your most authentic self.’ most euphoric form. Creating a space and authentically oneself.’
for us to just be.’
 CON T R I BU TORS
GQ STYLE. ISSUE 31. LIBERATION.
We asked our contributors this issue the question:
‘What does liberation mean to you?’
CONDÉ NAST
Chief Executive Officer Roger Lynch
Global Chief Revenue Officer & President, US Revenue Pamela Drucker Mann
US Artistic Director & Global Content Advisor Anna Wintour
Chief Financial Officer Mike Goss
Chief Marketing Officer Deirdre Findlay
Chief People Officer Stan Duncan

Corey Chief Communications Officer Danielle Carrig

Chief of Staff Samantha Morgan
Stokes Chief Product & Technology Officer Sanjay Bhakta
Chief Data Officer Karthic Bala
STYLIST
Chief Client Officer Jamie Jouning
‘Liberation is a world
CONDÉ NAST ENTERTAINMENT
where Black and
President Agnes Chu
brown people are free
Executive Vice President – General Manager of Operations Kathryn Friedrich
from oppression. It is
reparations for the Chairman of the Board Jonathan Newhouse

abuse of Black and

WORLDWIDE EDITIONS
brown people for over
400 years. Liberation FRANCE BULGARIA
AD, AD Collector, GQ, Vanity Fair, Vogue, Glamour
means that we live in a Vogue Collections, Vogue Hommes, CHINA
world where everyone, GERMANY AD, Condé Nast Traveler, GQ, GQ
regardless of race, AD, Glamour, GQ, GQ Style, Vogue Lab, GQ Style, Vogue, Vogue Film,
INDIA Vogue Me, Vogue Business in China
gender or financial
AD, Condé Nast Traveller, GQ, Vogue CZECH REPUBLIC AND SLOVAKIA
status, has equal access ITALY La Cucina Italiana, Vogue
to a better life.’ AD, Condé Nast Traveller, Experience Is, GERMANY
GQ, La Cucina Italiana, L’Uomo Vogue, GQ Bar Berlin
Vanity Fair, Vogue, Wired GREECE
JAPAN Vogue
Gary GQ, Rumor Me, Vogue, Vogue Girl, Vogue HONG KONG
Armstrong Wedding, Wired
MEXICO AND LATIN AMERICA
Vogue
HUNGARY
SENIOR FASHION AD Mexico and Latin America,
Glamour
Glamour Mexico and Latin America,
EDITOR, GQ STYLE KOREA
GQ Mexico and Latin America, Vogue
‘For true liberation, it Mexico and Latin America Allure, GQ, Vogue, Wired
SPAIN MALAYSIA
is our duty to fight for
AD, Condé Nast College Spain, Condé Vogue Lounge Kuala Lumpur
equality. If I can be who Nast Traveler, Glamour, GQ, Vanity Fair, MIDDLE EAST
I am and do what Vogue, Vogue Niños, Vogue Novias AD, Condé Nast Traveller, GQ,

I want to do while Black TAIWAN Vogue, Vogue Café Riyadh, Wired

GQ, Vogue POLAND
lives still suffer, my UNITED KINGDOM Glamour, Vogue
liberation is counterfeit. London: HQ, Condé Nast College PORTUGAL
Of Fashion and Design, Vogue Business GQ, Vogue, Vogue Café Porto
I’m so proud to be part Britain: Condé Nast Johansens,
ROMANIA
of this monumental Condé Nast Traveller, Glamour, GQ, GQ
Glamour
Style, House & Garden, LOVE, Tatler,
issue of GQ Style, and The World Of Interiors, Vanity Fair, RUSSIA
to use this platform to Vogue, Wired Vogue Café Moscow
UNITED STATES SCANDINAVIA
pay respect to the
Allure, Architectural Digest, Ars Vogue
Black community.’ Technica, basically, Bon Appétit, Clever, SERBIA
Condé Nast Traveler, epicurious, La Cucina Italiana
Glamour, GQ, GQ Style, healthyish, SINGAPORE
HIVE, La Cucina Italiana, Pitchfork,
Anatolli
Vogue
Self, Teen Vogue, them., The New Yorker,
SOUTH AFRICA
Smith The Scene, Vanity Fair, Vogue, Wired Glamour, GQ, GQ Style,
House & Garden
STYLIST PUBLISHED UNDER JOINT VENTURE
THAILAND
‘Liberation for me is BRAZIL GQ, Vogue
Casa Vogue, Glamour, GQ, Vogue
about pursuing THE NETHERLANDS
RUSSIA Glamour, Vogue, Vogue Living,
radical equality AD, Glamour, Glamour Style Book, GQ, Vogue Man, Vogue The Book
GQ Style, Tatler, Vogue
– demolishing TURKEY
structures and PUBLISHED UNDER LICENCE GQ, Vogue, Vogue Restaurant
OR COPYRIGHT COOPERATION Istanbul
dismantling practices AUSTRALIA UKRAINE
that obstruct the GQ, Vogue, Vogue Living Vogue, Vogue Café Kiev
full personhood,
autonomy and Condé Nast is a global media company producing premium content with
expression of the a footprint of more than 1 billion consumers in 32 markets. condenast.com

individual in the
The paper used for this publication is based on renewable wood fibre. The wood these
global community.’ fibres are derived from is sourced from sustainably managed forests and controlled
sources. The producing mills are EMAS registered and operate according to highest
environmental and health and safety standards. This magazine is fully recyclable – please
log on to www.recyclenow.com for your local recycling options for paper and board.
 EDITOR’S LETTER
GQ STYLE. ISSUE 31. LIBERATION.

elcome to the 15-year anniversary issue of GQ Style. A moment of

celebration that I never thought would align with a year with so much
polarity in the world. 2020 could be described as an on-going existential
crisis; bewildering, exasperating, infuriating.
The most positive change that can come from this year is that we, as
a global community, become more engaged, stop blindly following and
instead rise up as individuals and take personal responsibility.
But with so much heaviness in the world, this celebratory issue of GQ Style isn’t looking back, it’s
championing optimism and change. It’s a call to action! 2020 may be a year some might want to forget,
but it has also made us confront a lot of issues we’ve avoided for so long, and which needed to be
addressed. 2020 presents an opportunity to speak up and help shape the future. The Liberation issue
continues the conversation, following the devastating events this summer triggered by George Floyd’s
death and the protests denouncing racism, led by the Black Lives Matter movement.
My role in this issue was to admit I don’t know everything and I needed to listen. I consider myself
a student. I don’t consider myself an activist; that’s a title that should be reserved for inspiring humans
who devote their lives to justice and campaigning for social change. As a white man of privilege, I’m
listening and learning about race, and it felt only right that an issue celebrating Black activism should
be curated by our Deputy Editor, Elgar Johnson, a positive Black role model himself and a man who has
personally experienced prejudice. It felt important for Elgar and the team to have this platform and space
to tell their story. Sometimes it’s necessary to take a step back, to listen and learn. Step up for each other,
support others.
I’m so proud of the talent, dedication and motivation of the team who, despite challenges, have created
such a positive, optimistic and uplifting issue. I personally want to thank anyone who has ever
contributed to GQ Style over the past 15 years, and anyone who has read our pages. Thank you for being
a part of our journey.
As a global family, we need to support and learn from one another. Now is a time for humility and
compassion. We can empower each other with creativity, respect, honesty and unity, because the best
love is about equality, collaboration and community.
Over to you, Elgar. Luke Day, Editor, GQ Style
 LIBERATION.
B
lackie. Paki. Nigger. Half breed. Coloured.
All words that most people of colour have
been called at some point in their lives.
These words are not outlawed. They walk
with the same freedom as hello, good
morning and goodnight.
My first memory of being subjected to this abuse was
as a seven-year-old, when visiting my mum’s family in
the north of England. I was chased by a group of boys,
and stones were thrown at me. This was followed by
an altercation on holiday at Butlin’s in Skegness. While
exploring the resort, I was followed by two boys who told
me that I was a dirty nigger.
My mother was always there to support me through
these times, sometimes in subtle ways. She introduced me
to the work of an artist named Vincent van Gogh. I was
fascinated by the story of him cutting off his ear, but it was
the painting of the sunflowers that made such a difference.
I loved that painting. It made me feel happy and safe.
My mum eventually bought me a framed print of the
sunflowers that I would hang in my bedroom.
Determined to preserve the happiness the sunflowers
brought me, I even painted my bedroom yellow and
green so that I’d be immersed in that feeling when I came
home from school, usually after watching the same boys
mouthing racist words from the back of the bus. I would
sit in my room and it would feel like I was sitting in the
painting – my happy place.
That was then, but not much has changed now. I’m
older and taller and maybe less of a target physically,
and I don’t have a bedroom based on a painting any
more, but the racism that existed then exists now, just in
a different form. The memories of racist abuse will
never leave me, but I’m ready to create new memories
– memories that will help, educate and move forward.
I’m very appreciative of the opportunity to curate
this 15 th-anniversary issue of GQ Style. For this,
I would like to thank GQ. It certainly feels like one of
my proudest achievements and I’m also very proud
of what my colleagues have achieved, which makes it even
more special.
I’ve spoken before of how the fashion industry made
me forget my skin colour, but that’s not the case any
more, and this issue is a manifestation of that. For any
future stylists, photographers, fashion editors or editors,
the opportunity is now and you have to go and grab it.
Elgar Johnson, Curator of Issue 31
Don’t listen to the words of the privileged who suggest that
because you are Black you can’t do it. You can and you will.
In a way, this is a reset to make sure what happened before
never happens again.
I would also like to make it clear that this is a celebratory
issue because of the 15-year anniversary and not just
a celebration of the inclusion of people of colour within a
magazine – that should always happen. As much as BLM
is a world-changing moment, my heart aches that we are
in 2020 and people are still treated differently because of
the colour of their skin.
This issue is named Liberation, a word that means so
much (incidentally, the idea came from a Nineties house
song by Lippy Lou, which was about homosexuality and
coming out of the closet). What does liberation mean to
me? The freedom to work together to eradicate the fear of
living your life the way you choose, and without judgement.
This issue is for anyone who has endured abuse because
of who they are and what they are, be it for their race,
gender, sexuality or any element of their humanity. This is
a celebration of talent, wherever you are from.
The Black Square on the cover is in reference to
Blackout Tuesday, which took place during the summer.
A controversial moment for many reasons. Some people
believe it was a great moment, some think it was a waste
of time and insulting to people of colour and our struggles.
I believed it signified many things – support of BLM, a full
stop or a new beginning. I think about the people who
posted a Black Square back then but have since gone back
to normal life (you all know them), and how for those few
seconds it took to press that button, they had to think
about the reason they were posting. That gives me hope.
I chose the Black Square to be my cover star and
not simply a selection of people of colour to reflect the
magazine’s position, something that hasn’t gone unnoticed
in the past and present. Instead, these Black Squares are
sending out messages of support that I hope can be seen
as protest or art.
I would like to thank the incredible fashion team at
GQ Style, whose self-education, belief, passion and
emotion has made this possible, and I will never forget and
never not be appreciative; and also our brilliant art and
production team, contributors and friends who have taken
to this journey and battle for a better place. Thank you.
I’m not expecting this fashion magazine or this cover
concept to change the world, but ‘every little helps’.
 ‘Vase With Fifteen Sunflowers’ by Vincent van Gogh
Photo Alamy

Photography DANNY KASIRYE
Styling BEN SCHOFIELD
Text DOMINIC CADOGAN
YOUNG, FRESH & NEW
Over the past few years, we have finally started to see more and more exciting young Black
designers attracting the acclaim they deserve, taking their rightful place in the spotlight and
capturing the industry with collections that celebrate their array of heritages. With fashion
now under a magnifying glass and focused on continuing diversity beyond the catwalk,
GQS meets four talented Black graduate designers ready to take the world by storm

Marvin Desroc
For Martinique-born, Paris-raised
designer Marvin Desroc, infusing his
designs with his identity and heritage
means everything. ‘To share your
story and put a bit of yourself into
your work is the most gratifying
thing ever, especially when others
share similar experiences too,’ he
muses. Desroc made his debut at
Central Saint Martins’ MA graduate
show last year, and his slinky
offerings – think hosiery-inspired
tops with ruffled peplum details,
knee-high lace socks and leather
trousers that balloon into giant bows
at the crotch – explore the rarely
exhibited sensual side of Black
masculinity. ‘That’s the problem
when it comes to Black bodies,’
he asserts. ‘We are often portrayed
in a very animalistic way, or raw
and tougher looking. I want to
appeal to anyone who likes to
dress up and feel sexy, whether
they’re gay or not: men, women,
and everyone in between!’

Black girdle top, silk

organza boxers and
tailored trousers, all by
MARVIN DESROC;
white Traktori boots by
CAMPERLAB; emerald
yellow-gold bracelet (worn
at neck) by TATEOSSIAN
‘Wolf In A Burning Tree’ feather top and nylon biker trousers, both by JAWARA ALLEYNE; black Traktori boots by CAMPERLAB

What makes a man? This simple question is a constant point of reference for Central Saint Martins’
MA Menswear graduate Jawara Alleyne. Growing up between Jamaica and the Cayman Islands as
a gay man, the designer persevered through hardship before arriving in London. ‘There’s so much
about my cultural upbringing that’s unknown within the space of fashion, and so many stories that
Jawara Alleyne haven’t been told,’ he explains. His graduate collection, Self Made Man, takes these struggles and
turns them into a romantic offering of silk shirts loosely buttoned at the navel, clingy trousers
spliced together from multiple pairs, and tops that are an explosion of colourful ostrich feathers
that float as the wearer moves. Alleyne plans to continue honing his craft and telling his story for
other Black gay Caribbean men who aren’t able to. ‘They don’t get told they can chase a dream,
because that’s a risk that we sometimes can’t take,’ he says.
 The graduates

Tulle and velvet shirt and tulle trousers, both by CATHERINE HUDSON

Catherine
Hudson
‘I see my work as a political
commentary, so it’s important
to address my experiences as
one of many,’ muses Catherine
Hudson, a graduate of
Westminster’s Menswear MA.
While exploring her identity
as a British-Jamaican woman,
Hudson is keen on cultivating
a lane that is uniquely her own,
and her final collection is a
pared-back selection of shirts
created from a mish-mash of
knotted velvet and delicately
draped silk, and trousers
made from yards of fabric that
softly puddle on the floor at
the models’ feet. Beyond her
designs, Hudson is keen to
address the lack of Black
designers in the industry by
offering a free studio space
(DISMANTLE. THE STUDIO)
to foster the next generation
of BIPOC LGBTQ+ creatives.
‘There are so many BIPOC
with immense talent yet to
be seen, which also frustrates
me,’ she expresses. ‘A systemic
overhaul is long overdue.’
The graduates

Halina
Edwards
Long before graduating
from Westminster, Halina
Edwards dreamt of following
in the footsteps of her mother
– a seamstress in Jamaica –
to become a designer. Her
projects Flags About Home
and Commonwealth On
Film take inspiration from
the unfortunately common
experience for Black people
living in the UK of being told
to ‘go back home’. Musing
on where ‘home’ is, Edwards
created a series of flags paying
homage to Dudley and Jamaica.
Clothing-wise, classic pinstripe
tailoring is reinvented, gathered
around the body with distressed
edges. Once it is safe to do
so again, the designer plans
to travel to immerse herself in
different cultures and aid her
research for her collections,
much like her design hero
and fellow woman of colour,
Grace Wales Bonner. ‘When her
AW15 collection, Ebonics, was
presented, she really made it
feel like anything is possible

Hair stylist Lauraine Bailey, using Dissiak Make-up artist Grace Ellington, using Glossier Model Osman Jalloh at Kult London Hair assistant Sheree
Jourdan Photo assistant Jamie Sinclair Stylist’s assistant Kit Swann Set designer Emily Henson Production KO Collective Location Muse Studio
and pushed me forward to join
the conversation.’J

‘Commonwealth On Film’ pinstriped suit and ‘Flags About Home’ Jamaica and Dudley flag, both by HALINA EDWARDS;
black Dorian leather shoes by MALONE SOULIERS; sustainable pearl necklace by VIVIENNE WESTWOOD
 FLIP,
REVERSE
IT!
What could be better than a cosy
cashmere Brunello Cucinelli
bomber jacket this autumn? Well,
two of them, that’s what. This
reversible, two-way zip-through
bomber jacket is expertly crafted
from thin cashmere double cloth.
One side is in a buttery-cream and
the other in a smooth caramel, but
both with the same soft-to-the-
touch appeal. With contrasting
grey ribbed cuffs, deep front
pockets and a drawstring hood for
those days when you just can’t
even, this jacket is ripe for the
snuggling and adaptable to your
mood. It’s a two-for-one bomber
jacket but with a luxury, artisan
Cucinelli twist. Obvs.
Reversible bomber jacket by
BRUNELLO CUCINELLI

NEW-SEASON DROPS
Heads up – these AW pieces are everything Text SOPHIE CLARK

One hand in your

(Burberry) Pocket
Oh, the humble pocket. Carrier of secrets, snacks,
should-have-rejected business cards and everything in
between. You can tell a lot from the contents of
someone’s pocket, from where they are going, to
where they have been. But now, thanks to Riccardo
Tisci’s reimagined Burberry Pocket Bag (available at
Flannels), the outside of one’s pocket is just as
important. A structured tote, crafted in Italy using the
finest of leather, the Pocket Bag features a reinforced
top handle, contrast top-stitching and hand-painted
edges. But the star of the show here (and the bag’s
namesake) is the oversized front pocket, bolted down
with sleek gold-tone hardware and ready to house
whatever you may need to grab at a moment’s notice.
This is a bag that means business.
Leather Pocket Bag
by BURBERRY
 News

Jacket and trousers

by THE KOOPLES

Tailoring 2.0
2020 has demanded a collective global reset. A chance to reevaluate and
restructure our way of thinking and communicating. This has even translated
into a fresh new attitude when it comes to our wardrobes. This AW, The Kooples
has reinvented its tailoring pieces for a more laid-back, go-with-the-flow frame
of mind. The question, ‘how does it look?’ has been replaced with ‘how does it
feel?’ Jackets are longer, trouser legs are looser and wider but, most importantly,
both are put together in an eclectic, IDGAF manner. Think a formal-cut
blazer teamed with worn-in denim jeans or tailored black trousers, with a might-
have-slept-in-this vintage T-shirt. For The Kooples, the way to wear tailoring
today is to feel as if you’re not wearing it at all.

Forget me
knot – a case
MARGARET HOWELL

for the tie

The tie is having a tough time, in
an era when reasons for smart
attire are few and far between.
But rather than the tie becoming
redundant, how about it becomes

HERE’S MAGGIE! a moment? A back-to-business,

confidence-boosting accessory
Back in the Seventies, British designer Margaret Howell was worn with purpose rather than
stocked in an LA store called Maxfield Bleu. One day, she was protocol. Enter the Dolce &
thrilled to hear that actor Jack Nicholson had bought her red Gabbana silk tie. With an all-over
corduroy windcheater jacket, her 25th design. Imagine? You’d optical pattern, this tie will
be buzzed too, right? But it gets better. Nicholson was brighten up even the greyest of
adamant that the jacket should be worn by his character Jack winter complexions and might
Torrance in Stanley Kubrick’s horror masterpiece The Shining. just be the finishing touch you
So, Howell had to make and ship 11 replica jackets to Kubrick’s need. Sharply knot around the
production company. In 2020, this legendary jacket – known collar of a crisp white shirt and
as the M025 – has had a reboot in two new colourways of let the tie do the talking.
black and nutmeg, so now you can have one too. Consider it
the Director’s Cut that will make your wardrobe Oscar worthy. Silk tie by DOLCE & GABBANA
 POETIC JUSTICE
Julian Knox – aka Julianknxx – uses words, moving images and performance to tell stories that are
rooted in his heritage, the complexity of identity and the unspoken history of Sierra Leone

Photography JESSIE LILY ADAMS Styling BEN SCHOFIELD Text KAMIN MOHAMMADI

I
t was when his first daughter
was born that Julian Knox
had his personal moment of
reckoning. The London-based
poet, artist and man behind the alias
Julianknxx was working for a luxury
paint brand at the time. ‘That was
the turning point,’ he says. ‘I had to
ask myself, what legacy do I want to
leave behind? It made me realise
that I was tired of being silenced.’
Hailing from Sierra Leone, Julian
left his country at the age of nine,
during the civil war. He grew up in
London and his daughter’s birth
gave him the momentum to do what
he is now celebrated for – write
poems that he performs and turns
into short films, telling stories of
his heritage.
‘You don’t hear much of Sierra
Leonean stories,’ he says. Sierra
Leone, known for its white-sand
beaches, was the departure point for
thousands of West African captives
trafficked into slavery. Later, in 1787,
its capital, Freetown, was founded as
a home for repatriated slaves. The
city became a place of refuge
throughout the 18th and 19 th
centuries for freed slaves.
Knox’s question to himself
compelled him to become a poet.
‘Understanding the relationship
between Sierra Leone and the West
and the big role Freetown played in
the transatlantic slave trade and
Britain’s role in that, and how
the whole Black diaspora has a
relationship with Sierra Leone and
no one talks about it…’ he shakes his
head. ‘How can I know all this stuff,
which is part of a global history that
has been muted, and be silent?’
In breaking that silence, Knox has
turned to film and music, as well as
poetry, to tell his stories. When
called a multi-disciplinary artist,
he laughs. ‘I am a poet, that’s what
I call myself.’ He muses on this. ‘It’s
about finding the best language to
convey the emotions, in the fastest
and most efficient way for people to
understand them!’
His performance at Prada Mode
helped expand his audience. ‘It
wasn’t on my radar at all. I was just
one of the artists that they gave
a platform to ’cos they liked what
I was doing in the community. This
is the first time I’ve worn Prada
clothes,’ he says of the GQS shoot.
‘And I love them, I wish they’d dress
me for life!’
That appearance led to a film
commission from 180 The Strand,
which had him going back to Sierra
Leone for the first time since leaving
as a child. ‘It was wild going back, to
see the changes. It’s been over 20
years, I’m 33 now. The first night,
I just stayed by myself and cried.
I haven’t even really talked about it
yet, haven’t ever articulated it...’
Knox is very aware of his dual
identity, and it was underlined by
returning to Sierra Leone. ‘As much
as I say I am Sierra Leonean, when
I was there, I found myself saying
“back home” – and that was London.’
His ideas on identity are as poetic as
all his musings. ‘If you examine each
and every one one of us, humans are
so complex. There is a whole
universe within each and every one
of us. That idea to limit things just to
one place is just bizarre. Borders and
national identities are crazy. So the
dual identity thing is a constant.’
He brings it full circle: ‘Because of
this complex identity, to keep quiet
is to constantly reject yourself.’

When did you start writing poems and how did it happen?
For public performance and reading, I started at university. My friends
told me it was good and encouraged me to perform at our university
showcase. But before that, I’d write for myself, as an exercise.
Are you inspired by many poets?
Yeah, loads; London is brimming with amazing poets and exciting voices.
Anthony Anaxagorou, Caleb Femi, Yomi Sode, Roger Robinson and Belinda
Zhawi, and another friend who is American, Joshua Bennett. Moreover, poets
like Terrance Hayes (who is one of my favourites), Audre Lorde, Jean Toomer
and Tomas Tranströmer. These are just a few.
You came to prominence within the fashion industry via the Prada Mode.
How did that happen?
One of the curators of Prada Mode came to Nataal Media’s magazine launch
and she saw my performance. She ended up coming to my first film screening
that was commissioned by the Roundhouse and to both my Julianknxx and
Friends events at Southbank Centre and the ICA. From there, she invited
me to screen my film, Root For A Crown, and perform with some friends at
Prada Mode, which was an amazing experience.
How has BLM affected your past, present and future?
Black Lives Matter is a statement for some and a question to some. It’s my
life, so to debate if it matters is to debate if I’m human, or if I should exist.
Carrying a Black body is carrying all the connotations and prejudice people
hold about it. Racism is so deeply entrenched in our system, to the point
where saying we are all one people is seen as naive. Saying it to myself is what
keeps me going. It’s what allows me to dream and pushes me to tell stories
that show we’ve always mattered and always will. The fact I have to say these
things shows how far we have to go. Without Floyd’s death, we wouldn’t be
having this conversation. It’s almost like we needed a sacrificial lamb.
Someone had to die, which is crazy. Why does it take that for people to care?
What advice do you have for people who believe that they can be a poet?
I’d say to be a poet is not an end in itself, nor is it a career, but a journey
of meaning and making, storytelling and language-finding. So I’d say
be curious, read a lot of poetry, work on the craft, find your truth and think
about your work as a public contribution. I’d also say, listen to your interior
world and what’s happening around you.
Amy Winehouse once said that she didn’t feel like she was writing
songs; she thought they were poems. Do you feel that your poems could
translate well as songs?
I read something a while back from Amiri Baraka who said, ‘Poetry is a form
of music, an early form of music… Poetry is the first music.’ I think when
poetry gets away from music, as can be the case with academic poetry,
it tends to be anti-musical, having more and more to do with rhetoric than
it has with resonance. The more poetry gets disconnected from music,
the less interesting it often is and the less likely it is to live as poetry. For me,
poems don’t need to translate because they are their own music, and the
emotions of each poem are conceptualised in its rhythm.
What does liberation mean to you?
Dr Martin Luther King quotes Fannie Lou Hamer, who says that ‘Nobody’s
free until everybody’s free’, and that really resonates with me. Liberation,
for me, is an act of love. I don’t know if you can be free if your neighbour isn’t
– especially if the truth of that doesn’t move you at all.
What’s next for Julianknxx?
I’m working on two shows for 2021, God willing – as no one knows what
Covid holds. One is a three-screen film commissioned by The Store X 180 The
Strand, IN PRAISE OF STILL BOYS, which will be at The Store X 180 The
Strand next spring. I am really excited about this. I’ve also got a group
exhibition called The Breathing House, curated by my studio, STUDIOKNXX
at 29 Sackville St, Mayfair, with other artists responding to the house.
‘I don’t know
if you can be
free if your
neighbour
isn’t, especially
if the truth of
that doesn’t
move you at all’

Natural chevron wool coat,

shearling gilet, white bio
cotton shirt and black bio
cotton tie, all by PRADA;
trousers, Julian’s own
‘There is a
whole universe
within each
and every
one of us’
 Between the lines

‘The idea of the krio is… they are not even a tribe. They are an amalgamation of Black bodies in a space that was decided to be called Freetown because
they couldn’t think of a name. They put the free slaves there and these people had to come up with an identity that is attached to this land. But if you really
examine it, they are just diasporic people who were sent to this promised land, a sort of Utopia. Like they were told: “Oh, you’re a slave but we’ve sent you
back to Africa to start a new life.” Which, for me, is just crazy – it was a massive social experiment. “Let’s just send them there and let them figure out how
to survive.” And we managed to survive and have a language and culture, and it wasn’t even that long ago…’

‘Krio’
by Julianknxx

KRIO
to be krio is to know life / is full of impossible / unicorns in the rainforest
/ the sketch of an ocean / we
came here by order of lost clocks / to kick start time / before Africa was
another world / to be krio / is
to know the place before us / children missing from wombs / stories /
mouths keeping wool / a place
where the sun empties itself over the black of bodies

to be krio / is to know history is a sliced violence / on the tip of a Yoruba

tongue / a kiri yo / aimless
yet satisfied wanderers / to be born dotted around the blue / missed
moving lips / recoiling from
swords / bullets / cannon fodder / to make your house in a nation /
unclear.

to be krio / is to be boundless / fragments of dear Africa / permanent

shapes in the Atlantic’s belly/
waiting to spill their ghosts / mourning identity / a hard freedom / a new
world with black of the ancient.
/ There will be no fire / bringing us back / who invents beginnings /
anyway /

I plant a seed / to lift a death / a killing / a birth / to be krio is to be a

clamour in a revolution /
shaping time / dreaming inside a strange thing / they blind your past /
& you shape a garden with
your eyes
40230 RIPSTOP GORE-TEX PRODUCT TECHNOLOGY DOWN
HOODED DOWN JACKET MADE IN GORE-TEX FABRIC EXHIBITING THE BLACK DIAMOND LABEL
DEDICATED TO BREATHABLE GARMENTS THAT LIVE UP WITH THE GUARANTEED TO KEEP YOU
DRY GORE-TEX PROMISE. THE OUTER FACE OF THIS HIGHLY PERFORMING TWO LAYER FABRIC
IS MADE OF ULTRA-LIGHT 50 MICRO DENIER POLYESTER YARNS ON DOBBY LOOMS FOR A FINE
RIPSTOP WEAVE. IT IS BONDED TO THE FINE GORE-TEX MEMBRANE, EXTREMELY BREATHABLE,
DURABLE, WATERPROOF AND TOTALLY WINDPROOF. TREATED WITH ANTI-DROP TECHNOLOGY.
THE GARMENT IS FULLY SEAM-TAPED AND PADDED WITH PREMIUM FEATHERS. THE HOOD IS
EDGED BY A REMOVABLE FELT BAND WITH LARGE NEEDLE-PUNCHED STONE ISLAND LETTERING.
TWO WAYS WATERPROOF ZIP FASTENING. WWW.STONEISLAND.COM
436E1 TELA FLOCK-TC + GHILLIE LASER CAMO
ANORAK MADE OF A COTTON CANVAS WITH AN EXTERNAL FLOCK IN VISCOSE, THEN FINISHED
WITH A POLYURETHANE RESIN TREATMENT. IT IS GARMENT DYED WITH A DOUBLE RECIPE, TO
OBTAIN DIFFERENT COLOURS ON THE VARIOUS COMPONENTS AND TEXTILE FIBRES. THE GRAPHIC
MOTIF IS ACHIEVED THROUGH THE LASER-PRINTING TECHNIQUE ON THE FINISHED PIECE, THE
LASER ERODES THE DYEING COLOURS REVEALING THE GHILLIE CAMO INSPIRED CONCEPT. THE
GARMENT IS THEN WASHED WITH AN ANTI-DROP AGENT. HOOD WITH VISOR AND TWO CROSSING
TAPES TO ADJUST THE FIT. BUTTONED CENTRAL STRAP ON CHEST, CARRYING THE STONE ISLAND
BADGE. LONG ZIP FASTENING ON THE LEFT SIDE AND UNDER THE SLEEVE.
STORE_79 BREWER STREET_LONDON_W1F 9ZN
42549 DAVID-TC WITH PRIMALOFT® INSULATION
FIELD JACKET IN DAVID-TC. BEGINNING WITH A STAR-SHAPED CROSS-SECTION
JAPANESE POLYESTER/POLYAMIDE SUBSTRATE, GARMENTS IN DAVID-TC ARE SEWN AND
THEN SIMULTANEOUSLY GARMENT DYED AND TREATED WITH AN ANTI-DROP AGENT. DURING
THE DYE PROCESS, UNDER PRESSURE AT 130°C, THE FABRIC UNDERGOES HEAT-INDUCED
COMPRESSION, RADICALLY TRANSFORMING ITS HAND AND BODY. THE GARMENT IS PADDED
WITH A PRIMALOFT® LAYER, AN EXCLUSIVE BLEND OF ULTRA-THIN FIBRES PROVIDING
EXCEPTIONAL INSULATING CAPACITY. COLLAR WITH CONCEALED HOOD, FASTENED BY TWO
SNAPS. HIDDEN TWO WAYS ZIP AND HIDDEN BUTTONS FASTENING.
WWW.STONEISLAND.COM
00195 HAND SPRAYED OVER PRINTED SHEEPSKIN
HOODED JACKET MADE OF SUEDE SHEEPSKIN, MANUALLY SPRAYED FOR A CLOUDY EFFECT. PART
OF THE GARMENT AND THE STONE ISLAND LOGO ARE PROTECTED FROM SPRAYING TO ACHIEVE A
GRAPHIC PLAY. FINALLY, AN OPAQUE OVERPRINT IS PLACED ON PART OF THE GARMENT. HOOD
WITH A CONTOUR DRAWSTRING IN THE RIM AND PARALLEL VERTICAL DRAWSTRINGS ON THE BACK,
WITH THE PULL HIDDEN BY HERRINGBONE TAPE. TWO WAYS ZIP FASTENING.

STORE_79 BREWER STREET_LONDON_W1F 9ZN

Too hip to hop
Text ELGAR JOHNSON
Clockwise from top: Naomi
Campbell on the Hilfiger SS 2000
catwalk. Hilfiger with Destiny’s
Child in 1998. A$AP Rocky wears
vintage Hilfiger on stage in 2013.
Sean Combs at the Spring 1999
Hilfiger show, New York City
AGE AIN’T
NOTHING BUT
A NUMBER
T ommy Hilfiger, the brand known as the embodiment
of the American dream and responsible for some of
the greatest streetwear looks in popular culture,
celebrates its 35-year anniversary this year. While the
brand started life as clothes for the new American man
wanting to look and feel more in tune with the new
modern America, all that changed in the early Nineties
when an exciting new hip hop artist working under the
name of Snoop Doggy Dogg appeared on Saturday Night
Live sporting a Hilfiger sweatshirt. The rest is history.
Suddenly, not only did the whole hip hop and R’n’B
community want a piece of Tommy, but it seemed the
rest of the world shared the same interest. The UK,
especially, went wild trying to look like the Tommy guy
or girl – and it was even more exclusive as it was so hard
to get in Britain. If you couldn’t get the full outfit, then
you had to at least have the underwear, and if you
couldn’t have the underwear, you had to have the
fragrance. Tommy’s world was well and truly ignited.
Musicians from TLC and Destiny’s Child to Naughty
By Nature, Britney Spears and Gwen Stefani were all
spotted sporting Tommy. Arguably the most iconic
Photos Alamy, Getty, PA Images, Shutterstock
moment of that time was provided by late pop star
Aaliyah, whose appearance in the Tommy Hilfiger
campaign sent fans and fashionistas into orbit.
Fast forward 35 years and Tommy Hilfiger is still at the
forefront of popular culture, working with modern-day
icons such as model Bella Hadid and singer and actress
Zendaya. Tommy Hilfiger has not only created clothes
for generations past and present, but has also united
people from different walks of life in wearing his clothes
– something that not many designers achieve.
And that, right there, is the American Dream.
Above: TLC at the Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards in 1995

Left: Aaliyah on the Next Generation Jeans campaign

shoot. Above: Naughty Boy Treach and Kate Moss team up
on the SS 1997 Hilfiger catwalk. Below: Zendaya at the
launch of her first collaboration with the brand, in 2019
News

CAN
YOU
KICK
IT?

Heaven is a halfpipe... and the new Louis Vuitton skate shoe hits the sweet spot, too Text SOPHIE CLARK

L ouis Vuitton is never one to shy away from a streetwear collaboration. This year alone has seen the LV Squared
drop and a capsule collection co-designed with Japanese designer Nigo; and who could forget the mega-hyped
Supreme hook-up back in 2017? The meeting of design aesthetics and the merging of logos, these collaborations have
always celebrated streetwear culture as a whole. But there’s something different about this latest venture. The result
of LV Men’s Artistic Director Virgil Abloh’s obsession with skate culture and a collaboration with pro skateboarder
Lucien Clarke, the first-ever Louis Vuitton skate shoe has been born. Clarke was given free rein by Abloh and the
resulting shoe, named A View, is reminiscent of the Nineties DC shoes. Crafted in a mix of suede and mesh uppers,
with reflective detailing and technical-foam sole cushioning, these shoes are as much a style necessity as they are
A View skate
a pro skater’s best friend. This collaboration isn’t just a celebration of skate culture, it’s an investment in it. Once
shoes by LOUIS
VUITTON laced in, not only will you look like a pro, but you’ll also be set to ollie, flip or grind at a moment’s notice.
tigerofsweden.com
 Introducing...

Meet the new Black British music

artists mining their heritage, and
their experiences of life in the UK,
to create a soundtrack for our times

Pa Salieu
When he was young, 23-year-old rapper
Pa Salieu was sent to live in Gambia with his
grandparents. Those early experiences have
subtly moulded him into the man and the
artist he is today. The stay in Gambia taught
Pa about his history and ‘how unapologetic
I could be about myself,’ he says. ‘I know
who I am, I know my family.’
The fallout from that sense of clarity is
found in his music. Hailing from Coventry, he
has a cadence that is gruff but firm. A subtle
Gambian inflection creeps into his melodic
drawls. Breakout single Frontline – recorded
two years ago but released in January – sees
him writhe over haunting, moaning drums and
wailing sirens as he brings listeners into the
bleak landscapes of Coventry’s inner city.
The city ‘has shaped who I am,’ he says.
‘Coventry is just like any other city in England:
break down or make it out – no matter how.’
His most recent release, My Family, with
London rapper BackRoad Gee, has been a
slow burn, gradually becoming a contender for
British rap’s anthem of 2020. The pair trade
sharp verses and hooks, peppering their lines
with war stories from the West Midlands
and the East End. A brooding yet militant
instrumental holds their tales at the seam.
It’s a signpost for what is to come. In
lockdown, Pa has begun work on his debut
project – and in the process is learning ‘what
it is to be an artist’. Through the project,
he is ‘trying to touch on where I’m coming
from – Coventry. But I come from Gambia
as well. You’re going to hear the essence
of that, you’re going to get that picture.’

Photography DANNY KASIRYE Styling LEWIS MUNRO Text ANIEFIOK EKPOUDOM

Black fold cotton-twill coat and hat, and black embroidered hole cashmere jumper, both by CRAIG GREEN;
classic fusion grey king gold racing watch by HUBLOT; silver signet ring by MASSGOLD.TV
 Swarmz

W
hen 24-year-old Swarmz first began toying with
music, he says he was ‘rapping at first, but I didn’t
feel my voice was made for it.’ A few years on,
the South London artist has finessed his brand, gliding on
songs with his melody-heavy, butter-smooth vocals. He’s
a leading light of Afro swing, the London-born genre that
filters the sounds of the Black diaspora in West Africa and
the Caribbean through a distinctly British lens.
‘I’ve got Caribbean parents,’ he says, and remembers
how his Bajan mother and Jamaican father would soak
the house in ‘reggae, Bob Marley, Beenie Man and Vybz
Kartel’. His upbringing in Eltham, South East London, bred
deep African friendships whose influence echoes through his
music. ‘I feel like sometimes their accent has rubbed off.’
Before music became a viable career, Swarmz was
a footballer, stomping pitches in Britain’s lower leagues.
When he switched careers and leaned full-tilt towards music,
‘it was a bit heart-breaking,’ he says. But now the decision
feels vindicated. Debut singles Lyca and Bally are anthems
of summers gone, and see Swarmz bounce over drum-light,
percussion-heavy productions. Elsewhere, a feature spot on
Houdini with gamer KSI introduced him to new audiences.
With lockdown having dampened a genre whose natural
habitat is clubs and live music, Swarmz has hibernated in the
studio. Some time next year, he sees a debut EP release.
‘The EP is a body of art,’ he says. ‘It’s your whole journey.
Some people don’t understand what I’ve been through.
It’s the start: where I was, to where I am now.’

Black Off The Grid hooded jacket by GUCCI; black pleated T-shirt by HOMME PLISSÉ ISSEY MIYAKE; watch, bracelet and grillz Swarmz’s own
 Turn it up

G
rowing up, 25-year-old rapper Knucks
remembers bathing in the sounds of
soul icon Sade and Eighties R’n’B legend
Anita Baker. ‘I was listening to a lot of old-school
music when I was younger,’ he says. The result
can be heard in his songs. ‘I had a connection
with it, so without realising, I’m learning about
structure and melodies and all these things.
Today, subconsciously, I’m putting a lot of these
things into my music.’
His own sound is an amalgamation of these
influences and links with a childhood spent in
North West London, where he was immersed
in grime, UK rap and the elaborate stories of
famed US rappers like Nas.
But what arrives on Knucks’ records is
distinctly his own: a strain of UK rap that brims
with soul and arresting yet subtle lyricism. On his
projects, like last year’s NRG 105 and this year’s
London Class, Knucks throws up vivid murals
of life in his corner of London, touching on
classism, youth violence and race in the city.
‘I think the role of a musician is to
almost make the soundtrack of the times
that we’re in,’ he says. ‘I feel almost
obliged as a rapper to talk on how
I feel about what’s going on and to
really be sincere in my message.’
He pauses. ‘I don’t think I’m obliged
to do it, but I feel like I should.
If I don’t, what is the point?’

Knucks

Hand-sprayed over-printed hooded sheepskin jacket by STONE ISLAND; khaki oak jersey T-shirt by SALVATORE FERRAGAMO; baggy roll-neck long-sleeve
cotton T-shirt by ARIES; Captain Cook automatic bronze and leather watch by RADO; gold signet ring by MASSGOLD.TV; earring Knucks’ own
Turn it up

I
’m proud to be African, I’m proud to be Algerian, and I’m very proud of where I’m from,’ says 24-year-old singer and songwriter Miraa May.
Born in Algeria and raised in Tottenham, May journals frank stories of North London through tender vocals and a brand of vivid, strait-laced
R’n’B. ‘I’ve always been highly opinionated, and the way I’ve grown up, there are certain things I’m very in tune with,’ she says, and describes
her music as, ‘my life and the stories that I’ve heard through the people that are closest to me.’
When May was 17, she found herself homeless with £5 in her pocket. Those early experiences have been scrawled into four EPs and have
armed her with a distinct resilience. ‘I’m an immigrant myself,’ she says. ‘I wasn’t born here. I call myself a dreamer.’
In those periods, she pulled shifts waitressing and hairdressing to make ends meet, sleeping head-to-toe with her now-manager, Taisha
Johnson. The pair have navigated the industry together, figuring it out as they went. Years later, that bond is still strong.
‘Behind me, Miraa May the artist, is a very intellectual, beautiful young Black woman,’ she says of her manager. ‘I could never have done
any of this without her. She’s my backbone and I’m hers. I’m here to support her and make sure I’m there for her in any way I can be, as a sister.’

Miraa May

Taisha (left) wears white

fitted grained goatskin
coat by HERMÈS.
Miraa (right) wears
hologram gingham jacket
and trousers, both by
HOMME PLISSÉ ISSEY
MIYAKE; moon-print
stretch high-neck top by
MARINE SERRE
from SELFRIDGES
MARI-LOU & YOUSSOU
SOULMATES
Turn it up

D-Block Europe

D
-Block Europe’s sprawling
discography is, at times,
a vivid soundtrack to South
London’s darker corners, as Young
Adz and Dirtbike LB float over
hypnotic trap instrumentals,
illuminating the allures and dangers
of life out on the road.
‘Growing up in South London,’
LB says, ‘we put ourselves in every
situation that you shouldn’t put
yourself in – but we made it out.’
These street-diaries-turned-rap
anthems are accompanied by a

Hair stylist Lauraine Bailey, using Dissiak Make-up Grace Ellington, using Glossier Hair assistant Sheree Jourdan Stylist’s assistants Kit
relentless work rate that has seen

Swann and Justyna Kitt Photo assistant Jamie Sinclair Set designer Emily Henson Production Ko Collective Location Muse Studio
the pair deliver four full-length
projects in the space of two years,
pushing them to the forefront of
British rap’s current renaissance.
Though they have been friends
since childhood and have been
making music together for eight
years, their major breakthrough
came last year. Three Top Ten
projects were supplemented
by two sold-out nights at the
Alexandra Palace in North London.
‘I like to record for four or five
days straight,’ says Adz. ‘We
don’t do breaks.’ LB adds: ‘From
the start, we realised it might take
longer for people to understand
who we are, so we had to double
the effort.’
The Blueprint – Us vs Them
(officially their debut album),
released in October, is a 29-track
listen that charts their transition
from days spent hustling to the
sold-out arenas they now grace.
‘It’s a good way to put a time on
everything,’ LB says. ‘When you’re
on the streets, you don’t even
know how you felt six months ago
because there’s no time to track
that. With music, you express
yourself and watch yourself grow.
It’s a good way to talk about what
might’ve happened yesterday.’

Dirtbike LB (left) wears black monogram crew neck and black 1990s slim wool trousers, both by LOUIS VUITTON; sunglasses, necklace and ring LB’s own.
Young Adz (right) wears green wool coat by GUCCI; plain knit closed-zip cashmere bomber by HERNO; sunglasses and watch Adz’s own
DO MORE.
Text SOPHIE CLARK
Proving the power of fashion to transform society, these brands
are working for empowerment, justice, equality and change

Gucci’s Chime
for Change
Zine dedicates
entire special
digital edition to
#sayhername
Continuing with its mission to
convene, unite and strengthen,
Chime Zine – powered by Gucci – has
unveiled its latest edition, which is
dedicated to spotlighting the often
invisible names of Black women and
girls who have been killed by police
violence or while in state custody.
Collaborating with the African
American Policy Forum (AAPF), the
platform will uplift their stories and
work to advance a gender-inclusive
narrative in the movement for Black
lives. At a time when people around
the world are increasingly
demanding intersectional social
justice, Chime for Change calls on
the global community to join AAPF
in their #sayhername campaign to
encourage conversation, self-
expression and meaningful action
around this critical issue. The time is
now. Say. Her. Name.

VIVIENNE WESTWOOD
CELEBRATES TEN YEARS
OF ARTISAN.FASHION
This year marks a decade of Vivienne Westwood working side
by side with the Ethical Fashion Initiative of the International
Trade Centre through Artisan.Fashion. This partnership was
the first of its kind, a ground-breaking social enterprise that
has facilitated collaboration with local artisans, initially in
the Kibera slum and now across Kenya, Nepal, Burkina
Faso and Mali, with the goal of providing a sustainable
stream of work in place of charity. ‘We joined the scheme in
2010, making bags in Africa, training and improving people’s
skills through dignified work,’ explains Westwood. ‘We began
in 2010 with a pilot project of 30 people. Now in 2020 there
are 2,600, lifting people out of poverty.’ To mark this
momentous milestone, a limited-edition tote bag and bucket
hat have been created by the artisans in Kenya, with each
piece screen-printed by hand with the Westwood art and
culture manifesto graphic ‘Mirror the World’. Join the
celebration and go grab yours today.
 News

Colmar joins the Fashion

Minority Alliance to support
the talent of tomorrow
Founded by a group of passionate and pioneering minorities working in the fashion and
beauty sectors, the Fashion Minority Alliance (FMA) stands for diversity, inclusion and
shared values to end the classism and racism faced by historically marginalised
minorities; something that Italian sportswear brand Colmar is proudly standing behind,
pledging to support the FMA programmes with a 1.25 per cent Glam Diversity Surcharge
to all creative bookings. This will allow the FMA to pay and place a trainee on a shoot
to gain experience and make entry-level connections, something the Black and minority
population are generally excluded from. Colmar will continue the support further by
contributing to the fashion and beauty scholarship fund that will underpin the next
generation of creative talent, supporting Black and minority students with the tools,
coaching and financial aid they need to succeed as the talent of tomorrow.

Qasimi ‘Don’t Shoot’

T-Shirt 2020
Qasimi finds ways to support others by
retelling stories to raise awareness and
start conversations. Back in 2017, for its
AW show, the brand designed the ‘Don’t
Shoot’ T-shirt in memory of the 1982
Lebanon war. In August 2020, in light of
the tragic explosion in Beirut, Qasimi
donated (and is continuing to donate)
all the proceeds from the sale of that
same T-shirt in order to support the
Lebanese Red Cross. The brand has had
an overwhelming amount of support
from its customers and has broken all its
past e-com records in sales of the T-shirt.
Add one to your wardrobe now.
COACH X ‘MORE
THAN A VOTE’
Coach is teaming up with a new voting-rights
organisation led by LeBron James, called More Than A
Vote, and a coalition of Black athletes and entertainers
with the passion to combat voter suppression and
misinformation. The partnership is grounded in Coach’s
values of inclusion, optimism and authenticity, and is
one step in the fashion house’s broader commitment to
supporting non-profits and working at the forefront of
addressing racial inequality, with a focus on protecting
voting rights, public safety and expanding educational
opportunities within Black youth communities.

Superdry looks to the future

Co-founded by Julian Dunkerton in 2003, Superdry became the go-to brand for the masses and had
celebrity fans such as David Beckham wearing its iconic Osaka 6 T-shirt. 17 years later, it’s still going
strong – a British company true to its roots, but ready to take on the challenges of global change and
the cultural shift. ‘We have been working hard behind the scenes for the last 18 months to reset
Photos Nik Hartley

Superdry,’ says Phil Dickinson, Creative Director. ‘The brand is unique in its ability to deliver high-
quality, sustainable product and real value. We have been resetting with a vision for originality,
familiarity, authenticity and charm. We are getting stronger and AW20 is only the start of it.’ With
this sort of forward thinking, Superdry is the one to watch – and a brilliant British success story.
AVAILABLE AT FLANNELS
FEATURING SAM CLAFLIN
Statues
of liberty
Where are the Black British
figures in our urban landscape?

Photos Alamy, Jeff Moore/Eyevine, PA Images

The monument to Walter

Tull in Northampton
 Monumental

Text OLIVETTE OTELE

W e erect statues to venerate,

celebrate or commemorate events
and people. We remember together and
that is one of the reasons why we choose
specific commemorative dates alongside
statues. These statues are ‘sites of memory’.
We walk past most of them in our daily
commutes or on our way to mundane
activities. Some of these statues have
become an integral part of our history, even
when we do not remember who erected
them or why. In recent years, removing
them has created a sense of anxiety that
echoes the fear of losing one’s space in
society or one’s place in history. Fear of
erasure of our story and, by extension,
our connection to a celebrated past are
only some of the reasons that have led to
resisting the removal of these memorabilia.
Removing statues has made the
headlines in recent years, with controversies
around colonial figures, from Cecil Rhodes
and Confederate heroes to slave traders. At the
same time, there has been renewed interest
in ways to bring minority ethnic figures into
the public realm. Britain’s urban landscape
is populated with a relatively low number of
men and women of colour, who nonetheless
contributed to the nation’s history in various
ways. In the last 20 years, there have been about
20 or so statues of Black people in Britain.
Discussions about erecting those memorials took
several decades in most cases.
British Rail commissioned three bronze figures
of Black commuters for Brixton Station in 1986.
In 2016, the statues were given listed status.
The pieces opened the door to two other statues
‘Bronze Woman’
in Stockwell
Gardens, London
‘Their histories are
British and European
stories. They belong
to several worlds’
representing anonymous Black Britons. From the
homage paid to African Caribbean communities
in the form of a statue of a Black woman holding
a baby, located in Stockwell Gardens (2008), to
‘Reaching Out’, the statue of a Black ‘everywoman’
unveiled in August 2020 and now located on Three
Mills Green in East London, the representation of
ordinary Black Britons shines a particular light on
the country’s support to those who are part of the
nation’s fabric.
being promoted to officer (the first Black
officer to command white troops). He was
tragically killed towards the end of the war
in 1918. Although his name appears on a
war memorial unveiled in 1921, no further
recognition followed. It took several
decades, but Walter Tull was eventually
recognised as both a war hero and a
great football player. His name has been
engraved in memorial walls since 1999. In
2017, an installation representing Tull was
unveiled in Northampton Guildhall. The
following year, to mark the centenary of the
end of World War I, Royal Mail produced
a stamp representing Walter.
British people of African descent –
heroes, leaders and ordinary but valued
members of British society – continue
to be remembered every year during
and outside of Black History Month.
Their histories and experiences are British
and European stories. These people belong to
several worlds. They are British, Caribbean and
African Europeans.
‘African Europeans’ is out now, published by Hurst

B ritain also celebrates Black heroes in the

public realm. In 2016, the statue of nurse
Mary Seacole, who helped Crimean War soldiers,
proudly stood for the first time before St Thomas’
Hospital in London. Up to that point, there
were no statues of renowned Black women in
Britain. Three years later, a sculpture of three
leading football legends, Brendon Batson, Laurie
Cunningham and Cyrille Regis, was unveiled in
West Bromwich town centre.
There have been several other Black figures
represented in the British urban landscape, and
one of the least known and yet most outstanding
characters has been Walter Tull. Born in Kent
in 1888 to a Folkestone mother and Barbadian
father, young Walter was sent to an orphanage
with his siblings when he lost his parents. Playing
football was Tull’s saving grace. He became a
professional football player at the age of 21.
When the First World War broke out in 1914, he
Clockwise from top: ‘Reaching Out’ at Three Mills
enlisted and bravely fought for the country, later Green; Mary Seacole; Cunningham, Batson and Regis
Educate and liberate
Five London-based designers explain how their heritage, family roots and education have informed their creative aesthetic
Martine Rose
How has your ethnicity and heritage influenced your work?
Growing up in a Jamaican household, music and style were fused together.
My grandad was a tailor, so fashion has always been a part of my culture.
Style is important in Jamaica – it’s not associated with money, but something
you have innately. There wasn’t a lot of disposable income, so fashion was
a real mixture of the high and low – like Clarks and a string vest.
How did you become a designer?
I was always into culture, particularly youth culture, from an early age –
watching my cousins and siblings – but it was a slow burner. I didn’t identify
that my interest was fashion until I was much older. When I finished art school,
I specialised in textiles. That’s when I realised my interest in fashion.
Photographer JESSIE LILY ADAMS
Artwork PATRICK WAUGH
Text JULIA SARR-JAMOIS
Was your education different from your kids’?
I don’t know if it’s vastly different, but my daughter’s school is much more
child-led; they’ve learnt a lot from Northern European schools. There’s an
emphasis on learning through play – it’s not so rigid – whereas my education
was very much rooted in Victorian Britain. Also, my school wasn’t very
mixed, whereas hers is extremely multicultural.
Do you feel that growing up Black and female impacted your education?
Yes, of course. Overt racism exists and has permeated my life, especially
when someone is obviously hostile towards you, but a prevailing feeling that
has underpinned many of my relationships, even up until now, has been the
feeling of being underestimated.
‘I was
obsessed
with sewing
and clothes
from an
early age’
Saul Nash
At what age did you decide to become a designer?
I was always obsessed with sewing and clothes from a very young age, but
I really committed to properly studying menswear when I finished my BA
in performance: design and practice when I was 22. That course was about
creating worlds within the confinements of the performance space – we had
to design the sets and costumes for our performances ourselves.
You were awarded a scholarship at the RCA. What was that process?
I applied twice. I don’t know how it’s decided, but before entering the
college you have to submit both a portfolio of work and a proposal of
what you intend to do while studying there. I’m extremely grateful
that they saw my potential enough to award me the scholarship.
How has your dancing influenced your fashion?
I have always danced, since I can remember. I love to express myself with my
body, but I’m also a very visual person. So the idea of being able to perform in
something, and to create the visual world for it, has always really enticed me.
Does the university system support Black talent?
Personally, I have been lucky to have people who believed in my talent within
the education system, because they often exposed me to possibilities outside
of what I thought were in my reach. I think sometimes the problem with
university is that culture often has to be deemed acceptable by the institution
before it can be written about and included in the library, so I felt university
did not often reflect the nuances of things happening in my personal life.
 Get right

Priya Ahluwalia Can you tell me about your heritage and how that’s informed your designing?
There’s a lot going on – my mum was born in Hexham, Newcastle to Indian parents; my dad is Nigerian and my
stepdad is of Jamaican heritage. I was born in London. That mix filters into everything I do – from a young age
I was interested in the sartorial traditions of England, the vibrancy of Nigeria and the craftsmanship of India.
You say from a young age. What was your path to becoming a designer?
For A-levels I studied politics, business, photography and textiles. Then I did an art foundation and a fashion BA.
I worked for a year as a design assistant and pattern cutter, then did an MA; I launched Ahluwalia straight after.
What was school like for you?
I was really academic at school but
I wasn’t treated as such by my
teachers. I was a straight-A student
but I was often chastised and blamed
for other people talking (sometimes it
was me, but a lot of the time it wasn’t).
This began to grate on me and I guess
my positive attitude would sometimes
be diminished. I performed really well
in all my exams, but some teachers
still didn’t like me very much. Looking
back, I’d say it was partly me being a
defensive teenager, but there were
microaggressions I faced regularly.
Do you think the university system
supports Black talent?
I really enjoyed university, but there
are ways Black talent can be
supported that aren’t happening very
often. For example, seeing themselves
reflected in the staff and guest
lecturers. Representation is vital for
self-esteem, and that’s why I make a
concer ted effor t to teach at
universities. They could definitely do
more to introduce scholarships to help
people from underprivileged
backgrounds – often ethnic minorities
– and level out the playing field.

‘I was academic at school but I wasn’t treated as such by my teachers’

Find fashion you love.
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Paria Farzaneh
Tell us about your heritage and
family background...
I was born in Devon, but my parents
are Iranian. My grandad was a tailor
in Tehran and my mum made my
clothes, so it trickled down to me.
So designing was a likely career
from early on, then?
I was around ten years old, and my
idea of what it was to be a ‘fashion
designer’ then was very innocent.
But I studied very academic subjects
at college – the plan was to become
a psychologist.
When did you decide instead to
become a designer?
I knew that I should have pursued
the arts, so I took a U-turn after my
A-levels and did an art foundation.
I then went on to apply to study for
a BA in fashion at Ravensbourne
University [in London].
How did your heritage play a part
in your education?
I didn’t know how to be somebody
else. I was ashamed of having my
friends home because I felt intrusive
telling them to take off their shoes.
Or the fact that my mum would be
serving platters of fruit and nuts to
them when they arrived. Imagine
that, being ashamed to be yourself
in your own home. That’s culture
for you: we’ve been conditioned
to suppress it from day one.
How did university inform your
designing work?
I don’t think there is any course
that can prepare you for what you
experience when you’re doing the
job you do. And, essentially, the
job I’m doing now isn’t one you
can go to university for. And there’s
still so much yet to learn. There are
so many hats to wear.

‘My grandad
was a tailor in
Tehran and my
mum made
my clothes’

Bianca Saunders
What was your path to becoming a designer?
I took quite a traditional path – I noted that most big designers had studied
design or done an MA at a prestigious school, so I did my A-levels in media,
art and textiles. I then did my foundation at Ravensbourne [in London].
How did studying inform your work?
Production KO Collective
The tutors at university saw something special in my work and pushed me
towards my full potential. The best thing I ever did was an MA at the Royal
College of Art – it was a personal exploration to find my true design aesthetic.
Do you think the university system supports Black talent?
It’s hard to say, as I feel my experience was very unique. Not every Black
student has the opportunity to have Black tutors who understand their
Get right
‘Not every
Black student
has the
opportunity
to have
Black tutors’
potential. At Kingston University I had Andrew Ibi, and at the RCA I had
David Kappo. But also I found my tutors such as Lee Roach, Brian Kirby and
Zowie Broach equally challenged me to become the best version of myself.
How has your heritage affected your aesthetic?
I’m from a Jamaican background, and I feel like people who are Jamaican or
understand the culture can really see it in my work.
As a Black female who designs menswear, do you find that there is
a stereotype that you’re inspired by sportswear?
I don’t take inspiration from much sportswear and I’ve also never felt that it
was a stereotype, either. My work draws on Black culture, and so much of
that is rooted in tailoring.
4K
OLED
Above: Joy wears white down jacket,
hood and blue wool and nylon-blend
sweater, all by FILA; earrings Joy’s
own. Below: Cheye wears white
neoprene coat, blue wool turtle neck
and royal blue puffed nylon scarf,
all by FILA; earring Cheye’s own

Kofi wears blue and light blue

nylon jacket, white wool
turtle neck, white nylon down
skirt, red technical fabric
In association with trousers and royal blue and
black leather and synthetic
mesh trainers, all by FILA
 FILA

Marc wears off-white wool

and nylon-blend sweater,
cream wool skirt, off-white
nylon woven trousers, red
puffed nylon scarf, red nylon
gloves and red leather and
synthetic mesh trainers,
all by FILA; ear and nose
rings, both Marc’s own

Cheye wears white neoprene coat and blue wool turtle neck, both by FILA

Right here, Kai wears royal blue

nylon down jacket

right now!
and harness hood inner,
blue woven nylon
trousers and royal blue
and black leather and
synthetic mesh trainers,
Photography JESSIE LILY ADAMS Styling KIT SWANN all by FILA
Text ELGAR JOHNSON

I
n early 2016, photographer Michael Mayren created
De Nuit Models Cheye, Joy, Kai, Kofi and Marc B at Brother Casting Michael Mayren at Brother Make-up assistant

Brother, the model agency that has not only been

Hair stylist Tosh Make-up artist Anna Payne at Of Substance, using Boy De Chanel and Chanel Le Lift Crème

changing the way we cast, but also challenging our

Tabitha Thomas Digital operator Chris Chudleigh at DigiBoutique Production and location KO Collective

perceptions of beauty.
Since then, Brother models of all shapes, sizes and races
have graced some of the biggest catwalks – not to mention
magazines – on the planet. So how is Brother adapting to a
changing world? ‘The BLM movement definitely caused an
influx of brands casting more Black models,’ says Mayren.
‘I feel very responsible for my models – their mental health is
a priority, and also making sure they are getting paid correctly,
especially when a pandemic is causing huge production cuts.’
As for many of us in the industry, there is a worry that the
dramatic rush to hire diverse models might be an unwanted
trend. ‘I really hope that inclusive casting is here to stay and
not just performative for this moment,’ adds Mayren.
As the head of an agency determined to keep moving
forward, Michael is not one for resting on his very successful
and game-changing laurels. ‘We have just launched 2.0, which
is gender-free, and also a curve board; the idea is to push even
further against industry standards and encourage people to
be themselves.’
After years of pandering to the demands of designers and
fashion editors, Brother is turning the game on its head,
returning to the glory days of casting when you could pluck
a unique beauty out of thin air and change their life forever,
giving people opportunities in an industry that has sometimes
preferred a singular vision. Big Brother is watching!
Tribute

To my dear friend Judy,

Thinking of you, love Elgar x

 THE ESSENTIAL SELECTION
Four creative talents who played a vital part in making this issue share
their fashion and culture picks for the season and beyond
Text SOPHIE CLARK

Favourite movie Favourite album

PULP FICTION TRILOGY - THE WEEKND

Nylon jacket by PRADA Black Edition ribbed

from FLANNELS technical cotton half-zip in
Cedro by CANALI

Peas umbrella by PALACE

Favourite book
NATIVES by AKALA
Calf-leather Lock Bag
by DUNHILL

Rust Ernie leather jacket

by PARAJUMPERS

Photos Alamy, John Murray Press, Rebublic Records

Gore-Tex ripstop down jacket Tailored cotton jersey trousers

Lewis Munro
by STONE ISLAND by BURBERRY from FLANNELS

STYLIST for Rhythm Nation

‘I’m obsessed with jackets, so AW is my favourite season. I’m into bold prints and brightly coloured outerwear, something to help lift the mood
during dull winter months. It’s also a bit more exciting than head-to-toe black, although I do tend to keep the rest of my look pretty low key.
I think everyone should invest in at least one statement coat, and if you’re going to spend the money, why not get something that stands out?’
 ‘This was the soundtrack to my
childhood; my Mama had it on repeat.’
AMAZING GRACE - ARETHA FRANKLIN

Coco Noir Eau de Parfum

by CHANEL Black textured leather bucket bag by
PRADA from NET-A-PORTER

Cable gold-plated bracelet by LAURA

LOMBARDI from NET-A-PORTER

Favourite book
QUEENIE by CANDICE
CARTY-WILLIAMS

Favourite movie
HIGHER LEARNING

Clarissa double-breasted coat by OFFICINE

GÉNÉRALE from SELFRIDGES

Mika oversized shirt by ANINE BING

from NET-A-PORTER
Photos Alamy, Orion, Atlantic Records

Belted nylon trousers by PRADA Suede and mesh Air Max 95 trainers

Ekua King
from NET-A-PORTER by NIKE from SELFRIDGES

PHOTOGRAPHER for Every Little Step

‘My signature style is very classic and minimal, with hints of sportswear. My go-to colour palette is monochrome and I love to accessorise with
chunky gold jewellery. My working week is quite varied, from shooting and meetings to location recces and castings, so clothing that is relaxed
and versatile is important for me. The scent of my childhood is Chanel; that’s all my Mama wears and now it’s all I wear. I live in Chanel Noir.’
 Large BB-logo buckle earrings by
BALENCIAGA from MATCHESFASHION Cotton twill bonnet cap
with transparent detail
by BURBERRY

Valary T blazer by TIGER

OF SWEDEN

Reversible and adjustable Gancini

leather belt by FERRAGAMO.COM

Favourite film
THE FUGITIVE KIND

Favourite book
THE FOUNTAINHEAD
- AYN RAND
GG canvas jacket by GUCCI

MÉTÉORE by
LOUIS VUITTON
Photos Alamy, Signet Books, Columbia Records

Luido leather boots by ISABEL Favourite album

Karen Binns
MARANT from MATCHESFASHION AFTER HOURS WITH SARAH VAUGHAN

STYLIST for Ascension

‘I feel this upcoming winter season needs my old soul. The pieces I’ve chosen are giving me life! Especially
during the dreaded, non-social Covid boredom, we all need a little luxe, with a beat! Sensuality, over cheap
sex... it’s winter… whatever you do, take your time and really think about it. It’s worth it in the end!’
 Directory

Favourite book
THE OUTSIDER – STEPHEN KING
‘A proper, intense thriller with
an unthinkable twist.’

White-gold, diamond and oystersteel

Datejust 31 watch by ROLEX

Cashmere hoodie by FEAR OF GOD

FOR ERMENEGILDO ZEGNA
from MR PORTER

Ashby wax jacket

by BARBOUR

Favourite movie
‘CARLITO’S WAY, with Al Pacino.
The acting and story are next to nothing
and the style, from the clothes to the
music, is amazing.’

PSG Alpha bomber jacket by NOBIS

Favourite album
GET RICH OR DIE TRYIN’ – 50 CENT
‘One of the best hip hop albums
ever made.’
Photos Alamy, Hodder & Stoughton, Aftermath

Yeezy Boost 380 Primeknit trainers by Grey mélange fabric and leather

Tariq Howes
ADIDAS ORIGINALS from MR PORTER tote by SALVATORE FERRAGAMO

GROOMER for Every Little Step

‘I love this time of year. As the weather starts to get colder, I get to wear my jackets and gilets and play
around with layers and textures. My wardrobe has plenty of my favourite items for this time of year
and I can’t wait to wear them already.’
 Liberation

BLACK LIVES MATTER

T H E 15 t h A N N I V E R S A R Y I S S U E
 This is a Black Square.
The Black Square represents an opportunity
to do what you want, say what you want
and be who you want.
There are no rules within the Black Square;
it symbolises freedom.
For the AW20 issue of GQ Style,
the Black Square is our cover star.
Within this feature, numerous friends
and collaborators have created their own
message, to contribute towards this
monumental cultural shift.
The Black Squares are messages of support,
to create a better world for everybody.
ELGAR JOHNSON
 Liberation

Elgar Johnson
CURATOR, ISSUE 31

‘Every person in this picture has suffered racist abuse at some point in their life.
We stand together as one.
We are family.’
 Amoako Boafo for Dior
ARTIST

‘I intend for my works, including the work for this cover, to burst with values of liberation, all confronting and challenging representations
of individuals. I prioritise the rich and multifaceted stories of the African diaspora.’
 Liberation

Virgil Abloh for Louis Vuitton

MEN’S ARTISTIC DIRECTOR, LOUIS VUITTON

‘THE QUOTE IS IN THE IMAGE.’

 Terry & Tricia Jones
FOUNDERS, i-D

‘When Elgar asked us to design one of the covers for this special issue, at first I was very hesitant... we’re white, we’re pretty old, we’re
both extremely privileged (and grateful), so I didn’t feel confident that we could add anything relevant or informative to the conversation.
However, after a day or so I realised that I’d been following the unbelievably tragic story of the death of Elijah McClain (approximately
one year ago) for the past few months and if we were allowed to, there was something that I very much wanted to use our voice for.
Please follow this story for yourselves… the police involved in this tragic death need to be fully investigated, and anyone responsible for
Photos Ken Ji

his death should be prosecuted and put in jail! This is just one of the many daily deaths of innocent Black people happening in the USA today,
continually going unrecorded and unpunished. It has to stop! We have used photos taken by Ken Ji from one of the many violin rallies
held in Elijah McClain’s name, demanding true justice.’
 Liberation

IDK
Photo Micaiah Carter

RAPPER, SINGER, SONGWRITER AND PRODUCER

‘The cloth represents roots.

The doll represents youth.
And I represent the 70%, which is education.’
 Little Simz for Gucci
ARTIST

‘Identifying with my Blackness has been a beautiful journey. One that hasn’t always been the easiest to comprehend myself, living in this day and age,
but one that has taught me so much about appreciating my roots and my culture, making me the woman I am today. My mother’s teachings have been
an integral part of my growth and she has set the best example for myself and my sisters as young Black women growing up in London. As I continue on
this never-ending adventure of finding myself, I often stop to think about the progress we as Black people have made over the years, and it leaves me
hopeful and optimistic about the future. I do believe there is still a long way to go, but I can appreciate and recognise the commitment made by those
doing everything in their power to ensure change within our society is happening. Photography, being one of my creative outlets to express myself, has
Photo Little Simz

allowed me to capture moments, even stories I feel need to be told, perhaps through a lens and not always a pen. The likes of Deana Lawson and Gordon
Parks have been huge inspirations of mine. Their work and their story has inspired me beyond words. Black, to me, is unconditional love. Love that was
always present in my household growing up. Love that knows no limitations or boundaries. Love that is not prejudice. Love that exists in all of God’s
spaces. Love that will live on through generations to come. Love that will always live within one’s self.’

108
 Liberation

Munroe Bergdorf
MODEL AND ACTIVIST

‘Marking GQ Style’s 15th anniversary, this cover is dedicated to the Black trans lives that have been needlessly cut short in 2020.
A reminder that all Black lives matter and that we must protect Black trans futures.’
 Tommy Hilfiger
FOUNDER AND DESIGNER

‘Liberation is the freedom to be your true self, voicing your opinion and ideas without fear of repercussion. Until everyone feels empowered
and able to do so, we must join together to drive true, inclusive change in our world.’
Photo PYMCA/Universal Images Group via Getty Images Liberation

Riccardo Tisci for Burberry

CHIEF CREATIVE OFFICER, BURBERRY

‘Throughout my life, I have always fought for equality, to include those who have been excluded. There is no place for racism.
Black lives matter. The future is love.’
 TRANSATLANTIC
LOVE
AFFAIR
Model and activist Munroe Bergdorf highlights the on-going fight for Black and transgender equality,
and curates a celebration of transgender talent, strength and beauty from the UK and the US
Photography SCANDEBERGS
F
or true progress, for lasting, tangible
and revolutionary progress, Blackness
in the eyes of white society must exist
outside of a trend. Black lives can’t matter
if we are only consumed in parts, if we are
only seen and accepted in parts. Throughout
Western history, the Black experience has
been dissected, diluted and appropriated by
a world that was built in part by us, but not for us.
Black music, Black hair, Black slang, Black style,
Black bodies, Black sexuality, Black culture have
been embraced, but often without the context
of truly understanding Black lives, or the roots
from whence Black culture came. There is little
understanding that Blackness in its truest sense is,
by nature, resistance and resilience. In the West it
was born out of survival, passed down generation
to generation. For many it was all they had, when
they themselves were stolen, trafficked and put
to work as the property of another human being,
who had been emboldened by the state because
of their money and the ‘whiteness’ of their skin.
But these are uncomfortable facts. Facts that
have been consciously whitewashed out of how
we talk about race and teach our histories. We
are sold the lie that enough time has passed
since colonialism, slavery and segregation, that
we should move forward and be glad; that there
couldn’t possibly be a lasting legacy of trauma
for centuries of violence, captivity, ostracism
and subjugation. But as a community we have
known this not to be true, we have known that
the violence is still there, thinly veiled under an
illusion of equality. We are told that we live in a
‘tolerant’ society, but who wants to be tolerated
rather than respected? To be tolerated suggests
that you are a guest, that ‘this space is not yours
but we are allowing you in it’. In 1992, the late,
great Toni Morrison said, ‘In this country,
American means white. Everybody else has to
hyphenate,’ and the same rings true for the UK.
When I was growing up in a predominantly
white area, the narrative was that racism didn’t
exist any more. That it was water under the bridge
and shouldn’t be talked about. That we are all
equal and to disagree was an act of divisiveness
in itself. But the divide was always there, the
Styling BEN SCHOFIELD Text MUNROE BERGDORF
violence and inequality is still there, yet talking
about the violence I would experience seemed
more controversial than the violence itself. It was
always clear to me that I was navigating a reality
that did not reflect the lived experiences of my
white peers. That my difference mattered, despite
being told we are all the same. But we are not
the same and that is something to be celebrated,
something to be embraced and understood.
Equality is still to be fought for. We need to
understand that racism has changed, just as
society has changed. Archaic understandings
or dictionary definitions will not help us push
forward into a shared reality where we can truly
understand and respect each other. Especially
if those definitions are not the product of
contemporary Black lived experiences. Black Lives
Matter is a movement that has highlighted this
issue within white society. That the functioning
of systemic racism is still not widely understood
by many who unconsciously contribute to the
problem. That we are living in a culture where
racism is still thought of as overt and conscious
individual acts, when in actuality it is largely
upheld by lack of education, unconscious bias and
systemic inequality. Racism today is insidious,
hidden – but it is, and has always been, here.
W
ith transgender visibility and
representation in the media at
an all-time high, we are again
navigating a reality that could be mistaken for
being more progressive than it truly is. In the UK,
hate crimes against transgender people surged by
81 per cent in 2019 and our rights to self-identify
have been debated and denied by cisgender MPs,
most of whom have little to no understanding
of the lived experiences of transgender people.
Instead of acknowledging the obstacles that we
face with regards to employment, healthcare and
public safety, we are inundated by journalists
intent on dragging out redundant conversations
of which bathrooms we should use and whether
we should be allowed access to women-only
spaces and services. In the US, transgender
people have been banned from serving in the
military, at the behest of President Donald
Trump, whose administration has also finalised
a roll-back of Obama-era healthcare protections
for transgender citizens, leaving them open to be
legally sexually discriminated against. In addition
to this, year on year the number of murdered
Black transgender women increases. Whilst the
average life expectancy of an American woman
may be 80 years old, the life expectancy for a
Black transgender women is just 35.
In the wake of the Black Lives Matter protests
following the high-profile killings of Eric Garner,
Michael Brown, Tamir Rice, Walter Scott, Aston
Sterling, Philando Castile, Stephon Clark,
Breonna Taylor and George Floyd, we must not
forget that, so far this year, at least 30 transgender
and gender-non-conforming people, the majority
Black transgender women, have also been killed.
That globally in 2019, at least 331 transgender
people suffered violent deaths – the majority,
transgender women of colour. So when we say
ALL Black lives matter, it is in recognition of the
fact that when a Black person of the LGBTQ+
experience is killed, we need to shout ten times
as loud to be heard and to receive justice.
So, what’s next? Well, it goes way beyond
the posting of a black square on Instagram. In
order to progress, we need to start having some
uncomfortable conversations. We need to look
at society as a system and acknowledge the role
we all play within it. We need to confront our
bias, our privilege and the impact that it has on
the people around us whose marginalisation
outweighs our own. We need to revisit the
everyday practices of institutions such as the
police, who are not serving the general population
in a fair or equal way. We need to move the
conversation forward by not only listening to
marginalised folk, but also ensuring that we have
a say in our own present and futures.
We have found ourselves at a crossroads, where
the divide that has always been there is now
undeniable. A passive approach to progress can
no longer be considered appropriate. It’s time that
we are active in confronting ourselves, so that we
can embrace lasting change. Angela Davis said it
best: ‘In a racist society, it is not enough to be
non-racist, we must be anti-racist.’
 Feather-trimmed satin mini
‘We need to look dress by 16ARLINGTON
from MATCHESFASHION;
at society 1980s vintage Chanel earrings
from SUSAN CAPLAN; long
and the role we velvet gloves by DIOR
all play in it’
MUNROE BERGDORF
 ‘You have the power to
break generational curses.
Don’t believe what
they’ve taught you. They
don’t believe it themselves’
NAEEM DAVIS

Long double-notch-lapel coat

and long-sleeve buttonless
shirt, both by GIVENCHY
‘ Take your activism Protect trans futures

off the internet.

Does it help or
hinder?’
KAI-ISAIAH JAMAL

Lamé wool and silk jacket by

GUCCI; cotton poplin shirt
by HERMÈS; 1990s vintage
Elizabeth Taylor earrings and
1980s vintage Chanel pendant,
both from SUSAN CAPLAN
Lurex coat by
WOOYOUNGMI; ‘I still cannot leave the house
tweed jacket by
HUISHAN ZHANG how I wish to look and be
from SELFRIDGES;
metal and palladium safe and free from violence’
crystal earrings
by GUCCI TRAVIS ALABANZA
Silk corset by
PARNELL MOONEY; Protect trans futures
shirt by TIGER OF
SWEDEN; jewellery
Mykki’s own

‘ The train has left the

station on global trans
rights. It’s not a matter
of if, but when’
MYKKI BLANCO

Munroe’s hair stylist Mikai

McDermott Munroe’s
make-up Bianca Spencer
Mykki’s make-up Karin
Westerlund at Artlist Paris,
using MAC Cosmetics
Mykki’s stylist’s assistant
Lucie Taillandier Hair
stylist Ali Pirzadeh at
JAQ Management, using
Schwarzkopf got2b
Make-up Mata Mariélle
at JAQ Management,
using Clarins Men Photo
assistants Felix Turnbull
Walter, Michaela Letang,
Hannah Burton Stylist’s
assistant Kit Swann
Hair assistant Linus
Johansson Make-up
assistant Marie Reitner
Production KO Collective
Location and special
thanks to Spring Studios
Photography SHARIF HAMZA
Styling ANATOLLI SMITH

‘We need cis

partners to
speak loudly
and lovingly
about us.
Our lives
depend on it’
PEPPERMINT

Gold metallic silk lamé

Dream gown by
MATTHEW REISMAN
 Protect trans futures

‘It is my life’s goal

to dismantle
white supremacy’
DEVIN-NORELLE

Pinstripe bottle-top pure

virgin wool suit by BOBBY
DAY; turtle-neck latex tank
top by GIVENCHY; earrings
Devin-Norelle’s own

119
 Ruffled technical-fabric
‘I am worthy of taking dress by LANVIN; spinel,
white-gold and diamond
up space. I am worthy earrings by DAVID YURMAN;
white-gold and diamond
of being celebrated’ necklace by CARTIER;
yellow-gold and diamond ring
JARI JONES by KAVANT & SHARART
 Protect trans futures

‘We deserve
to live
unencumbered
by others’
expectations’
RAQUEL WILLIS

Cotton coat and shorts by

DRIES VAN NOTEN; gold,
emerald and diamond
earrings by MATEO NEW
YORK; necklace, bangle and
ring (on fourth finger), all by
STATE PROPERTY; ring (on
middle finger) Raquel’s own
 ‘Seeing my community winning gives me hope.
Knowing my work inspires people gives me hope’
LEIOMY MALDONADO

Floral one-shoulder gown by RICHARD QUINN; yellow-gold and diamond ring by CARTIER

Hair stylist Nai’vasha Johnson at The Wall Group Make-up Grace Ahn at Julian Watson Agency Manicurist Gina Edwards at See Management
Set design Colin Lytton Production Natalie Gill at Anne du Boucheron and KO Collective Casting director Ben Schofield
 Protect trans futures

‘We need support.

We need a president
who will pass
laws to protect us’
TRACEY NORMAN

Silk dress with crystal-

embroidered collar by GUCCI
EVERY
L I T T L E

STEP

Photography EKUA KING Styling CANDICE BAILEY

 Shakiel wears blue
wool jacket and pink
turtle-neck cashmere
knit, both by BERLUTI;
earrings stylist’s own
Taylor wears pinstripe wool suit by MSGM; yellow roll neck stylist’s own
Fix up
Taylor wears pinstripe wool suit by MSGM; yellow roll neck stylist’s own
 Fix up

Shakiel wears pink turtle-neck cashmere knit by BERLUTI; silver and gold 9ct bonded curb necklace
and 9ct gold small curb chain necklace, both by H SAMUEL; earrings stylist’s own
Shakiel (left) wears brown double-breasted wool blazer by WOOYOUNGMI; white cotton turtle neck by VERSACE.
Joram (right) wears yellow trim-detail silk and cotton suit jacket by FENDI
 Fix up

Diayo wears 1980s vintage Chanel gold-plated quilted pendant necklace and 1980s vintage Monet weave
necklace, both from SUSAN CAPLAN; gold earring by STEPHEN EINHORN
Joram wears yellow trim-detail silk and cotton suit jacket by FENDI; 1980s vintage Monet weave necklace
and 1990s vintage silver-plated rope chain, both from SUSAN CAPLAN
 Fix up

Jeffery wears purple oversize peak-lapel jacket and red skinny-fit trousers, both by GIVENCHY; black cotton T-shirt by SUNSPEL;
1980s vintage Givenchy G-link necklace and 1990s vintage silver-plated rope chain, both from SUSAN CAPLAN

Groomer Tariq Howes Skin Lesley Vye, using NARS Models Andre, Diayo, Jeffery, Joram, Shakiel and Taylor c/o Troy Westwood
Casting director Troy Westwood Photo assistant Kwesi Dean Stylist’s assistant Ruairi Horan Production KO Collective Location 63 Sun Studio
 Photography MICAIAH CARTER Styling IDK/TAYLOR OKATA Text NICK GRIMSHAW

Rapper, writer and producer IDK shares his thoughts on fate, his creative process and his musical influences
 IDK

Short-sleeve inside-out
T-shirt and NBA Antarctica
monogram messenger bag,
both by LOUIS VUITTON;
wrap cap and jewellery,
all IDK’s own
The London-born, US-raised rapper knows a thing or two about life experience. At 28, he’s already
worked with Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo of The Neptunes. He’s currently in the middle of
devising a music business programme at Harvard University, but his own education has been
a tougher kind. Here, he talks candidly with Nick Grimshaw (in a Zoom chat back in October)
about growing up in Maryland – where the music scene wasn’t exactly what he was into – finding
therapy through his own music and using his influence for positive change in a tumultuous time...

Where in the world are you?
I am in LA, although I’m looking to get a place in Maryland as well so I can
be close to home. Maryland is where I’m from.
Do you miss Maryland?
Yes, but after a week of being there, I don’t any more! I think it’s definitely an
amazing place to live, but it’s very slow in comparison to LA. There is a lot
going on in [Washington] D.C. but not for music. It’s more politics.
Are you going to relocate there?
No, I’m going to be in LA, I’m just going to have a place over there.
Get some real estate, get some equity. I am actually building another
property in Joshua Tree in California, which is going to be really interesting,
so my plan is to do these three [places] and then just chill on real estate
for a bit and then wait for it to continue to grow afterwards if it seems like
it’s working for me.
I didn’t know this from listening to your music, but you were actually
born in the UK, right?
I was born in London – in Clapham, to be exact.
Do you have some English family?
My dad is from Ghana and my mum is from Sierra Leone in Africa. Mum
grew up in America, then moved back to Africa, and when she was about
19, she moved to London and lived there. I think my dad went straight from
Africa to England – he was living there for a few years before my mum came.
Have you spent much time in the UK?
I have, and I’m actually going to be there after the US election. I’m going
to pack up and go visit. I have a lot of family out there too.
Is there anything you like to do or enjoy when you’re over here?
The UK has some of the best women – that’s one thing I will say about
it. It’s a good place to be when you want to get away from what you’re used
to. All the random fast-food restaurants with no real names that you have
– I love that.
What kind of kid were you at school?
I was a lost kid, and being a lost kid means a lot of different things for
me. I always felt like I was trying to prove myself to fit in, to prove to myself
that I was doing the stuff that your parents don’t want you to do, like get
into a lot of trouble. I grew up middle class but generally in bad areas, so
when I went to school, it was one of the worst schools in the entire county.
Because of that, it was this weird dynamic of knowing right from wrong but
wanting to do wrong.
Was music a big thing when you were growing up?
When I was at school, I used to be part of a go-go band, which is what people
in the D.C. area listened to. It was their style of music and I wanted to do

‘I was doing
something in music from the age of 16. It’s just at that time, I never thought
it would be what I have become now.

the stuff your Do you remember a moment when you thought this was going
to be your career?
parents don’t It was when it was time to register for college and I wasn’t trying to go to

want you to do, college, so I took this last $500 and shot a music video with it, and at that moment
I thought, ‘I have to do this’. I had a meeting with my friends and said that

like get in a lot we have to turn it up, we have to make this rap shit work.

of trouble’
What was the initial drive to make that leap?
It was never to make money. There was a [media company] in Maryland
 IDK

Cotton chinos, chain-link

necklace, reversible belt and
Alzer suitcase, all by LOUIS
VUITTON; custom doll and
head wrap, both made by stylist;
other jewellery, IDK’s own
NBA tonal suit jacket
by LOUIS VUITTON;
jewellery, IDK’s own

‘I was a lost kid, and being lost means a lot of different things to me’
 IDK

Double-breasted tailored
coat, long-sleeve inside-out
T-shirt and Alzer suitcase, all
by LOUIS VUITTON; beanie
and jewellery, all IDK’s own
called 1st Impression Studios, and I had this concept and Chris [from 1st
Impression Studios] loved it so much, and he said we can shoot this video
for $500. I have a line in my new album that’s: ‘I never look back, look how
far I have come, a watch and where’s the time gone.’
It seems like this year has been crazy, especially in America,
where there has been so much going on socially and politically. How
is LA at the moment?
LA is always the first to want to riot, and it was intense after the killing of
George Floyd. I went out a couple of times and it was unreal, like a movie.
You know, I am going to do what I can on my part in helping move America
in a positive way, especially with the influence I have, but it’s crazy because
we don’t know what’s going to happen.
We didn’t think [President Donald] Trump was going to win [in 2016], and
he did. There is a lot of uncertainty. There are a lot of people who like Trump.
We don’t see these people, or at least we don’t think we see these people. We
don’t know where this can go but I know that as things intensify, depending
on [the US election], the decision that America makes, things can get really
calm or really ugly.
There has been a lot of unrest this year. How does that affect you?
Does it make you want to create more?
It affects me in terms of worry. I don’t let anything that I can’t fully control
worry me – so, for me I am the main poison.
I look at the positives, no matter what in life,
because as soon as you worry, you stop enjoying
whatever is happening. We have the power and ‘I look at the
positives in
control to not let things bother us. I don’t want
certain things to happen, and I’m going to do the
best I can to not make them happen. I am not going
life. We have
the power to
to worry about it, and so because of that, creating
has been pretty easy. I finished an album, I’m doing
multiple video productions – everything that I am a
part of, I am pretty much producing myself or with not let things
someone that’s not a third party. Because the music
is about done already. Everything that is going on at
bother us’
the moment has definitely inspired a couple of verses.
Your 2019 album, Is He Real?, is, to me, very much like a collage
because there are so many different, brilliant sounds, ideas and
samples. It felt like an insight into your brain. Was that intentional?
I make music based off of what I feel and what I like – a lot of different
things. The way people’s minds are trained or not trained to get a buffet from
one artist. We’re trained to go to McDonald’s and get a burger and fries, you
know? We’re not trained to go to McDonald’s and get Chinese food.
A lot of people consume music the same way, and that’s only because a lot
of artists aren’t very diverse in their sound. I believe I can do it well and it
comes from an authentic place. And so I don’t fear making things that can be
considered different. I think the main thing that glues everything together
is my story and what’s authentic about it, and my voice – being able to tell
that story. It’s me working on my ability to be diverse in what I make, and it’s
most importantly training the audience to accept diversity within an artist,
because there are going to be people who come up after me and they are
going to have to be not put in a box.
How do you ensure that you are in the right frame of mind to do your
best when you go in the studio?
It’s how you feel, and [then] how you feel when things come out. If it doesn’t
feel right, no matter what people are telling you, then it is time to let it go.
There are so many songs that I have started with one or two or three lyrics
and I just have to let them go.
If I do something on a beat I don’t like, that beat goes to waste. You have
to be patient and know that you are going to have more bad ideas than good,
at least to you. But the good ones make up for the bad ones, and that is how
I work. I was talking to Tyler, The Creator, and I was saying that I haven’t been
making that much music off of thinking, I have just been feeling, and he said
that’s how you do it every time – you feel it.
Is collaborating ever intimidating – just pouring your heart
out in front of somebody?
I’ve learned to abandon the feeling of being afraid of letting people know
my truth. I say things in my music that most people would not talk about
themselves, and I think that is what makes me, me. And I am OK with that,
and that is the strongest ability any artist has. An artist can be therapy for
people – that is what we really are. I was talking to a Harvard professor and
we discussed how artists are so important that we need to make sure the arts
are taken just as seriously as science.
We have the ability to change people’s mind and feelings. I was just
in the studio with Pharrell [Williams] and Chad [Hugo] and that was a
collaboration that was kind of different for me, because I went into that
room saying: ‘These are the gods; whatever they tell me to do, I am going to
do.’ Nobody writes my shit, no one tells me what to do – I do a lot of things
myself – but if Pharrell told me to make a song about poop, I would probably
just do it to see how it turned out. I would trust him.
How was it in the studio with a legend?
I was mentally prepared before it even happened. But let’s just say on the
morning that I turned up to the studio, I was definitely nervous. But I was
ready because this was going to be one of many. When I came in, I think
we were meant to meet at 9 or 10, and so I turned up early and so did he.
I walked into the studio and the first person I see is Pharrell, and I was like,
‘Oh, my bad, I’m sorry I came early, I wanted to make
sure I was in the right place.’ So we just talked a little,
had some conversation and then I told him what
I wanted and we made five songs.
What happens when you leave the studio after
making music with someone like Pharrell? Can
you just go home and watch TV? Or have you got
to work on the next song?
It happens and then I think about it time and time
again and then I say: ‘Damn, I got this song with
Pharrell,’ and then I listen to it again and I’m like,
‘Damn, I did that.’ This was what I had been dreaming
about. I used to listen to these guys in my room and
I did that. I do it with Kanye [West] all the time, with Pharrell, with a bunch
of people. You know, I can pick up my phone and just call a bunch of people,
and they care what I have to say, and so for me it’s more like I want those
people to be proud, so I want to continue to grow and get better.
Do you find that being honest liberates other parts of your life?
If I didn’t have music, I would not be able to cope with some of the things
I have coped with. It’s a form of therapy – all of these thoughts and feelings
and songs. It’s self-reflection a lot of the time, and when things come out,
I think, ‘Oh, wow, that’s wild, this happened to me at that age and now I am
this way because of it.’ It makes sense. It’s the things that a therapist would
usually tell you, but I am learning them through my music and through being
authentic in my music.
With that being said, now I am in a place where I think, ‘That is what we
have accomplished; that is where we are going with this.’ I need to continue
to express myself in this music because, for now, it is keeping me kind of sane
before I take the time out to find someone who I can talk to about this stuff;
about some of these traumatic things that happened to me.
You have been very open in interviews and in your music about
your life. The song Julia on your album is about your mum’s passing,
and you have spoken about your time in jail. I have seen YouTube
videos where you said that going to jail was the best thing that ever
happened to you...
Jail was the best thing that ever happened to me because it created a level
of maturity that would not have come from anywhere else. You guys are all
talking about quarantine and I am here laughing that this is nothing, it ain’t
shit. I have been blessed to be able to go to jail in the way that I did. I have
been to jail three times and prison once. But rarely at a young age do you go
to prison long enough to gain the lessons that come with prison.
 IDK

Jail is where you go if you are awaiting

trial and prison is where you go when you
have five, ten, 15 years [to serve]. I have been
to jail with people who have been in there
for pretty much their whole life. All of these
things that I was there for were for seven
months. I was meant to be there for a year
but I paroled out after seven months. I learnt
some valuable lessons, and one of them was
patience. Another was maturity because
I was in there with Bloods, Crips, Aryan
Brothers – there’s all kinds of different gangs.
I was never in a gang; I was able to
survive without doing that. I was cool with
everybody and everybody was cool with me.
I learned how to carry myself as a man, but
in a way where nobody could predict what
my next move would be. No one knew who
I was fully and that kept people on edge
enough to not try certain things, and also
getting really cool with some of the people
who had a lot of power there but didn’t want
me to get involved with none of that.
Actually, I messaged one of my friends
the other day who is still in federal prison.
I was there eight years ago, and he was there
five years prior to me. He thinks he is going
to be there for another eight years at least.
He is the person I talk to online every
now and again, and he is a higher-ranking
member of a gang. He was the person in jail
who told me I needed to rap. He was like
a guardian angel for me because he was
the reason why a lot of things never really
happened and I never had to join a gang.
This is the craziest part – we connected
through GQ magazine when we were in jail.
We were both into fashion and that’s how we
knew what was going to be hot. We would
read every GQ magazine that came into jail.
I have a notebook where I wrote down every
brand that I found in GQ and I thought:
‘When I get home I am going to be killing T-shirt and Antarctica basketball keep-all, both LOUIS VUITTON; wrap cap and ring, both IDK’s own
it with this shit ’cause nobody is going to
know what this is.’
I told him recently that I was doing this cover for GQ Style and he within those people. It’s not a coincidence. How is it a coincidence that
flipped out. Imagine one day meeting someone in prison and them saying, we were reading GQ [in prison]? He’s telling me that I need to rap and then
‘Yo, I think you could be a big rapper, you should pursue this,’ and then years later I am on the cover of GQ Style.
they’re reading this magazine. It’s come full circle and now I’m on the cover When is the new album coming out?
of it. It’s a crazy, crazy story. It’s looking like 2021.
Do you believe in fate because of this? How does it feel pouring so much of yourself into a project and then
Yes. There is that thing people say about us as human beings and it’s that we letting everyone hear it? How do you know when it’s finished?
are so smart that we are stupid – that we know nothing. We say science says I don’t think there’s a way of being able to say something is finished, with art.
this and that this is really a coincidence, but if you look at the Earth and you You get to a point where you like it so much that you don’t want to fuck it up,
want to talk about science, you want to talk about engineering, this world so you leave it alone. Trust your abilities; it’s just like a level of satisfaction.
was engineered so perfectly. That’s how I know when it’s finished. There is always more I can do, and I can
We break down the anatomy of a leaf all of the way to the anatomy of always change it, but I have now shifted my ideas out of the creative of the
a human being, and whoever put that all together, that’s not coincidence where music and more into the creative of the roll-out and other things.
it just happened. There is something that is engineering this – the smartest, I am currently working on this curriculum with a few offices at Harvard
most genius engineer in the world. Some people call them an engineer, some University and we are doing this whole music business programme for next
people call them God, but there’s a whole other part of this engineering year, which is going to be pretty cool. So I have been occupied with that and
that has to do with spirituality and with putting the right people in with the lesson plan. My mind is now shifting out of music and into the other
the right place at the right time, and creating certain things that happen things around it.
 IDK

This page: Cashmere crew-

neck knit and gold-link chain
necklace, both by LOUIS
VUITTON; other jewellery, all
IDK’s own. Opposite page:
NBA tonal suit jacket by
LOUIS VUITTON; cap and
jewellery, all IDK’s own
NBA strass pendant necklace,
LV chain-link bracelet, keep-
all, blanket and city guides, all
by LOUIS VUITTON; wrap
cap and jewellery, IDK’s own
NBA tonal suit jacket and IDK
slim-fit trousers, both by
LOUIS VUITTON; cap and
jewellery, all IDK’s own

‘I don’t let
anything
I can’t fully
control worry
me – I am the
main poison’
NBA knit jacket, multi-
pocket trousers and
solitaire case, all by
LOUIS VUITTON;
jewellery, IDK’s own
 IDK

NBA knit jacket, trousers,

NBA strass pendant necklace,
keep-all and solitaire case,
all by LOUIS VUITTON;
other jewellery, IDK’s own

Art direction IDK/Jesse Rose for Original Creative Agency Beauty Ashley Lee Photo assistants Jordie Turner and Sam Rivera Stylist’s assistant Karla Pichardo Photo tech James Goethals
Production assistant Fiona Feder for Original Creative Agency Production Original Creative Agency Location Milk Studios, Los Angeles
C

O
Issue 3. AW 2006.

V
Issue 11. AW 2010.

To mark the 15th

E anniversary of GQ Style,
here are all our covers
in a retrospective
that celebrates not
only 15 years of fashion,
but also the talent that
goes into producing
each and every cover,
from our legendary

R
photographers and
stylists to the exciting
and diverse cover stars
who bring it all to life.
Issue 24. SS 2017.
2 0 0 5 - 2 0 2 0

U
Issue 7. AW 2008.

P
Issue 25. AW 2017.
Issue 16. SS 2013.
Issue 27. AW 2018.

Issue 5. AW 2007.
Issue 17. AW 2013.

Issue 13. AW 2011.

149
 Issue 28. SS 2019.

Issue 26. SS 2018.

Issue 2. SS 2006.
Issue 15. AW 2012.

Issue 22. SS 2016.

 Fifteen

Issue 8. SS 2009.
Issue 20. SS 2015.

Issue 18. SS 2014.

Issue 24. AW 2017.

Issue 22. SS 2016.

Issue 30. SS 2020.

Issue 1. AW 2005.
Issue 6. SS 2008. Issue 30. SS 2020.

Issue 29. AW 2019.

Issue 12. SS 2011.

Issue 16. SS 2013.

Issue 14. SS 2012.

 Fifteen

Issue 10. SS 2010.

Issue 9. AW 2009.
Issue 21. AW 2015.

Issue 4. SS 2007.
Issue 23. AW 2017.

Issue 19. AW 2014. Issue 28. SS 2019.

E X P R E S S

These are the faces of activism in Los Angeles, working for liberation

Photography DANIELLE LEVITT Styling COREY STOKES

Y O U R S E L F
‘I think my ‘It’s necessary
intention to be loud, to be
as a mom in the streets,
was very take up space
much to raise and let your
free Black voice be heard’
children’ VUAI AYUBU

JASIATIC ANDERSON

Jasiatic (left) wears suit and

scarf, both by DRIES VAN
NOTEN; jewellery Jasiatic’s
own. Vuai (right) wears jacket
by RHUDE; trousers by DIOR;
T-shirt and watch Vuai’s own
Viscose ribbed fringed dress
by BOTTEGA VENETA; ‘Liberation is an
head scarf Blair’s own
aspiration. It hasn’t
been something
that’s existed for
everyone. And if
it’s not existed for
everyone, then it
truly has existed
for no one’
BLAIR AMADEUS IMANI
 Activate

‘Liberation means equal opportunities to create your own version of existence,

whatever that looks like, as long as it isn’t hurting others’
IO TILLETT WRIGHT

Toile de Jouy intarsia wool crew-neck knit and multicolour asymmetrical paisley bimaterial shirt, both by DIOR
‘If you eliminate systems of oppression, and invest in systems of
accountability that prevent other oppressive systems thriving,
you build up a culture of accountability’
KENDRICK SAMPSON

Corduroy cotton Alex jacket by APC; vest Kendrick’s own

‘I organise Activate

because
I believe that
the voices of the
people aren’t
being heard’
DAVID CUNNINGHAM

Cotton canvas trench coat

by DIOR; teddy-bear vest by
THE ELDER STATESMAN
‘All Lives Matter
is just a group
of people feeling
uncomfortable
that when
someone says
Black Lives
Matter, that
doesn’t necessarily
support them’
JACKSON MONROE

Checked wool blazer by

DSQUARED2; calfskin
trousers by DIOR; belt by
DSQUARED2; T-shirt and
jewellery Jackson’s own
 Activate

‘If we can figure out a way to combine just what we have from our basic
resources, we can really create the future we want to see’
HAQUIKA HOWZE

Moline wool jacket by MARNI; T-shirt and jewellery Haquika’s own

161
‘We can create new systems, and it’s not as preposterous as everyone wants to
make it seem. And we have to be the pioneers of that change’
THANDIWE ABDULLAH

Alpaca-wool cardigan by LOEWE; T-shirt and jewellery Thandiwe’s own

 Activate

‘I like to think
of activism as
proactive and
less reactive.
So what I try
to do is create
opportunities’
SIX SEV

Jumper and belt by RALPH

LAUREN; jeans, pants and
jewellery Six Sev’s own
‘Liberation to
me is equity.
Equity for all
Black people,
including
disabled
people, trans
Black women,
dark-skin
Black people,
queer people,
mentally
ill people,
sick people’
PARISJOY JENNINGS

Bustier dress, turtle-neck knit, boots and gloves,

all by DSQUARED2; earrings Parisjoy’s own
 Activate

‘Liberation is being a visionary; it’s about unlocking your imagination’

DAHLIA FERLITO

Checked shirt by DSQUARED2; jeans and jewellery Dahlia’s own

‘I feel a real responsibility to acknowledge white supremacy
and start taking daily initiatives to break away from it’
BRANDON FLYNN

Vintage wool jacket by GUCCI; denim jeans by LEVI’S; T-shirt and jewellery, all Brandon’s own; belt, stylist’s own
‘Me being Activate

a Black man
and being
loud and
unapologetically
myself, that’s
why I do this’
JAMES KWEISI

Lace top by ANN

DEMEULEMEESTER;
leather trousers by COACH;
boots by BALENCIAGA;
jewellery James’s own

Hair stylists Lisa-Marie and

Ramdasha Bikceem
Make-up Esther Foster
Photo assistants Yolanda Leaney
and Sebastian Keefe
DOP Rasa Partin
Digital operator Amanda Yanez
Casting director Jorge Wright
Production KO Collective
Double-breasted shearling coat, bouclé-effect tank top, wool trousers, beige and black Atlas sandals, jacquard-print socks and CD icon necklace, all by DIOR
AMOAKO BOAFO
The acclaimed Ghanaian painter presents his collaboration
with Dior – wearing it for the first time – and reflects on
the evolving interconnection of art, identity and fashion

Photography LYNDON FRENCH Styling GARY ARMSTRONG Text DEAN KISSICK

Double-breasted shearling
coat, bouclé-effect tank
top, wool trousers, CD
icon necklace and tuxedo
belt, all by DIOR
 A is for...

Intarsia and jacquard

turtleneck, long-sleeve
T-shirt, denim trousers, suede
lace-up ankle boots and
tuxedo belt, all by DIOR
 attended Ghanatta College of Art and Design,
graduating in 2008 with an award for his
portraiture, and six years later moved to Vienna
with his artist lover, now wife, Sunanda Mesquita.
His great artistic breakthrough came when he
decided to relinquish control.
While continuing to paint his backgrounds and
his subjects’ clothes with brushes, Boafo started
painting their faces and hands with his fingers.
Five centuries ago, the great Venetian
Renaissance master Titian sometimes abandoned
his brushes, smearing his fingers through the
paint to convey a mood of sensuality, to become
his community, and the world that he inhabits.
Boafo recently opened I STAND BY ME, a show
of pattern-filled, beautiful oversized portraits
at Chicago’s Mariane Ibrahim Gallery, and that’s
where our conversation began.
Why did you choose the title I STAND BY ME?
The title of my current exhibition represents
my current state of self-reflection. Individualism
and individuality are crucial in times of
uncertainty, and this mindset has shifted my role
as an artist, and my viewpoint of my role as
a person. The traits associated with I STAND
BY ME are ever-important, for not only myself,

A
fter a long time out of favour, more sculptural, and Boafo has embraced a but for the general public during this pandemic
figurative painting has returned similarly colourful and intimate tactility. Today, and state of crisis. With bringing forth this vision
to the contemporary art scene when life can feel very abstract, and images in my current body of work on view, I hope to
with some fanfare. Few artists, misleading, his portraits are incontrovertibly invite the audience to reflect and, most
however, have enjoyed such a real: figurative paintings of real people, real importantly, to value themselves.
stratospheric rise over the last couple of years as friends, incorporating patterns he’s found and How did you choose your subjects for this new
Amoako Boafo. Before then, few in the upper reproduced by photo transfer, made with his series of portraits?
echelons of the art world had heard of the 36-year own hands, bearing the traces of his fingers. The subjects are those around me and those I am
old Ghanaian figurative painter. Though he’d His exhibitions are an index of his life, and inspired by in the creative world. Many are
lived in Vienna since 2014, not many curators,
critics and dealers had heard so much as a rumour
about the brilliant portraitist toiling away in his
studio right under their noses, painting his huge,
bold, expressive and joyful pictures with his
fingers, capturing the Black creatives and friends
that make up his social circle and inspire him.
In the spring of 2018, however, the American
painter Kehinde Wiley discovered Boafo’s work on
Instagram, and his whole life was turned upside
down. Now everything has changed: New York’s
most powerful galleries are competing for his
signature, his painting ‘The Lemon Bathing Suit’
(2019) was sold in February 2020 at Phillips for
£675,000 (that’s £625,000 above its high
estimate), and he’s collaborated with artistic
director Kim Jones on the gorgeous Dior Men’s
Summer 2021 collection, making him the first
African artist to have worked with the storied
French house.
Boafo and Jones were introduced last
December in Miami, where the former was on a
residency at the Rubell Museum and the latter
was showing Dior’s Pre-Fall collection, and hit it
off immediately. Soon afterwards, Jones and his
design team flew to Accra to visit the artist in his
studio there, and together they dreamt up
a collection of Boafo’s portraits and florals
rendered in embroidery and intarsia, jacquards
and knits inspired by close-up details of his
canvases, and splashes of the sunny colours he
often uses for his backgrounds.
Like many tales of overnight success, Boafo’s
journey to the top has actually been a long time in
the making. Growing up, he taught himself to
paint but wasn’t planning on making a living as
an artist – that never seemed much of a possibility
Raglan SL drawstring
for an ordinary boy like him in Accra – and was, unlined hooded anorak,
in fact, playing tennis semi-professionally until, striped long-sleeve
T-shirt and pleated
one lucky day, his mother’s employer offered to trousers, all by DIOR
pay his tuition for art school. Amoako duly
 A is for...

Jacquard-knit shirt, check-

print turtleneck, lined cargo
shorts, silver chain necklace
with gold charm and tuxedo
belt, all by DIOR
Multi-pocket leather shirt, fitted check-print turtleneck, wool trousers, beige and black Atlas sandals and jacquard-print socks, all by DIOR
 A is for...

visionaries, most of whom are underrepresented

and invisible; some who are already recognised.
‘My experience I represent them as grand and powerful in the
collaborating on the viewers’ eyes. Some remain anonymous, some are
revealed subtly through the title of the works, and
Dior Men’s Summer some titles name the person I am representing.

2021 collection has I enjoy both aspects of revealing the subjects, and
by being subtle about their identity, it leaves the
been mind-blowing’ viewer with a sense of mystery, and wonder.
Why do you use finger-painting only for
painting your subjects’ flesh?
The lack of control I have with using my fingers
is organic, and that shows through in the abstract
forms that create the beautiful faces of my
subjects. I love that this seemingly simple motion
can generate such an intense energy and create
almost sculptural figures.
What happened when Kim Jones came to
your studio?
When Kim came to Accra with his team and my
dealer, Mariane Ibrahim, he was instantly drawn
to my work ‘Green Beret’. That visit was
wonderful, as we had many incredible
conversations about the collection and about
Kim’s vision and my own. My experience
collaborating on the Dior Men’s Summer 2021
collection has been mind-blowing. We worked
together on how to utilise fashion as a vehicle for
art, and vice versa, and how the fusion of these
creative worlds will empower individuals. In
many ways, the fashion and art worlds are similar
in their creative venture, their craft. They convey
genuine messages about being, and self-worth.
This concept aligns with why I create artworks: to
elevate individuals, and to define oneself. Seeing
these images in a new way has not changed the
images I make but, rather, reinforced them.
Why do you like European wallpaper and
wrapping paper as materials?
These decorative elements allow a new
transformation of the figures, and their
environment, by embellishing them with patterns.
As my hope is to present my subjects in a vivid
way, I elevate their environment with colours and
intriguing patterns through the wallpaper. The
gift papers I’ve sourced adorn textiles on my
subjects. The subjects of my works and the
composition of their presence in my paintings put
forward definitive sentiments of how Black
people are not only constructing their own
identities, but celebrating them. The wallpapers
further embellish this sentiment.
Your paintings have often been compared
to Egon Schiele’s. Have Viennese artists like
him influenced you at all?
I enjoy bringing Black portraiture to Europe. I am
interested in creating work that incorporates
multicultural elements rooted in my experiences
in both Europe and Africa, including Egon
Schiele. In Ghana, the contemporary art scene
is still evolving; there are a lot of creatives and
talented individuals emerging out of Africa,
which is very exciting.
‘There are a lot
of creatives and
talented individuals
emerging out
of Africa, which
is very exciting’

Cable-knit turtleneck, mock-

neck long-sleeve T-shirt, wool
trousers, tuxedo belt and
silver-and-gold-finish brass
CD link ring, all by DIOR
 A is for...

Embroidered jacquard-knit
overshirt, bandana-collar
shirt, pleated trousers,
tuxedo belt and silver-and-
gold-finish brass CD link
ring, all by DIOR
 See-through patterned shirt,
bouclé-effect turtleneck, lined
cargo shorts, lace-up boots,
jacquard-print socks and
silver-and-gold-finish brass
CD link ring, all by DIOR
 A is for...

Jacquard-knit jumper, mock-

neck long-sleeve T-shirt,
wool trousers, Atlas sandals,
tuxedo belt and jacquard-
print socks, all by DIOR

Stylist’s assistant Jaclyn

Beattie Production KO
Collective With thanks to
Mariane Ibrahim Gallery
 Thousands gather
in Washington D.C.
to march for
racial equality, 28
August 1963

After six months of protests, activism and societal reckoning in the wake of George
Floyd’s death, five writers share their thoughts on the fight for racial justice and equality,
their own lived experiences, and their vision for the work that still needs to be done
‘People need to
be accountable’
Crystal Palace footballer Wilfried Zaha reflects
on being racially abused, the anonymity of social
media, and why education is the key to change
T
his year, racism and our
attitudes towards race
have been thrust to the
front of the conversation,
thanks to the Black Lives
Matter movement. In football, reports
of abuse in the professional game have
risen 42 per cent. It’s a statistic I’m all
too familiar with, having been on the
receiving end of such abuse throughout
my career, and it’s encouraging that more
voices fighting against this are now being
heard – and listened to.
But whilst gestures such as the No
Room For Racism badge on every Premier
League kit feel like a step in the right
direction, at the end of the day we need
action, and we need meaningful change:
not just a change in people’s behaviour,
but a change from those in positions of
power. I don’t think that hashtags are
going to do this, and there are too many
‘We need
causes that have just become trends. We
need to make sure that all the positive
action we’ve seen so far this year becomes
Photos Getty, Seb Frej-CPFC
much more than that. We all have
a responsibility to improve the society
that we live in, and while I don’t have all
of the answers, there are two ways I think
we could help create lasting change.
We can start with education, at an
age where children are so much more
DON’T
DREAM
IT’S
OVER
impressionable. In July, I was racially
abused over Instagram, by a 12-year-old
child. To be filled with so much hate at
such a young age doesn’t make sense to
me, and incidents like this are only going
to continue until we properly educate our
kids. Left to their own devices, children
will naturally play together, because in
their minds they are the same and they
want to have fun with their friends. And
yet, when they go into the classroom,
because of the way things are taught,
they end up seeing white as being more
important than Black. Throughout the
school year, children will be taught
history, and yet there is only one month
for learning about Black history. Why just
one? I was taught about Henry VIII – how
Text
many wives he had, and which of them
WILFRIED ZAHA
lived and died – but not once was I taught
about African kings and queens, let alone
about any Black British history. Kids need
to be educated properly about the past,
in order to form tolerant views for when
they come out of school.
I think back to the first occasion where
I was on the receiving end of social media
abuse, which was before anyone really
knew who I was as a footballer. It was
the night before Palace were due to play
at Manchester United, and I opened up
my Instagram to find a message from
someone saying: ‘I hope you break your
meaningful
leg and go back to the slums of Croydon.’
change:
not just a This was to be the first abusive message of
change in many throughout my career.
people’s The problem with social media is that it
behaviour, provides the luxury of anonymity. Anyone
but a change can make an account, under whatever
from those name, as many times as they like. There’s
in positions no identification verification; no checks
of power’ to prove that you are a real person. At
some point everyone needs to be held
accountable for what they do, and when
people go onto a social media platform
anonymously – be it Instagram, Twitter,
or any other – and abuse other people
because someone is a different colour
to them, it makes it hard for them to be
held accountable. That 12-year-old, for
example, had abused four other players
as well, from different accounts. I think
that this case needed to be more than just
a slap on the wrist: I requested that he
was made to complete an educational
course on race and diversity. The kid
eventually made a big apology, but it does
make you think: are you genuinely sorry
for what you have done, or are you just
apologising for having been caught out?
The second way to elicit change is for
social media platforms to do more. For my
generation, it is one of the most powerful
and informative tools of change. But when
I’ve gone to report some of the abuse
I’ve received, there’s been no explicit
report button for racism. I really don’t
know how in 2020 they can’t recognise
racism as a problem distinct from general
harassment. I think it says a lot about
these platforms that these problems are
still happening.
To be truly liberated is to be accepted:
for your race; for your nationality; for
your identity. To be able to live your life
free from judgement. As a footballer, I’m
used to diverse dressing rooms, where
players from all over the world are treated
as equals, and where everyone is in it
together. It feels like a society. And whilst
our own society can sometimes feel we’re
on different teams, 2020 has shown what
can happen when everyone fights together
to make a change.
Clockwise from top: Black Panthers outside the
New York County Criminal Court protest about
jailed members, 11 April 1969. Singer Mila Jam at
a BLM demonstration in New York, 16 June 2020.
An anti-racist protest against the National Front
in Slough, 25 April 1980

‘I felt depleted
and anguished’
Writer Chidozie Obasi discusses his own self-doubt,
the painful catalyst of George Floyd’s death, and
why equality must be more than a passing fad
A few years ago, I made a mistake
– a mistake small enough to not
cause any major downturns in my career,
but big enough to send me into A&E due
to an unrelenting sense of self-doubt that
kicked in from an unknown void. I was
extremely embarrassed to admit that
I also lost sleep over it, time after time,
asking for advice and rejecting it in turns,
in an everlasting vortex of self-torture.
Like I just said, I was extremely
embarrassed to admit it then, but here’s
me spilling the jar now (drumroll,
please…): I felt ashamed to embrace my
full Blackness in a goddamned white
reality (pardon my youth-speak). I was so
torn up that the wounds brought nothing
but pain. Not only was I – and luckily,
I still am – a man living in a modern
world, but the truth is that I’m also
a Black man, which means I have to work
twice as hard to earn my side of the coin.
Growing up in Italy was tremendously
excruciating: I was obliged to act like the
crowd in a system that, in many cases,
failed to eulogise diversity in all its ranks.
Like I said, I felt so embarrassed to peel
that raw layer of ‘self ’ that nurtured
honesty, but there was another side of
me battered by grief. In a nutshell, I was
fooled by everything and everyone. I felt
depleted and anguished and at a point
I understood it was the right time to leave
and plunge myself into a new reality:
I moved to the UK. As Nigerian novelist
Chinua Achebe so brilliantly puts it:
‘We cannot trample upon the humanity
of others without devaluing our own.’
On that note, I did devalue my humanity
level too many times in my teenagehood,
‘A neatly
and it got to a point where I was afraid
it could have taken a serious toll on my
mental health. Though, despite every
hardship, here I am.
25 May 2020: a symbolic date to
remember for good. On that day
Photos Getty
George Floyd, a 46-year-old Black man,
was choked to death in Minneapolis,
Minnesota. Atrocious? Yes, but the
brutality – likewise the ignorance – that
came from this was just as devastating.
Since Floyd’s killing, the Black community
has been hit by serious discomfort, which
triggered a hopeful social evolution that
stands against racism. We know that
the voices of the most marginalised
are often silenced. We also all know
that racism goes above and beyond the
Black community. And I cannot help but
wonder: in a society that continuously
pledges to embrace equality, is it just
another fad? Black Lives Matter protests
shed light on a social reckoning to defeat
racism, but a neatly written social media
post doesn’t help the Black community in
any way. Rather, it defames it.
I wanted to believe in the consoling
thought that when it comes to racism – or
debating race – we come as one. During
the time of Black Lives Matter rallies,
radio stations, broadcasting networks
Text
CHIDOZIE OBASI and the media kept chants active and it
seemed that society came to terms with
it. I, personally, am still in disbelief that it
took one man to incite a global revolution
to fight against racial inequality. People
were so quick to highlight the topic on
their timelines and to post about systemic
oppression, from Floyd’s killing to a
month down the line. Certainly, it was an
event that woke many institutions to start
having conversations, whether in person
or online, and check their status. For
some, the conversations have continued,
raised awareness and encouraged people
to reassess their behaviour.
As a Black man, in an African
household, the pain was felt by each
and every member of my family. I can
still recall my younger sister, Jessica,
sobbing and asking herself why she had
to go through such pain at her young age.
I remember my dad staring at the
television and mulling over life – or life
A BLM protest
march in London,
12 June 2020
written
social media
post doesn’t
help the
Black
community
in any way.
Rather, it
defames it’
The words
that felt on the cusp of emotional failure.
My mother was in utter bewilderment
at the whole thing, too. I mean, why
wouldn’t she be? My heart was thumped
by so much sorrow that all I could do was,
well, cry and pause in reflection. After the
chants, mourning, and all the marching,
we devoted ourselves as one nation, in the
name of equality.
But what have we tangibly achieved
from an impact of such scale? I’m not
sure. My thoughts go to the hundreds
of thousands of people who, like myself,
have summoned the courage to take part
in this fight for justice. It’s not easy, and
for the Black community, it never will be.
Why? Because colour talks, and it has a
loud voice. How many times do I have to
tell a white man not to say the n-word?
How many times do I need to justify my
place of provenance in a public space
owned by white people? How many times
do I have to wonder if they think I’ve
done it right?
Thing is, we’ve run out of time. The
killing of a man may have impacted
the lives of those who perhaps never
cared about racism, and still choose
a path entrenched in ignorance. The real
mission of this whole movement is to
ultimately ignite a flame of justice that
my Black community has never had. Now
it’s time to correct the wrong, and yet
when I walk on the street, scroll down my
news feed, talk to my peers, nothing, not
even a word, is mentioned about 25 May.
Thinking back to my time of exhaustion,
it seems all our efforts have been thrown
into a void. Promoting a movement that’s
long overdue and preaching a sea change
in a counterfeit system is a cheap shot.
If you’re a white person reading this,
I plead with you: stop weaponising my
Black culture and begin dismantling your
privilege. It’s the least we deserve.
‘It is a cultural wake-up call
such as I’ve never seen before’
Maria Casely-Hayford recalls living through injustice – and hope – in the
Seventies and Eighties, and explains why she feels change is happening at last
D
éjà Vu (I’ve Been Here
Before). The 1979 track by
the soulful singer-
songwriter Teena Marie
that my husband Joe
Casely-Hayford and I loved and played
during late nights working in our studio
says much about our life experiences with
the question of race.
I wonder what Joe, who died at the
beginning of 2019, would have made of
this year’s traumatic events and the
subsequent demands for racial justice and
systemic change. Joe was a compulsive
follower of politics and current affairs,
and would have been profoundly affected
by the racial tragedies and the societal
changes hurriedly put in place as a
consequence. He would have wondered,
like me, if Black people are now truly able
to hope for the meaningful transitions we
have waited centuries for.
As teenagers, we had cause for hope in
the mid-Seventies, 45 years ago, when we
thought it was a time of reckoning, of
change at last. We were young, gifted and
Black. We felt we could do anything if we
had the talent. In 1975 we celebrated
Arthur Ashe’s historic winning of the
Wimbledon trophy. Ashe’s win was
‘We will have
symbolic for Black people and we revered
him as an exceptional athlete and an
admirable role model. It was a step
towards visibility and a momentous
cultural and social move towards
inclusion in worlds from which we had
previously been excluded, or in which we
had been unacknowledged.
That same year, Joe and I were
admitted to Saint Martins School of Art,
where we were happy but not surprised to
see a number of other people of colour at
this most prestigious art institution. In
1978 Trevor Phillips was elected president
of the National Union of Students, and we
felt empowered seeing him and other
young Black people like us speaking
eloquently and confidently on television,
on the radio and in the print media.
The backlash came all too soon in the
late Seventies. Racial tension was at the
forefront of current affairs: the daily news
programmes covered the increasingly
controversial SUS laws, which saw a
disproportionate number of Black men
stopped by the police, particularly on
their way home at night. Home Office
statistics issued in 2017 stated that men
and women who identify as Black British
are eight times more likely to be stopped
and searched by the police than their
white counterparts, and it is still
Text
MARIA CASELY- happening in the UK today.
HAYFORD In the Eighties and Nineties, we fought
hard to make multiculturalism work
against the backdrop of the Broadwater
Farm riots, the Brixton riots, the beating
of Rodney King, the murder of Stephen
Lawrence and many other devastating
incidents which threatened our human
rights and our pursuit of justice and
equality. But on an everyday level it was,
and continues to be, the chipping away,
the slights, the casual racism that starts at
a very young age and becomes second
nature, that does the ongoing damage and
is the most difficult to rethink.
The way in which pernicious racism
seems to have played a notable part earlier
this year in the resignation of a Credit
Suisse chief executive (the only Black chief
executive in the top tier of global banking)
was particularly distressing to me.
But I do believe that the paradigm shift
engendered by Black Lives Matter (BLM)
liberation
after the killing of George Floyd and
when our
Breonna Taylor is real and has already
part played
in global caused seismic changes. What happened
society is this year with BLM has impacted society
valued; globally. It has been a cultural wake-up
when we are call such as I have never seen in my
free to be lifetime: political and business leaders
treated as have been removed from their roles,
individuals’ institutions have rushed to implement
The Brixton
riots, London,
1981
diversity credentials. Of course, there will
be virtue signalling and insincere
gestures, but we can live with that if it
helps to facilitate a genuine re-evaluation
and honest quest for change.
It is heartening to see now that many of
the ugly faces of bigotry, anti-Semitism
and racism have become socially
condemned, though at the same time it is
shocking to acknowledge that these
institutionalised markers of a divided
humanity could ever have been allowed to
exist with impunity. Jim Crow laws,
apartheid, miscegenation, Blackface (still
a part of light-entertainment repertoire
well into the Eighties) and hugely
disparaging references to Jewish and
Black people in the Western canon by
highly esteemed and relatively modern
European writers, philosophers and
artists of the 19th and early 20th centuries
are all, rightly, now publicly denounced.
With our white allies, we continue our
endeavours for a better future. A future
of liberation.
Liberation is being allowed to misstep
without letting down the entire Black
community. Liberation is not experiencing
a lifetime of daily microaggressions whilst
trying to stay positive. Liberation is no
longer seeing that flicker of unconscious
bias in our daily encounters with ‘liberal’
white people.
We will have liberation when our part
played in global society is valued. We will
have liberation when we are free to be
treated as individuals. As the African-
American playwright and director Robert
O’Hara said last year about the first play
he scripted, ‘Black people are not a
monolith. There are so many different
ways to examine who we are. The more we
acknowledge that, the better we are.’
I remain hopeful for my grandchildren
and Black and white descendants. And
I believe that Black people and Black
culture’s rich contribution to the world
over the centuries will gradually be
honoured and appreciated by the global
community. When we look back at this
time in 100 years from now, it will be with
disbelief that terms such as white
privilege, or negative pigeonholing such
as ‘not Black enough’, or ‘not white
enough’ were a real and damaging part of
our human existence.
The future of change will be difficult. It
will be countered by self-preservationist
individuals and institutions, and by those
threatened by the prospect of sharing in a
Photos Alamy
more balanced and fair society. The
journey will not be linear, but it will
definitely always be hopeful.
 The words

‘As teenagers, we had hope in the mid-Seventies,

when we thought it was a time of reckoning. We
felt we could do anything if we had the talent’
Above: Arthur Robert Ashe, who became the first African-American
to win at Wimbledon on 5 July 1975. Below: boxer Anthony Joshua
attends a Black Lives Matter protest in Watford, 6 June 2020
Clockwise from top: protesters gather in Parliament
Square, London, to commemorate the life of
George Floyd, 9 June 2020. A BLM march towards
Parliament Square on 21 June 2020. Michell’e
‘Miss Shalae’ Michaels performs at the All Black
Lives Matter Solidarity March in LA, 14 June 2020

‘Racism is easier to
fight with confidence’
Model Alpha Dia discusses his eponymous foundation set up
to help children in Senegal, and explains why self-belief
and education are essential for progress, growth and freedom
L iberation is a big word. When I grew
up in Dakar, I had nothing. There
were times when people would come from
Europe on their holidays and they would
give us a football, which would make our
day. So whenever I went back to Senegal,
I would try and give something back. It
started with organising little football
games. Then, some equipment for the
schools. But soon I found that the problem
was not really the schools, because in
Africa they already have organisations
that help to make safe and educational
environments for kids. The problem was
outside their schools and homes.
That’s why I started the Alpha Dia
Foundation. For kids, their environment
is really important when they are growing
up – it has to be an environment where
they have the freedom to dream. In
Senegal, children are really only either at
school, or at home. We try to give them an
escape, a different mindset, and a place
where they can build new perspectives
with other children. We want them to
learn how to interact with each other and
accept each other.
During the coronavirus pandemic, a lot
of African governments had big problems,
because they just copied the European
rules about everything – but without
educating people about why these rules
were in place. Senegalese culture is very
much about the household unit going
off in the day and doing their own thing,
and then coming back together at the end
of the day.
So on top of donating food and masks
during the pandemic, the Alpha Dia
Foundation was, at the same time, trying
to teach people about the nature of the
virus itself: why you must keep a distance;
‘In post-
how it spreads; how to protect yourself.
I think at the beginning of the pandemic
there was a false belief that it was all to do
with the white man, that it didn’t affect
the African continent. So it was really
Photos Getty
important to print off information about
the virus and circulate it. This has had
a huge impact, and whilst we are not out
of it just yet, we have taken massive steps
in helping to educate people.
I think it’s this education that, going
forward, is going to be truly liberating.
It’s really important because in post-
colonial Africa there are a lot of things
that happened and the effects of that
never really left us. For me, you have to
Text
ALPHA DIA leave people to grow on their own, for
their success to grow by itself. You can
start by instilling people with confidence.
The values and confidence that
I have learnt from working in fashion
are the same values that I am trying
to give back to the people. At the very
beginning of my career, I had a lot of
issues with confidence, which led me to
be manipulated more often. But now,
I have the confidence to speak to anyone,
without anger. I know how people can
be with anger. Some time ago, when
I was boarding a flight, the attendant
welcoming us aboard presumed that
I was meant to be sitting in economy class
– when I called her out on this, she began
to back-track and blame me for being in
the wrong line. I was so angry that it got
to the point where the pilot had to come
colonial
Africa, the
effects of
things that
happened
here never
really
left us’ Children in Senegal with face masks donated by the Alpha Dia Foundation
The words
out. He was completely on my side. Now,
for next time, I know exactly how to
deal with that kind of situation: know
your rights, be confident, be calm.
The Black Lives Matter movement
this year has been a movement rooted
in confidence, and I’ve seen personally
how it’s brought about change. I have a
Senegalese passport, and it would often
get checked and held on to, to make sure
that it wasn’t fake – now I’m getting it
back a lot quicker! Racism is easier to
fight with a little confidence, so I find
that Black people have grown a certain
arrogance. I have a Black friend who is
also a model and he has this arrogance
that shows that no one can f**k with him.
Things like getting bigger in the industry,
being on more jobs and flying in business
class help to build your confidence and
teach you to how to interact with people.
So, yes, liberation is a big word.
Liberation is freedom, education and
confidence. This is really what Africa –
and the whole world – needs right now:
we need to be free. Free from judgement,
free from keeping people down. I think
that, for me, would be the greatest thing.
‘Silence is
not an option’
The Rt Hon Stuart Lawrence considers the impact of
generational progress and empowerment, and why we must
all be prepared to challenge bias – including our own
w hen the first Black Lives
Matter protests occurred
earlier this year, I must
admit I was slightly
sceptical about how
effective they would be. Friends of mine
asked if I wanted to join the march, but
at the time I declined – I personally felt
as though I had seen it all before and that
eventually the movement would just fade
away, as per previous movements.
When my brother Stephen died, there
were protests and demonstrations, but
even before that we had, for example,
the Brixton riots of the Eighties, and
unfortunately nothing really changed.
What has surprised me about the protests
this year has been the diversity of the
crowds attending: it hasn’t just been
Black people out there marching, and
there was a proper age range of people on
the streets, all marching towards the same
end goal. That’s what has really made me
think that maybe we’re somewhere a little
different now.
It’s a generational thing. I went to
university, but my father and grandfather
didn’t. My great-great-grandfather was
probably a slave. You’ve got to think how
far we’ve come in just four generations
– and the fifth generation, my son, will
hopefully go to university and have not
just a better understanding about the
world, but also the luxury of thought,
without the worry of where the next
penny is coming from. That’s the privilege
the upper echelons of life have: the ability
to think clearly, without the stresses of
‘life’. How beautiful is it to just wake up
and have the time to discover your true
self and your calling, without financial
worries or barriers? One thing my son
will never truly know is the pain and hurt
that it took for us to get to that point.
Gone are the days where if your dad
was a doctor, you too would be a doctor.
We now live in a world where anything
is possible, no matter your background.
Saying that, I know for a fact that the
journey of Leanne Armitage, who
recently qualified as a doctor, was not
easy, because everything was stacked
Text
against her. She is the first person in
THE RT HON
STUART LAWRENCE her family to be a doctor, but again, it’s
taken how many generations to break that
mould? That’s what people should focus
on – there have been such disadvantages
for so long, in order for us to get on to
something resembling equal footing it’s
taken many of us four generations. Four
generations to have the careers we want.
I am proud of the fact that Leanne has
set up her own foundation, The Armitage
Foundation, to help young people from
underrepresented backgrounds get into
medicine. Hopefully, with changes in the
collective mindset, it’ll take less than the
next four generations to get true equality.
To start with, we need to make sure the
stories we tell our children are powerful
and uplifting. I was told that everything
was stacked against me, and I’d have to
work doubly hard, but what happens
if we flip the script and tell our kids,
‘No child ‘Whatever you want to achieve, as long as
is born a your attitude is right, your effort is good,
racist and
no one is your outlook is positive and not against
born a bad anyone, you’ll succeed’? It doesn’t matter
person, but what you look like, what your sexual
they can be orientation is – if you’re a good person,
surrounded and want to do good, the world is your
by people oyster and anything is possible. I think
whose when we are able to get to that mindset
attitudes universally, we’ ll see the movement
dictate the transition from screaming and shouting
way they into laws, policies and life-changing acts.
think they I recently took an unconscious-bias
should act’ test, fully expecting my own bias to be
BLM activists in
Whitehall, London,
12 June 2020
towards Black people, but it wasn’t – it
was towards white people. As much as
that shocked me, I understood why: I’ve
been brought up in England, where we’re
taught mainly white history and most
of the people I see around me are white.
So it’s no surprise that my subconscious
mindset – the bit that I can’t control
– is also white. Everyone has their own
biases: if someone looks like you, you
automatically feel more comfortable, and
there is nothing you can do about that.
That’s why when you have big crowds, you
start to notice people slowly filter off into
little groups where they all look like each
other in some way.
I accept that I have prejudices, but what
I do not accept is that they overrule and
dictate my life. So I often have to check
myself: why am I doing or saying that?
That’s what we all need to do, and that’s
what forms the basis of all my talks. I’m
not asking for everyone to be out there
on the front line banging a drum. All I’m
asking is that in those most uncomfortable
moments, where something happens or is
said and the reaction is one of stunned
silence, you say something; silence is not
an option. It doesn’t even need to be a
loud chastising – it could just be a little
quiet word where you calmly discuss how
what the person said was wrong, and
in that moment you can either clarify a
thought, disrupt a thought or change
a person’s behaviour. No child is born a
racist, and no one is born a bad person,
but they can be surrounded by people
whose mindsets and attitudes dictate and
tell them the way they think they should
behave, for better or for worse. It’s good to
stop and take a proper look at things, ask
Photos Getty
yourself some questions, and realise what
it’s all about. We’ve come so far, but we’ve
got a long way to go.
 The words

‘We need to make sure that the stories we tell

our children are powerful and uplifting; the
world is your oyster and anything is possible’
Above: Eli Harold, Colin Kaepernick and Eric Reid of the
San Francisco 49ers take a knee during the US anthem at
CenturyLink Field, Seattle, 25 September 2016.
Below: Dr Martin Luther King, Jr with his wife, Coretta,
and children in Georgia after he was freed from jail,
October 1960; he had been arrested for leading sit-ins

189
This page: Black Merino wool
roll-neck jumper by CANALI;
gold chain necklace by
EMANUELE BICOCCHI
Opposite: Black chalk-striped
suit, striped silk shirt, striped
tie and silk Ascot tie (worn
as mask), all by SAINT
LAURENT BY ANTHONY
VACCARELLO; fedora by
LOCK & CO; pearl necklace
by BUTLER & WILSON;
polished black and sapphire
crystal True Automatic
Open Heart watch by RADO;
right hand: silver ring (little
finger) by SLIM BARRETT;
silver ring (middle finger)
by ALAN CROCETTI; all
other rings Kingsley’s own
KINGSLEY BEN-ADIR
After two life-changing roles (and one epiphany), the British actor is laser-
focused on making his work count. And, as he observes, ‘the time is now’

Photography JAMIE MORGAN Styling LUKE DAY Text BOYD HILTON

Kingsley Ben-Adir is
feeling liberated.
‘When you work with
someone like Regina
King and you play
a character like
Malcolm X, suddenly
a whole world of
possibilities comes
up in your mind.
Creatively, you enter
a new space. It feels
like my mind has
been set free.’
A
round Christmas-time
last year, just when the
33-year-old actor from
Kentish Town, north
London, was preparing
to play Barack Obama in major TV drama
The Comey Rule, he found out he’d also
been cast as iconic activist Malcolm X in
the film One Night In Miami, directorial
debut of Regina King, who recently won
an Emmy for her role in HBO’s Watchmen.
But they needed to be filmed at the same
time. Sure, Obama was a smaller role
– featuring in a handful of scenes – but it
was Barack Obama. So Ben-Adir needed a
month or two to work on ‘the physicality,
the dialect, and the voice – the most
famous and recognisable voice on the
planet’, as he puts it. Then he got Malcolm
X. And he had ten days to prepare.
He worked out a way for him to do both life-
changing roles, to go from one set to the other,
from Malcolm in New Orleans to Obama in
Toronto. ‘In the end, I filmed Obama in the middle
of Malcolm,’ Kingsley tells me, sitting on the other
side of a vast, empty table in an east London
studio. ‘It turned into a non-stop 40-day Malcolm/
Obama thing, and I just had to jump from one
head space to another. I really ran myself into the
ground, but in a way that I loved.’
Plenty of actors have played Malcolm before,
from Morgan Freeman in a 1981 TV drama,
to Denzel Washington, of course, in Spike Lee’s
1992 biopic. But this Malcolm is in a state of
private torment, about to be pushed out of the
Nation of Islam, when he’d been its public face for
a decade. Adapted by Kemp Powers from his own
stage play, the film is described by Regina King
as, ‘a love letter to the Black male experience’.
It’s also a love letter to four specific Black males,
speculating on what might have happened when
Malcolm X hung out in a Miami hotel room in
February 1964 with Muhammad Ali, American
football star Jim Brown and soul legend Sam
Cooke, in the aftermath of Ali’s surprise defeat of
Sonny Liston. ‘When you look into the history of
that moment,’ says Kingsley, ‘you realise Malcolm
was in an incredibly vulnerable situation. The
way he put himself on the line was monumental.
Regina and I were constantly talking about the
reality of how serious the stakes for him were.’
During filming, Kingsley stuck this quote of
Malcolm’s on his wall: ‘I felt weak, I felt hollow, no
one knows the torments I went through’, and read
it every day. ‘It gives me goosebumps, thinking
about those words, because they are behind
the strong images we have of this lacerating
demagogue, and when you watch the footage of
him in public, which I had on repeat, he’s always
reacting to the most obscene instances of police
brutality, racism, murder, injustice, so it doesn’t
seem that aggressive when you put it in that
context. In fact, it seems spot on.’ A year after the
events in the film, Malcolm X was assassinated.
The film is also a powerful debate about Black
activism, with Ben-Adir’s Malcolm aiming verbal
jabs at Leslie Odom Jr’s Sam Cooke, for not being
more politically engaged. Their arguments could
not be more pertinent. ‘Going into this story,
I knew how important it was to show these men
in this light, and everything that’s happened since
means the film could not be happening at a better
time. The time is now.’
Back when Kingsley left school at 16, and failed
to get the grades he needed to study English and
French at university (‘Thank God,’ he says), acting
wasn’t really on his agenda. ‘I was working with
kids who had special needs and behavioural
problems, and thinking about what to do while
watching a lot of films and thinking it would be
cool to be a director.’ When he started hanging out
with drama student friends, the idea of being in
films and TV took hold, and with extraordinary
guidance from acting teacher Hilary Wood, he
got into the prestigious Guildhall drama school in
London. I mention that Michaela Coel has talked
about the experience of being one of the very few
Black students at Guildhall, and Kingsley nods.
‘Yeah, I did feel very angry and confused
in that building for a lot of that training,
without necessarily knowing why,’ he says.
He also found inspiration there, especially
from a teacher called Patsy Rodenburg,
who introduced him to Shakespeare and
poetry and, especially, Chekhov. He says
she changed his life.
Kingsley is big on giving credit where
it’s due and keenly remembers formative
moments that shaped him, like working
with Mark Rylance in his 2013 Old Vic
production of Much Ado About Nothing,
two years after he graduated from
Guildhall, alongside Vanessa Redgrave
and James Earl Jones. ‘It was the best time
of my life,’ says Ben-Adir. ‘Rylance filled
me with courage and confidence.’
Then, after four years of acting
alongside Brenda Blethyn in ITV’s Vera,
he was cast as San Francisco detective
Karim in Season Two of Netflix drama
The OA, opposite co-creator Brit Marling
– his ‘first real meaty lead role’. It turned
out to be one of the most audacious TV
dramas of all time. But the beautiful saga
of angels travelling across dimensions was
cruelly axed after two seasons. ‘I was a
little surprised and hurt,’ reflects Kingsley.
‘But I wouldn’t have been able to do Obama and
Malcolm if there had been a Season Three.’
Two years on from when I first met him on the
set of The OA, Kingsley does seem newly liberated.
There’s a fire in his eyes. ‘I had an epiphany
halfway through filming One Night In Miami
that this was the way I want to work, this was
the way I’ve been dreaming about working, with
this level of intensity. To do this kind of work with
more time to prepare is where my heart is.’ He’s
also taken the time to step back and think about
everything that’s going on. ‘I’m understanding
more about politics and history and listening
and learning more. That’s my focus. My job is
to inhabit other people and play characters and
disappear into them, and that’s what I want to
focus on, but a key part of that is understanding
what’s going on in the f **king world’.
‘One Night In Miami’ is released in cinemas
in January
 Kingsley

This page: Red wool suit jacket

by MSGM; gold cross necklaces
by GUCCI; short gold pendant
necklace by ALIGHIERI
Left: Spotted lavallière-neck
silk satin shirt by SAINT
LAURENT BY ANTHONY
VACCARELLO; black wool felt
fedora by LOCK & CO; gold
hoop earring by ALIGHIERI;
vintage silver cross necklace
by DOLCE & GABBANA
‘My job is to play characters and disappear into them, but a key
part of that is understanding what’s going on in the world’

Black cotton vest and black virgin wool beanie hat, both by DOLCE & GABBANA; silver skull chain necklace by GARRARD;
sterling silver girder ring (on forefinger) by ALAN CROCETTI; other ring Kingsley’s own
 Kingsley

Black leather Moto jacket by

COACH; white ribbed cotton
vest by GAP; black Sanforised
cotton drill chinos by MHL
by MARGARET HOWELL;
gold rhodium and Swarovski
crystal brooch (on jacket)
by BUTLER & WILSON;
watch and rings as before
Digital operator Joe Wiles Retouching Shoemakers Elves Production KO Collective Location Waddington Studios
Groomer Liz Taw Photo assistants Gabor Herczegfalvi, Sandra Seaton Stylist’s assistant Poppy Scarlet Norton
 F O
CULTURE
Friends Russell Tovey and Robert Diament’s love of art gave birth to the wildly popular podcast Talk Art.
Now for GQS they pick some Black artists they love and unpack the diversity in minoritised art
W
hen friends – and self-
confessed art geeks – actor
Russell Tovey and gallerist
Robert Diament decided to
record their animated chats
about art and release them as a podcast, they had
no idea if anyone would listen, let alone that in
the space of two years it would become one of the
most popular art podcasts in the world.
Two years on, more than 1.5 million downloads
and a book deal later, with nearly 100 interviews
with leading artists, musicians, writers, actors
and gallerists under their belts – including Sir
Elton John, Lena Dunham, Grayson Perry and
Tracey Emin – the friends are bemused by its
success. ‘We set it up for ourselves, basically,’
says Russell, best known for roles in The History
Boys, Years And Years and The Good Liar, ‘so that
we would have a chance to chat to like-minded
people and be geeks and meet our heroes.’
‘Neither of us really knew what podcasts were!’
says Rob, who was the frontman of electropop
band Temposhark before earning a master’s
degree from Christie’s. He’s currently the director
of the Carl Freedman Gallery in Margate, Kent.
The pair met in 2008 at a dinner for Tracey Emin,
and began visiting galleries and artists’ studios,
starting what Rob calls ‘an ongoing chat, which is
what the show is. Me and Russ are friends; it’s not
staged, we weren’t brought together.’
Their friendship shines through on the show:
they spark off each other, their passion and
enthusiasm interspersed with light-hearted
teasing, often about their own lack of specialist
knowledge, and their easy style makes their
guests reveal more of themselves. It’s like sitting
at the kitchen table with them, listening in as they
talk and gossip with an artist they admire. It’s
refreshing and has made the art world – often
stuffy and elitist – accessible to a much wider
audience. Daily messages from listeners from 70
countries are testament to the pair’s enthusiasm
and passion for the subject.
‘It’s a bit like when you’re a kid and you pretend
to interview your friends,’ laughs Rob.
‘What started off as a passion project has
snowballed into this culture career,’ Russell
shrugs. ‘It’s amazing!’
R T H E
Text KAMIN MOHAMMADI
Even over the stuttering video of Zoom – where
we are doing the interview – the two finish each
other’s sentences, expanding on each other’s
thoughts. ‘We were told to make the episodes 15
minutes or max 30, that no one would listen to
more, but quickly we realised we couldn’t do that,
and we did an hour or an hour and a half,’ says
Rob. ‘We didn’t want to shut people’s stories down
and people don’t often get access to those artists.
Russell and I were incredibly privileged. He’s
a collector, I’m a gallerist, and it was always the
most special thing getting to talk to the artist
about why they made the work. And I think that’s
what people are connecting to, because that’s not
something everyone gets to do.’
Their glee is evident, and as infectious as their
enthusiasm for art and the people who make it.
As much as they love the work, they also love for
stories to be heard. ‘We have done 95 episodes
now,’ says Rob, ‘and each one is a portrait of
that person at that point in their life. And you
can download them all. It’s giving a platform to
these people, to these stories. In these times of
political instability, it’s great to create a show that
celebrates people who are doing
positive things in the world.
I think it’s important to show ‘Sharing ideas
people who are dedicating their with people
whole life to something that
is interesting.’
from different
The show has been praised backgrounds
for its diversity and inclusivity, is what needs
but the when the pair were
asked if they were practising
to happen’
positive discrimination to
come up with such a varied list of guests, they
were bemused. The artists they pick are personal
choices who, says Russ, ‘have come along at
different stages of our art journey’.
Similarly, the list of eight Black artists they
have curated for this issue of GQS have all either
appeared on the show or will do soon, and all are
personal favourites. ‘Their language is continuing
art history but is taking it off somewhere else,’
says Russ. ‘It feels like they are really important
voices. We have a non-binary artist there, we
have an artist who is disabled, we have a queer
artist, an artist who deals with sound, some very
visual artists, a potter… it’s trying to show a huge
diversity within minoritised art, within Black
artists. There are so many amazing voices.’
Rob interjects: ‘Also they are all artists who
have made the works that have touched me the
most in the past two or three years.’
Rob and Russ’s recommendations of the artists
are distilled over the following pages, but chatting
over Zoom, their exhilarating and enthused
descriptions of the works leave me bubbling with
excitement. Their love of art is deep, heartfelt and
completely contagious. At one point, Rob sums it
up simply: ‘It just gives meaning to life for me.’
‘I really believe in breaking down boundaries,’
continues Rob. ‘Russell and I are examples of
people who have come from different creative
disciplines to the art world. Russell is an actor,
I was a musician. I think that’s the message: art
isn’t just for people who have studied art history.
And it shouldn’t be, either, because otherwise the
art world is never going to evolve.’
‘Art is for everyone,’ states Russ, nodding.
‘Sharing ideas with people from different
backgrounds is what needs to happen to make
the world better. Art can give
meaning to our lives, and it
reflects society way quicker
than any politician does,’ points
out Rob. ‘That’s why diversity
and representation in art is so
important,’ says Russ. ‘If you
don’t see yourself represented
on gallery walls, you don’t see
yourself represented in society.
There are so many people who
are missing from culture – swathes of minoritised
people – but as soon as you show them in art, you
are proving their existence.’
Rob bursts in with the last word. ‘I also think
it’s time to listen,’ he says. ‘That’s what’s great
about the podcast: people are getting to listen to
other people’s experiences. That’s the only way
we are ever going to progress, by actually hearing
different people’s perspectives on the world.’
‘Talk Art: Everything You Wanted To Know
About Contemporary Art But Were Afraid To
Ask’ by Russell Tovey and Robert Diament will
be published by Ilex Press on 6 May 2021
 Art talk

‘The Man No.8’ by Jon Key

 Introduction by ROBERT DIAMENT and RUSSELL TOVEY of TALK ART

‘These artists are some of the most innovative, exciting and

representative of what is the greatest of contemporary art
today. They are trailblazing dialogues; fresh discussions within
a diverse storytelling narrative that has been missing from
mainstream art history for far too long.’

JON KEY
US writer, designer and painter Jon Key delves into the lineage and
history of his identity through Southernness, Blackness, queerness and
family. Recently he has introduced his twin brother and fellow artist
Jarrett Key, along with his parents and grandparents, into his work.
Focusing on green, black, violet and red colours, Key’s work is portrayed
through writing, photography and painting. The colours connect memory
with an intimate recounting of the four pillars that ground his work.
Key is also the co-founder and design director of Codify Art,
a Brooklyn-based multi-disciplinary artist collective. Its mission is to
help create and promote work that highlights the voices of people of
colour – in particular highlighting women and queer people of colour.
jonkeyart.co

This page: ‘The Man

in Red Room No.2’
and ‘Family Portrait
No.1 (Ken)’ by Jon
Key. Opposite:
‘Master of House’
by Cheyenne Julien

CHEYENNE JULIEN
Bronx-based Cheyenne Julien is an artist who tracks her history and
the present day through an ongoing exploration series of self portraits,
portraits of her family members and imagined characters. She combines
the device of the cartoon with her own signature style and a love of
science fiction, which was derived from writers including Octavia E Butler
and Nalo Hopkinson.
Her work initially draws you in through its striking visual language
but within each piece are layers of unsettling messages exposing social,
Art talk
architectural and environmental racism. We loved her recent 2020 solo
show Phantom Gates and Falling Homes at Chapter Gallery in New
York, with portraits of both interior views and outdoor scenes to present
multifaceted views of city life.
Of her work, Julien says: ‘Recently, reading has become an integral
part of my practice. By allowing different texts to inform my paintings,
I am able to pull inspiration from outside of myself and consider how
these stories and universal experiences intersect with my own.’
cheyennejulien.com
JONATHAN LYNDON CHASE
Jonathan Lyndon Chase’s paintings are visceral, providing a deeper
understanding of the body, mental health, queer life, sex and Blackness.
Their heightened autobiographical scenes are charged with memory and
pride, bright and highly sexualised – they scream out to be noticed by the
viewer. Chase’s current solo exhibition, Wind Rider at Company Gallery
in New York, presents an immersive installation of sound, sculptures
and paintings centred around the hyper-masculine world of cowboys.
Often portrayed as white and heterosexual, the cowboy depicts terror
and consumption – where its existence affirms the erasure of the Black
body, space and culture. Chase renounces the colonisation of Black and
queer bodies and confronts the complexity of an American motif through
layering this depiction with their own experience of coming out in 1999.
jonathanlyndonchase.com
 Art talk

SHAWANDA CORBETT
The works of Shawanda Corbett draw on the artist’s own
experiences growing up in Mississippi, her memories of childhood
Shawanda Corbett image Courtesy of the artist and Corvi-Mora; Photograph Marcus Leith

and an appreciation of her community. Corbett’s interdisciplinary

practice addresses the question of what a complete body is,
looking at the different cycles of a human’s life through cyborg
theory, which looks at the rejection of specific boundaries. She
uses her perspective as a woman of colour with a disability to root
theory into reality. Corbett’s performances are developed to give
a response to the architecture of the exhibition space. She has
received critical acclaim for her live performances, including one
at the Serpentine Gallery in 2019, and we loved her recent solo
exhibition at Corvi-Mora Gallery in South London, in which she
displayed a series of ceramics.
These sculptures explore common tropes from ‘the hood’, where
characters are often seen as negative stereotypes, and give them
a dignity and humanity not frequently seen in the mainstream.
Corbett is currently studying for a doctoral degree at Oxford
University and in 2020 received one of ten Turner Prize bursaries.
shawandacorbett.com

Opposite: ‘Baby Boy I know Your Tired’ by Jonathan Lyndon Chase.

Right: ‘Graveyard shift’ by Shawanda Corbett. Below: Shawanda’s
installation at the Corvi-Mora Gallery in South London
 SOLA OLULODE
London-based Sola Olulode’s paintings
are nuanced and have delicate visions of
intimacy and community. Black identity,
womanhood, femmes and non-binary people
are celebrated in her work through gestural
brushwork, indigo dye, wax, oil bar and
impasto, which resonates with her Nigerian
heritage. Envisaging a world reflective of the
celebration of her own identities, Olulode
brings representation and visibility to Black
queer-lived experiences.
She uses blues and yellows, which have
become her trademark colours, seen as
metaphors for a state of mind along with
energy and harmony, dance and meditation,
joy and contemplation, love and desire –
revealing the complexity of identities in her
communities. ‘My works are stories told by
pushing my use of mixed media and using
the fluidity of drawing to weave mark-making
techniques into the paintings and collage to
build dream state compositions,’ Olulode says
of her aesthetic.
Her works will be included in the group
show Breakfast Under The Tree, curated by
Russell Tovey, from 14 November 2020 until
30 January 2021 at the Carl Freedman
Gallery in Margate [where Robert is director].
solaolulode.co.uk
Left: ‘Entwined’ by Sola Olulode

TORKWASE DYSON
Torkwase Dyson is an artist working across
a number of media, including performance
and sculpture, to explore the continuity
between ecology, infrastructure and
architecture. By looking at environmental
racism as well as the history and future of
Black spatial liberation strategies, Dyson’s
abstract works grapple with the ways in
which space is perceived and negotiated,
particularly by Black and brown people.
We discovered her work during lockdown
thanks to an Instagram Live interview with
the Serpentine Gallery’s curator Hans
Ulrich Obrist, prior to her summer 2020
exhibition with Pace Gallery, Studies for Bird
and Lava. This was the result of a process-
oriented study for Dyson’s on-going project,
Bird and Lava, which is a multifaceted
expression of a question: ‘If Blackness is
already an architectonic developed out of
liquidity (ocean), can the work embody
this phenomenon and offer sensation
(sensoria) at the register of liberation?’
torkwasedyson.com

Right: ‘Space as Form: Movement 1

(Bird and Lava)’, 2020, by Torkwase Dyson
 Art talk

TOYIN OJIH
ODUTOLA
Toyin Ojih Odutola is a storyteller,
exploring identity and the malleability of
identity through multiple narratives across
varying surfaces. Working predominantly
on paper in pastel, graphite and charcoal,
she crafts winding accounts into a series
that opens up imagined family trees and
histories. Bonding her characters through
fictionalised unions and inspired by her
own friends and family, her birth country
of Nigeria and science fiction, she leads us
through character-driven, captivating and
sumptuously drafted chronicles, using the
art of drawing as an act for storytelling.
Her multimedia pieces work episodically
in structure. With techniques rooted in the
written word (even the use of a ballpoint
pen as a signature medium to draw
with feels subtly nuanced), she creates
a narrative and back story for each and
every one of her characters, engaging
audiences with their interior worlds and
encouraging the viewer to piece together
the fragments of her stories for themselves.
Developing and honing new themes
and narratives, Ojih Odutola is unfaltering
in her brave and bold explorations.
Using distinctive detailed mark-marking,
which has become a signature asset,
she reinvents traditional portraiture,
cementing her place in art history and
inspiring a generation of figurative art.
toyinojihodutola.com

Left: ‘A Parting Gift; Hers and Hers, Only’,

2019, by Toyin Ojih Odutola. Below: An
installation by Ima-Abasi Okon

IMA-ABASI OKON
Ima-Abasi Okon, who is based in London and
Amsterdam, is a sculpture artist who also works
Images © Toyin Ojih Odutola, courtesy of the artist and Jack Shainman

with sound and video, producing installations

that explore the way in which exhibition making
Gallery, New York. © Torkwase Dyson, courtesy of Pace Gallery

can be an exercise in syntax – adopting linguistic

and grammatical structures to show the
compilated construction of knowledge.
We particularly loved her solo exhibition at
Chisenhale Gallery in London last summer, which
included a multi-channel soundpiece where
a slowed-down track was played through a series
of industrial air-conditioning fans at varying
speeds and durations. The resulting installation
was truly spellbinding, communicating to
numerous senses all at once, and becoming
our stand-out artwork of the past year. We were
very excited to hear she recently received one
of ten Turner Prize bursaries in 2020.
imaokon.co.uk
Ascension
Musician Shaznay Lewis celebrates 11 Black British trailblazers who are at the top of their game

Photography OLIVIA ROSE Styling KAREN BINNS Text KEMI ALEMORU

Shaznay Lewis
In keeping with its ocular connotations, 2020 has been a year that has brought many issues into
focus. Following the killing of George Floyd and the disproportionate Covid-19-related deaths, job
losses and policing in Black communities, there continues to be social unrest around the world.
Out of the embers of this riotous summer, Shaznay Lewis has begun to reflect on Black
Britishness, revealing that she’s never felt prouder of her heritage. She hopes that this moment
of collective reckoning can also create a space for us to celebrate inspirational figures who are
pushing the culture forward. ‘With everything that is going on, I personally think it’s important
to celebrate that there are so many people out there to look up to and to be inspired by,’ she says,
before flashing a warm smile.
It’s significant that she has curated this list of talent, given that she too represents Black British
excellence. As a member of the group All Saints, she co-wrote their hit singles Never Ever, Pure
Shores and Bootie Call, picking up Brit, MOBO and Ivor Novello awards along the way.
Lewis is sitting on a forest-green sofa in a photographer’s studio in East London, her freckled
face framed by a long bob. She’s attentive and personable as she’s joined on the shoot by several
generations of trailblazers across industries including music, sport, food, literature and beyond.
‘I want to give people their flowers and the platform they deserve,’ she adds.
Black Amabella
Hotfix stretch satin
top by STELLA
MCCARTNEY;
necklaces and ring
Shaznay’s own
Richie Brave Houndstooth wool car
coat by DUNHILL
Richie Brave has a palpable
magnetism. From his big laughs that
bookend his code-switching in and
out of patois to his empathy, the
presenter is the archetype of what
you’d describe as a ‘people person’.
He’s lent his voice to BBC Radio
1Xtra, where he has a podcast
exploring the sometimes harsh
realities of being Black and British,
called Brave Conversations, and has
presented for BET. As much as he
sees his role as ‘bringing some love
and joy’ to people’s lives, he is also
laser-focused on using his platform
to challenge the issues faced by his
community. ‘I’ll never leave a piece
of me at the front door, it’s always
going to be in the room,’ he says.
His family hails from Guyana,
Myanmar and India, and as such
Brave was taught to be proud of his
heritage. However, he suffered violent
racist abuse from adults and other
children at his drama school when
he was six years old. At 16, he became
a youth worker to constructively
connect with his community. He
sees his entertainment career
as something that sits at the
intersection of his passions for
performing and giving back.
‘I remember being a small, scared
child and if I can help make a world
where a child doesn’t have to be
scared, then I’m going to do it,’ he
explains. ‘Everyone should feel brave.’
 Excellence

Metallic Animalia
low-back jacquard
Kamille
bubble cape Kamille’s decision to trade in her
by HALPERN promising career as a stock broker
to become a songwriter has paid
dividends since her first track
shot to number one. What About
Us by The Saturdays was her first
taste of success, but the 32-year-old
(real name Camille Purcell) has
since written for other chart toppers,
including Leona Lewis, JLS, Mabel
and Little Mix.
The career U-turn makes more
sense when you look at her
upbringing. She grew up in a Cuban-
Jamaican household in Streatham,
South London, full of ‘noise, laughter
and good food’. On Sundays, she’d
sing in the gospel choir at church.
‘There were lots of Caribbean and
African people. I think rhythm
and soul were just in my bones,
because every week that’s what
you heard,’ she explains.
It’s due to this that Kamille is in
her own lane. ‘I wrote a song for
Clean Bandit called Solo, which
went to number one, and then the
following week I knocked myself
off number one with another song
I wrote for Jess Glynne [I’ll Be
There],’ she says.
She also puts her success down
to her determination to carve out
a space for her culture in the charts.
‘Through the years, sometimes we’ve
felt we needed to change in order
to fit in. Now is the time to be who
you are, unapologetically,’ she says.
Dorothy Koomson
At the age of just 13, Dorothy Koomson set herself the task of completing
her first novel. ‘My mum said to me that you’d be better spending your
time writing a book than hanging out,’ she laughs. Now, she’s sold more
than two million copies of her books in the UK alone, becoming Britain’s
biggest-selling Black author of adult fiction.
The former journalist has an enviable knack for being able to produce
an addictive page-turner each year, from My Best Friend’s Girl to All My
Lies Are True, showcasing Black characters who traverse love, romance,
and mystery. ‘I’ve had so many rejection letters that say [the book is]
about a Black woman, but it’s not about the Black experience. These
are white people telling me what the Black experience is,’ she says.
Over the last 17 years, Koomson has fought to prove there is a healthy
appetite for stories about Black people where racism and hardship
aren’t the central focus. ‘When all the stuff happened with George Floyd
being killed, we had a lot of publishers saying that they had supported
Black writers, and they hadn’t,’ she explains. So she wrote an open letter
challenging the publishing world to have a wider imagination when it
comes to editing and commissioning texts by Black authors, and to create
more space for new voices.
She adds: ‘People are still being told, “Oh, we’ve got Malorie Blackman
and we’ve got Dorothy Koomson, we don’t need you.” We just want the
opportunity that other people have.’
Navy and brown Zadie
arrow-print silk top by
STELLA MCCARTNEY;
earrings Dorothy’s own
 Excellence

Craig (left) wears

exploded oversize
Craig & Shaun McAnuff
Argyle V-neck knit Craig and Shaun McAnuff are family
by ALEXANDER men. Raised in a proud Caribbean
MCQUEEN household, they revelled in all the
Shaun (right) wears delights on the menu. ‘It started with
black wool coat
with satin panels by our grandmother. We love her so much,
DUNHILL; navy cotton she’s the glue to the family,’ says Shaun.
T-shirt by SUNSPEL Their nan, Lurline, came to Britain
on a £50 plane ride from Jamaica.
While she was greeted by signs that
said ‘No dogs, no Blacks, no Irish’, she
created a loving space for her vibrant
family and kept them well fed.
As children, they studied how she
made everything from stew chicken
to sweet treats like carrot juice and
sorrel. By adulthood, making the food
was second nature and they’d always
take it on the go. ‘We’d go to work and
people would be like, “What’s that
smell?”’ laughs Craig. When they
decided to make videos of their simple,
accessible and tasty dishes, they found
success quickly. ‘We got literally
a million views in a week,’ he adds.
Since then, the brothers have gained
600,000 followers across their social
platforms, self-published an Amazon
bestseller and attracted the attention
of Bloomsbury Publishing, who asked
them to develop the book further with
a food pilgrimage to Jamaica. But
the best part of the job? Shaun says
it’s paying homage to those who came
before. ‘Use them as a reason to be the
best person you can be,’ Craig agrees.
 Wayne Hector
Even if you don’t know Wayne Hector
by name, you’ve probably sung along
to his songs, many of which pop into
his head as he goes about his daily
life. He left Westlife’s Flying Without
Wings on his mother’s answering
machine so he wouldn’t forget it.
He wrote The Pussycat Dolls’ I Hate
This Part in one hour.
He’s written for Kylie Minogue and
Britney Spears, and for British guilty
pleasures like JLS’ Beat Again and
One Direction’s Best Song Ever. He’s
also responsible for club-ready
bangers like Nicki Minaj’s Starships.
Genre-hopping comes naturally,
after a life of soaking up disparate
influences and a childhood living
in different European countries due
to his father’s job in the army. In
the house, his parents would play
‘every type of music’, from classical,
country and rock to R’n’B and jazz.
He has endured horrific racism.
At 17, he was shot in the face with
a paint gun by random attackers,
leaving him half blind in one eye.
And some in the industry have
tried to put him in a box. But
he is committed to rising above
ignorance. ‘Whether you’re
gay, Black, a woman, or
whatever, there’s always
going to be somebody who just
wants to put you or keep you
at a certain level, but you
can’t let them,’ he says.

Cactus-print wool silk

shirt by JIL SANDER
BY LUCIE AND
LUKE MEIER; watch
Wayne’s own
 Excellence

Lianne La Havas
‘Life is a continuous journey of finding out who we are, and I want to use music to do that,’ says Lianne La Havas. Starting out at 18 years old, she
began uploading songs to Myspace and hopping on the night bus from Croydon to North London to perform at open-mic nights.
Her first big break was when she started singing backing vocals for Paloma Faith, and since then she’s become one of the UK’s most recognisable
voices. Her soft, husky tones have seen her nominated for a Mercury Prize, a Grammy Award and a Brit Award for her three playful and intimate
studio albums. She can even count Stevie Wonder as a fan, as she reveals he showed up to her first LA show in 2012. ‘Everything changed from that
moment, my whole DNA seemed to switch up,’ she says.
During her career, she’s developed her own unique sound and defied the music industry’s rigid approach to working with Black female artists.
‘When you’re Black and British, it seems the expectation is that you have to make R’n’B, whereas I think you can go out with your instrument and
write your own songs that could be performed in a jazz club or a stadium.’
Black Ashton faux-
leather jumpsuit by
NANUSHKA from
SELFRIDGES
Dina Asher-Smith
At just 24, sprinter Dina Asher-Smith is the fastest British woman in
recorded history. While the title is grand, she’s relatively nonchalant
about it. ‘It’s sport. Records can be broken at any moment. I was once
the young one who came along and took it from somebody else.’
Her passion for sprinting has won her medals at the Commonwealth
Games and the 2016 Summer Olympics. She’s also been setting records
since her youth, winning her first major medal at 17. Every time she’s
won, she’s done so for Britain while inhabiting a Black body, and is
often asked about representing Britain as an ethnic minority. But she
feels the question implies that the two contradict. ‘Britain is ethnically
diverse, so is sport. A lot of the most iconic sprinters are Black.’
Inspired by the greats who came before her, such as Jessica Chestnut panelled
Ennis, Kelly Holmes and Serena Williams, who she calls ‘iconic heavy satin mini dress
performers’, Asher-Smith wants to be a role model to other young by CHRISTOPHER
KANE; black Iriza 100
women. However, she stresses that they shouldn’t want to be her: patent court shoes by
‘You should want to beat me. That’s sport,’ she adds. CHRISTIAN LOUBOUTIN
 Excellence

Lee Lawrence
The global uprising against racism
was triggered by the disturbing
footage depicting George Floyd’s
killing and his haunting words: ‘I can’t
breathe’. For Lee Lawrence, it took
him back to 28 September 1985, when
he was just 11 years old; to the moment
he watched a police officer shoot his
mother, Cherry Groce, inside their
South London home. ‘Straight away,
a chord was struck,’ he says.
Now 46, he says the only difference
between then and now is the ability to
film these encounters. ‘These things
were once isolated to a particular
community who could feel the pain,’
he says, explaining how the case
sparked what are now referred to as
the Brixton riots. ‘We need to learn
from our past before we can have a
better future. It can be a lazy answer
to say nothing has changed, because it
doesn’t give credit to the people who
sacrificed their lives to create change.’
Having cared for his mother for 26
years, he challenged the Metropolitan
Police in an inquest after her death in
2011. But Lawrence is determined to
keep fighting. He’s written a book, The
Louder I Will Sing: A Story of Racism,
Riots And Redemption, in honour
of her memory and to remind the
next generation of activists that
‘the purpose outweighs the
challenge’. There is still so
much to fight for.

Black gabardine Re-Nylon

jacket gilet by PRADA;
bracelet Lee’s own
Joy Labinjo
‘We are so used to having to imagine ourselves
in situations on TV, in magazines, or in art, and
I just want people to see it,’ says Dagenham-born
figurative painter of Nigerian descent Joy Labinjo.
Using oil paint, she creates figures with slightly
distorted proportions that pose on furniture or
interacting with each other among green foliage.
The 25-year-old’s collaged scenes are varied, but
each one is a vivid celebration of Black existence.
Initially, Labinjo didn’t think she’d fit into the
art world because art history is ‘very whitewashed’
and ‘I wasn’t seeing people who looked like me’.
However, when she discovered Black British
artists like Sonia Boyce, Claudette Johnson and
Lubaina Himid, who made work about their lives
and families in the Eighties, she was inspired.
She felt: ‘There’s room for me as I am.’
Since then, Joy has finished a degree in fine
art from Newcastle University, completed an
artist residency in Greece and had two solo
shows: Recollections at London’s Tiwani
Contemporary gallery and Our Histories Cling
To Us at the BALTIC Centre in Gateshead.
‘Representation matters,’ she adds.
See Joy Labinjo’s work at Royal Academy
Summer exhibition (until January
2021), Tiwani Contemporary (until
December 2020), and coming
soon to Brixton tube station
Vermilion orange
tie-dye Georgette
silk kaftan by
TOM FORD
 Excellence

Afua Hirsch
Critics, trolls and sensationalist TV
presenters alike assume that Afua
Hirsch, 39, does the work that she
does because she ‘hates Britain’. In
fact, the writer and broadcaster
clarifies that it’s the opposite: ‘There’s
still this subconscious idea that I’m
not really British, and if I say stuff they
don’t want to hear, that I should go
back to where I came from, which is
the best evidence of the problem.’
It’s problematic, as she was raised
in Wimbledon, born to a British father
and Ghanaian mother. Growing up,
she was often the only Black person
in the room and felt a pressure to
assimilate to whiteness. ‘We’ve been
encouraged to believe that is progress,’
she says, and admits she struggled
having heritage made up of two
identities that were created to be
‘oppositional to one another’.
In her book, Brit(ish), and
documentaries like Enslaved, which
she co-presented with Samuel L
Jackson, Hirsch is ‘trying to make
sense’ of the concept of race, how it
came to play such a big part in our
lives, and how it presents itself in our
day-to-day interactions in the UK.
‘We tell ourselves that we are always
on the right side of history, we only
choose the things that make us feel
good. The problem is that there are
people like you and me whose entire
existence stems from the things people
don’t want to talk about,’ she says. ‘You
can’t build a cohesive society if you
sweep things under the carpet.’

Hair stylist Alex Price at Frank Agency, using

Charlotte Mensah hair care Make-up Celena
Hancock, using MAC Cosmetics Photo assistants
1st assistant: Peter Butterworth; 2nd assistant:
Henry Kamara Stylist’s assistants Kit Swann,
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Videography James Loveday Film assistant
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Lighting C/O JJ Media Location JJ Media

Zebra-print
crêpe dress by
CHRISTOPHER
KANE; rings
Afua’s own
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