Xander: Look 1, the editorial look, held the most emotional weight for me. The silhouette honors my good friend Bobbie who loved Vivienne Westwood. Bobbie’s not here anymore but her thoughts and ideas still live with me, and I wanted to use this opportunity to honor that. When she passed, her parents gifted me the mirror you see in the photos, and I wanted to make sure this Westwood reference was so strong that I could feel her presence telling me “bring it sis!” It was so important for me to capture that moment.
The street look represents my everyday attire. The two backdrops we used represent the modern realness of the streets of Bushwick. When we were walking down the street and saw the eye in that mural, I knew that shot would be impactful because I’m always trying to put myself in dialogue with the idea of the optic. I’m looking at the camera, and the eye is looking too, and there’s so much color that color itself is staring back at you. So much color that I’m actually camouflaged into the wall. I didn’t expect that, but that’s what I was going for.
Then, the shot of me shopping for fruits. I mean, there’s something to be said about the idea of me blending into my natural habitat around a bunch of fruits, you know what I mean?
Haha. I do. So what’s the significance for you of being photographed on the streets in Bushwick?
Well, there’s really no debate — Bushwick is now an epicenter of culture. The speed at which creative energy flows from the mind to the streets here through art, music, and conversation is really fast. So to be on these streets that have inspired me so much really means a lot. I moved to Bushwick to be closer to my friends and to have access to locations that are meeting grounds for our community.