Are we in vogue now?

von Michel Oldehaver am Apr 27, 2021 | Lesezeit:

It's one of those Tuesdays when you're glad you survived Monday. Just after 8am I sat down, ready to prepare last night's broadcast while reviewing our internal marketing KPIs. 1st coffee, 2 yawns and 3 new orders later I happily sank into my chair.

What do you not feel like doing in these moments? Exactly - on the phone. And of course one came the second I finished my first tasks. "+44..." appeared on my display. "From England?" I think. Well then, let's do the same.

Michel: "Michel Oldehaver, how can I help you?" *not as friendly as I wanted to make it sound*

Caller: "This is Delali, I wanted to ask if you could get me a press pass for a shoot tomorrow.

Michel: "Okay yes we will, Delali. Where would you like to publish the project?"

Delali: "Ah sorry, the editorial will probably appear online on Vogue Germany.

*Pause

Michel: "Yes, oooookay. Let's do it too..." (no idea what else to say about it)

Me: "Hey, our pieces have been requested for a possible feature in Vogue Germany!" - The phrase went through my head before I realized what had just happened. An hour later, the phone rings again.

Esme: "Hi, this is Esme. I just sent you our picks, we'll be there in about five minutes."

We run to the warehouse and start looking for the desired pieces from our inventory. Background: A young team of creative people from Germany and Great Britain would like to present our clothes - for an editorial that will appear on Vogue Germany Online.

The photo story "Heimat" was published in Vogue Germany on April 23, 2021. We are happy to have supported the shooting with a small contribution.

Now we give the creators the space they deserve:

“Home” can evoke beautiful feelings, but it is not an easy or innocent term. For many Black people in Germany, "home" means a reality somewhere between familiarity and the challenge of one's own raison d'être. It's about questioning visual connections with the concept of home and filling them with new images. By the community, for the community. “Reflections on Home” illustrates the pride of belonging to a community that mostly remains invisible in the context of German history and the present.

Here is the link to the Vogue article.

https://www.vogue.de/kultur/artikel/relexionen-zur-heimat-black-community-in-deutschland

And here is the link to the photo series:

https://www.vogue.de/mode/galerie/heimat-term-schwarzes-leben-in-deutschland-fotostrecke

© Foto: Delali Ayivi, Styling: Chantal Sackey

About the initiators:

Delali Ayivi is a Togolese-German photographer currently based in London. With her work she wants to contribute to a diverse representation of Black identities. Last year, Delali was recognized as part of It's Nice That - Graduates 2020 and most recently the 2021 Foam Talent award.

Chantal Sackey works as a journalist and stylist. The Afro-German with roots in Togo deals in her work with themes of identity and representation and wants to create spaces for the next generation and emerging talents from the community.The joint project "Reflections on Homeland" in cooperation with Delali Ayivi is about her childhood memories and experiences that one experiences as Afro-Germans in Germany. Her "Letter to the Community" is about courage, love and above all Cohesion.

Credits:

Photography: Delali Ayivi
Styling: Chantal Sackey
Set Design: Bubby Nurse
Production: Esme Plumb
Hair & Make-up: Latisha Nicholson (using Narsissist makeup), Amy Brxwn Hair: Nancy Pokuah
Camera Operation & Lighting Direction: Barry Oppong @ elbpicturez
Camera & Lighting Assistance/BTS Photography: David Bawa @elbpicturez
Fashion Assistance: Eda Cakirci, Collins Folarin
Supervising Physician/Covid-19 Hygiene Concept: Dr. medical Clara Schleich

Special Thank You to AFROTOPIA Center Hamburg and Dr. phil. Christian Kodzo Ayivi for providing us and our community with a space to come together and create.