“Yellow represents the sun and is the color of life, or the ora. The colors must link with a story, an idea, a concept, a legend of the land.”

tahiti fashion week pays homage to the island's rich culture

After almost having their entire culture erased, these South Pacific Islanders are reviving the folklore in unapologetic celebration of their traditions. The rise of traditional tattoos and world renown Polynesian dance groups have pushed the culture. But more recently, Tahitian designers have resurged the use of the materials that characterized the traditional costume to create modern, culturally-charged pieces, and these pieces rule the runways of Tahiti Fashion Week.

read the full story at i-d.vice.com >>

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credits

Creative Director/Stylist: Alexander-Julian Gibbson
Photographer: Emmanuel Monsalve
Assistants: Lina Palacios // Teani Liu
Production: Manu de Schoenburg of Filmin’ Tahiti
Make-up: Nadia Hilal
Hair: Mareva David
Models: Tia Wan + Hinaniui Campello BRAVE Models
Dancers: NONAHERE Dance Group

web-Space Cowboy-29.jpg — Space Cowboy (*2019*)

for Vogue Italia
by
Alexander-Julian
Emmanuel Monsalve

SPACE COWBOY (2019)

by Alexander-Julian and Emmanuel Monsalve

A story of love and acceptance. We often view new cultures and foreign entities as threats to what we know, but when given the opportunity these new cultures can enhance our outlook and open us to a greater existence.

The female subject in this story represents a beautiful otherworldly being that finds itself in a new surrounding where she’s immediately detained and seen as a threat. The two male subjects represent the opposite realities that exist in that environment. In the end, the realities converge and only one is able to accept and love the new foreign being. Together they enjoy a new enhanced reality.

I chose Western-wear and Space Obsession to portray this story because these two timeless trends represent different mindsets and philosophies in America. Being a native born Texan, I consider Western-wear an homage to pride and classic Americana, while the Space Obsession represents the world’s curiosity for a new world as an escape. The themes were visually inspired by Kozaburo a Japanese-American menswear brand and MM6 Maison Margiela’s 2018 collection.

(full story at Vogue.it)