Whose Hues

A KALTBLUT exclusive fashion editorial. Photography by Sisanda Mgedezi. Models are Buck Whaley at My Friend Ned, Christian Mpazayabo, Theodore Afrika at Topco, Matthew Prins at Fusion, Chloe Turner. Creative Direction and Styling by Buck Whaley and Christian Mpazayabo. Make-up by Foyin Ogunrombi. Hair Styling by Yonela Makoba. All fashion by Twobop. “The concept of this editorial was influenced by the 90s Hip-Hop Era. We wanted to play with the concept of masculinity and the way it is so evident through Hip-Hop culture, particularly with regard to its representation in the 90s. As creatives, Christian and I are interested in the intersection between gender and fashion. It is for that reason that this project aims to push the binaries of how we understand gender and sexuality, and instead, imagine a world beyond those boundaries. In this work, we aimed to challenge the entrenched masculinity of the 90s Hip-Hop Era by juxtaposing stereotypical masculine poses, with soft, subtle, more feminine stances. This was propagated by the use of high-contrast make-up that aimed to compliment the garments, as well as to highlight the comparison to femininity in the shots. The styling of the editorial draws inspiration from carefree Hip-Hop artists, including Young Thug, Cee-Lo Green and Outkast. While, the hair styling drew inspiration from powerful black female artists like Rihanna, Lil Kim and Erykah Badu.” says Buck Whaley.