Fashion Stylist Neko Kelly On His Inspiration For Envy Fashion Mag December Issue

Fashion Stylist Neko Kelly ( IG : @Bootlegrocstar ) On His Creative inspiration For @EnvyFashionMag December Issue Shoot.

Neko Kelly : " I wanted to create something haunting yet very beautiful with an authentic vintage feel. I wanted to artistically touch on the idea of the Caribbean in the colonial times where black girls were being forced to adapt to the western ideas of beauty and appropriateness for social advancement. They were forced to learn how to be more "beautiful" and ladylike. They were also taunted by the idea of church( having and respecting Christian morals) as well as going to school and learning how to play an instrument in hopes of it adding social prestige to the family. The editorial is called "sheer beauty" and it plays on both meanings of the word "sheer". " Sheer" in one sense means extreme, which mirrors the harsh measures taken in molding these young girls into "beautiful women". The other meaning is more literal and visible seeing that I used sheer fabric as a focal element in styling to help develop the message of the editorial. 

Ultimately, the shoot represents a conflict. An internal tug-of-war that she faces with her identity. She's being told to do this and be that which is causing her to neglect who she actually wants to be." 

Credits: 

Editorial: @envyfashionmag

Model: @annecia_morgan 

Stylist: @bootlegrocstar 

MUA: @kellyshanev 

Photographer: @jrdnmrrs 

Set Assistant: @lutas_ and @juls.lc