I love using clothing as a means of self expression. So when Tolu (of PhotosbyPhab) initially told me about his MILES and SELIM series (SELIM is MILES spelled backwards…see what he did there:), I was absolutely on board to help him bring his vision to life: Exploring Androgyny through Fashion. What better way to attempt to use clothing as an art form than playing with the ideology of what society expects to wear based on our gender.

For this particular project, we needed a really feminine looking model to be completely transformed into a different version of herself. In my head I was thinking “let me make her look like a debonair gentleman without a care in the world.” Aziza was the perfect model for this and Tolu was awesome on the camera. Shoutout to Thad for lending us his hands for some of the shots. This was a really fun experience for me and I enjoyed using clothing to play with gender “norms.” I’ll be posting a few last shoots from this project in the near future. In the meantime, What do you think of this project? Did you have any favorite images? Want to see some behind the scenes footage from this project? If so, check out my highlights on my Instagram @ascotsandpearls.

Credits

Concept & Photography: Tolu Bamwo

Muse: Aziza Afari

Wardrobe Styling + Creative Direction : Ascots and Pearls

The next couple of shots below were taken at the shoot by a different photographer Haythem of Lafhaj Studios. Hence the distinct difference in photography styles