Anja Rubik & Ibrahim Kamara by Harley Weir for Vogue Italia & L’Uomo Vogue, May 2020

Anja Rubik & Ibrahim Kamara bring Gender/Together in boundary-busting co-production, by Harley Weir for Vogue Italia & L’Uomo Vogue, May 2020. Like a Dream Inside a Dream… she sees herself through the midnight eye… soaring in one o’er the sanguine sky… like a moonbeam reaching in lunar delight… flying ever fluidly across the great divide. The force of impetus with the will to survive… will forever honor her plight to thrive. This story celebrates the artistry of gender identity and sexual fluidity. Anja & Ibrahim spend time playing inside each other’s mind. Learning to more deeply appreciate the independence of spirit and story. This explores the arc of evolution and the beauty of becoming. It’s not just the destination in that matters. It’s the arduous nature of the journey that can transform your. Turning your center from soft to steel. If this Pandemic Crisis has done one thing, it’s taught us to face our fears. I believe we have come to understand we don’t have All the Time in the World. And, those still under the blanket of disbelief, are among the most dangerous souls on the planet right now. I Say It Sadness but Speak It with Truth. Let the words write themselves. As stupid as that sounds. When you get outta the way of your creative countenance, you can begin to peel back to pages and get to what’s real.

Harley Weir Finds the Heart of Fashion Art… The Soul of High Style. Ever exposing the essence of avant-garde exploration. This doesn’t end with an editorial, it only begins when design is brought to life. This talented photographer does double duty. Providing separate magazine layouts that play together while giving the essence of independence. Each image is unique to the particular side, yet distinct in the overall scenic appeal. Here, a similar style gives it wings, but it’s the storied backdrop that provides all the power. Don’t hide in fear or faint my dear this our time to gather near. Open your mind and see what you’ll find, for one person’s prison is another person’s palace. We have a rare chance here. To think out loud. This is about discovering the distinctness of design.

She has an amazing ability to take us right through the lens of her camera. Traveling inside the eye of the artistic storm. Thereby allowing us to see beyond the scenic sugar, and settle deep into the soul of the story. A mosaic of mental stimulation makes her imagery so exciting. Accompanied by a subtly that speaks to a solemn calm. Fueling the intellectual fire, her works are masterful. The cohesive nature of this editorial allows it to evolve. Elevating the experience to one of emotional connection not physical attraction. Her images are firstly very smooth. The eyes ride over the visual content with a kind of neo-ease. There is no abruptness to the exposure. It’s a level above average, giving a multi-layered effect. Connections of creativity mark each scene, melting into the next like a layered dream.

We’ve become a quick thinking society. Burning through ideas like scraps in a field of dreams. That’s a dangerous habit we have to break. We’ve been given this moment of grace to break bad habits before they take. This is a generation moment in our history. We need not to just try, we need now to fly, high. Ibrahim steps out of his shoes (albeit, still stylish as s***), to expand his resume to include modeling. Working aside one of the world’s top in her field. One couldn’t ask for a better modeling-mate that Anja Rubik. She’s an expansive soul. Her direction is defined. His is open and refined. Together they make pure magic.

Rubik is beyond fierce in a white, Fendi jacket that appears as if it has been outlined in black. Stripes of random lines races down either side, including the lapels and breast-pocket. A bold look that packs a dramatic punch. Anja’s specialty. The jacket falls open enough to expose her naked chest, showing dark lines marked over her breasts, as if to add dimension. Coiffed/cut with a chic, new hue, Cyndia Harvey gives her a decadent dew. Putting a cherry on top. Anja is transformed, with haute hair that takes her from a blonde into a fiery red-head.

Weir wages a war of wonder and wielding grace. The cohesive nature of the entire story plays to the poetry of the piece. Defiant yet subtle soft yet chic. These colorful combinations are ideal and unique. Both allowing each outfit a moment to shine while still blending into the backdrop. We get a chance to view them in their entirety. Like a library of fashion each piece is merely a paragraph in the chapter of couture. Don’t hide in fear or faint my dear this is our time to gather (remotely) near. Open your mind and see what you’ll find, for one person’s prison is another person’s palace. We have a rare chance to think out loud. Ideas come in hot, then we feel we have to extinguish for fear they will burn. Don’t be burdened by that concept. There are no throw away ideas. Only thoughts that lead us to places we’ve never been. So let’s dig in and discover.

There’s an element of tactile pleasure that awakens the quiet parts and silences the cynic. Making us whole and stirring the soul. This celebrates the art of being. Beauty burns as the world turns. Stirring the senses, Hiromi Ueda does her makeup in a way that let’s you feel as if you are in on a secret. Like paint on a canvas so are the tones that awaken the page. This is less about the becoming of beauty as it is the actualization of artistry. Weir uses her exquisite ability to rise above our current chapter & ask that we come together to write our own story. Art is a Celebration. Realization. Art is Then. Art is Now. Art is Forever. ART IS OUR WOW.

L’Uomo Italia May 2020