Lacey De La Pa'z

Zero Waste Week reported that the cosmetics industry is accountable for 120 billion units of un-recyclable packaging every year.

Some brands are trying to lower that number by introducing recyclable or biodegradable packaging for their customers. Lush is a brand that always held its sustainability standards as high as their quality standards. Since the conception of the company, Lush’s packaging is refillable and recyclable, but they’ve gone a step further and added a packaging-free option. However, not nearly enough brands have the same standards as Lush does.

Courtesy of @amlybotanicals

For beauty lovers, it’s hard to find products that are both good for your skin and have a low environmental impact. Earlier this month, ex-beauty buyer Zahra Broadfield stepped in and found a solution. Thus, SUSTbeauty was born. Broadfield told Refinery29, “I couldn't find a retailer really leading the conversation around responsible beauty in a way that felt satisfactory to me as a consumer, so I launched one."

From there she built a network of reliable beauty brands that offer products that are kind to your skin and your wallet. With the brands featured on the site, you get the luxury experience you’re looking for in your beauty regime all without the staggering prices.

Something that sets SUSTbeauty apart from the others is its extensive review process. In order to get a spot on the site, Broadfield first has to test your product out. There is no lab testing to see how products MIGHT react to different skin types. She goes home and uses the product for some time and decides whether or not it meets SUSTbeauty’s standards. "I personally test every product that we sell on the site for smell, texture, efficacy and examining the experience or how it makes me feel.”

Courtesy of @sustbeauty

The next step is meeting with the brand to get the backstory. What ingredients they use, where they’re sourced, and surprisingly what efforts they have to balance their carbon output. Correct me if I’m wrong, but I’ve never heard of a retailer asking a brand how they offset their carbon output. That’s just another characteristic that sets SUST apart from the rest of the pack.

Holzemer is known for breaking down the walls of designers. His first step into the fashion documentary world was his Dries van Noten profile Dries. When thinking about who he wanted to work with next, he found his answer inside a Hermes exhibition. Once he saw Margiela’s work for the house he knew exactly who his next subject would be.

It wasn’t an easy task. Holzemer and his filming partner had to go through multiple different connections and propose documentation of the upcoming exhibit at the Palais Galliera instead of a profile film. Once they were in the door they proposed their idea. It took some convincing but they finally got a yes and started filming just four days after first meeting Margiela. The voiceover was another obstacle. Margiela hates listening back to his own voice and wanted an actor to speak for him. After some conversation and small technical changes to his voice, Margiela agreed to do the film himself. 

Holzemer slowly broke down the walls the designer had built up around himself. Even though we only see his hands and never his face, there’s an incredible vulnerability to his story. His mother saved all of his sketchbooks from when he was younger, which were shown in the film. Margiela explains for the first time ever his unique story.

At 7 years old, the young designer watched his first fashion show on television. With his parents being hairdressers and his grandmother being a dressmaker, it’s almost like he was made to create. As he flips through old memories you make a connection even though we have no idea who he is.

Holzemer and Margiela went through all 110 looks being displayed in the Galliera and chose 70 that were key turning points. These included his cork necklace, which he remade in the film. He went through the 1990s show set on the playground and being Creative Director of Hermes.

When talking about the end, Margiela was very careful with his wording. Saying, “At the end, I became, in a certain way, an artistic director in my company and that bothered me because I am a designer.” A fine detail that was left out of the film but Holzemer told Dazed was about the pressure Margiela was truly under. After the very first show, Margiela was so tired he wanted to quit right then and there but didn’t, he kept working hard for the next 20 years. After he departed from the fashion world he needed a whole year off to recover from it all.

As these generations come into adulthood they have to make the choice of which brands to buy all on their own. Some may have brand loyalty they formed through their teen years but most are still looking for the perfect brands that fit their moral code.

With fashion being one of the top polluting industries, those coming of age have a huge decision to make. Do they buy into fast fashion because it’s quick and easy even though it’s doing more harm than good? Or do they rise up against it?

I’m happy to say they’ve chosen to stand against fast fashion in its entirety. This week Forever 21, the biggest fast-fashion retailer in the global market, has filed for bankruptcy. With annual revenue falling by over $1 Billion USD this past year, the retail giant has decided it’s best to change course.

Forever 21 experienced great success in the early 2000s. Even during the recession, they were expanding their stores to cities in Latin America and Europe. CEO Do Won Chang explains why, “old people wanted to be 21 again, and young people wanted to be 21 forever.”

The retailer is set to shut down operations in at least 40 different countries in hopes to “simplify” things. VP Linda Chang says things got a little too complicated when they had mass expanded in such a short amount of time. They grew their number of stores and available merchandise but didn’t take into consideration shifting tastes.

For a decade fast fashion ran the world. Everyone wanted what was coming down the runway but didn’t want the price tag. They wanted their trends fast and cheap and competitors like Zara and H&M also quickly rose to the top. Soon the tides began to change and slowly smaller low budget malls lost foot traffic. Many of them have closed and with it went Forever 21.

The current 20-something consumer doesn’t want a cheap $2 top anymore. They are conscious buyers who would rather get less for more if that meant they were buying into sustainable fashion. Arguably, there is no need for fast fashion anymore. At the rate at which we’re shifting, in 5 years' time, there will be no fast fashion. Or at least one can hope.

We can all agree that 110 looks are way too much, even for a seasoned designer. Some of the looks fell short compared to the rest, but the collection as a whole was well presented. Silk shawls and expertly woven suits trotted their way down the catwalk. The core color palette was rather basic with a nice stone grey being the start of the show. The only accent colors seen in the whole collection were in the patterns on the silk scarves. A majority of the clothes could be considered office-wear, if you would in a truly luxury office.

David Koma brought more spice and more skins with his designs. Transparent tiger print and slashes gave tasteful peek-a-boos to the majority of the looks. 90 percent of the collection was black and white, but you don’t always need bright colors to be great. Then Koma throws us a curveball and we’re greeted with a blue-ish silver blazer followed by three looks that put a bright orange front and center. Altogether, the collection represents a sophisticated spring wardrobe fit for anyone.

Photo Credit: Fillipo Fior

Christopher Kane took us to another planet with his newest collection. Even the more simple dresses had a chrome ball accent to make the design feel part of this other-worldly adventure. The accessories further the story with colored gel inserts, making them look as if they were a part of an alien spaceship. The collection wasn’t as well-received as Kane’s past shows but it’s one that went against the grain and I appreciate that.

From the very first look, I knew Richard Quinn was bringing me down the rabbit hole. From the Alice in Wonderland florals to the look-a-like lampshade pattern above, it all brings you straight into the wild ride that is Richard Quinn. Most of the looks featured florals, big and small, others were animal inspired with flamingo feathers and cheetah print being a few. There was only one look out of all 53 that was one color and that was a yellow gown. Even that had a rose made out of material front and center. Every single model looks as if she just crawled out of a children’s fairy tale book. Richard Quinn brought our childhood tales to life.

Photo Credit: Alessandro Lucioni

When has Erdem ever failed us? To me, this is what the wardrobe for Hateful Eight would’ve looked like if it were set in spring. This idea of the Wild West was at the core of the collection. Bright colors are thrown at us from left and right, all set within a variety of floral patterns. Modern prairie dresses were the focus of the show. With barely a pant insight, Erdem showed us what life would look like if living on a farm were glamourous.

Simplicity

In the simplicity category, we have Dion Lee, Proenza Schouler, and Longchamp. All three have simplistic silhouettes and refined color palettes, with Longchamp being the only one who added in a few extra graphics for a pop.

The opening half of Dion Lee gave off a Lora Croft mixed with a post-apocalyptic aura. With a classic silhouette, Earth tones and some leather, Lee created elegant grunge. For the second half of the collection, we get some pops of color with head to toe orange and quick views of a peachy-pink. For me, Dion Lee was one of the top collections to come out of NYFW this season.

Photo Credit: Salvatore Dragone

Longchamp’s silhouette variation was very minimal but their graphics were the complete opposite. Stripes mixed with psychedelic prints resembling something that would come from Ed Hardy were seen the most. Other designs were simple in every aspect; color, shape, style, etc. Kaia Gerber’s opening look was a nylon jacket and calf-high boots seen on a number of the models. If this collection doesn’t resemble balance than I don’t know what does.

Proenza Schouler is in the same universe as Dion Lee but habits their own planet. Earth tones made another appearance in this collection as well as a nice surprise of bright yellow. A good mix of skin and modesty was shown, with tops that revealed entire chests of models and others that covered up to their ears. 

More Is More

The more is more theme was seen across a good amount of designers this season, including Tomo Koizumi, Zan Posen, and Rodarte. All three collections presented tulle in their own unique way.

Zac Posen did what he does best and showcased flawless dresses crafted of tulle. Surprisingly there were a couple of pantsuits in there, one, of course, had to sport a tulle top. Posen’s designs are always well-executed giving an elegant feel to the collections. The photoshoot was electric, with shots of model Winnie Harlow twirling in floor-length dresses and even jumping into frame.

Photo Credit: Vogue Runway

With only 8 looks in the entire collection, Tomo Koizumi managed to be one of the most talked-about designers of NYFW. Behind the scene photos and videos practically created a live demonstration of the shoot. Viewers gravitated towards the mass amount of tulle used. There’s just something about tulle that makes you feel untouchable. Koizumi did an outstanding job with the dresses, growing his following greatly.

Rodarte did its own thing with a garden-floral inspired photoshoot. The classic diner flooring gives off a court jester vibe while the beautifully crafted florals make us feel alive. Form-fitting is not in Kate and Laura’s vocabulary, dresses either had protruding skirts or puffed out sleeves. Even the very few models who wore pants had extra ruffles thrown on for good measure.

True Spring Fever

We’re talking about the Spring/Summer season here, so where are the classics? The lavender, the lace, the sunflowers, you get the picture. Alice + Olivia, Carolina Herrera, and Kate Spade all gave us exactly what we’re looking for. . .

Alice + Olivia gave us the colors and lace we were longing for. Highly saturated colors are a fresh update to the pastel versions we’re used to seeing. Lavender, yellow-green, and sea-foam green are part of the core palette while deep orange, baby blue and a spectrum of pinks were used as accents. The collection as a whole is very bold and in your face, but towards the end, we get to see a softer side. A gorgeous skin-tone pink dress and pure white lace grace us as we end the adventure that is Alice + Olivia. 

Carolina Herrera is the supreme when it comes to femininity. The brand was built on this idea of old-Hollywood glamour but has managed to bring that idea into a modern landscape. Patterns were the key to this collection. Large-scale florals, plaid, and polka dots graced the Herrera runway. Four all-black outfits hit the runway which made for a nice surprise. Even a few of these were adorned with 3-D floral appliqués.

Over a year after Kate Spade passing, the brand still maintains and even elevates what the late designer wanted for her label. It takes a true visionary to take someone’s dream and turn it into a reality. Kate Spade gave us beautifully made head to toe lace, true spring colors, and even had models carry plants down the “runway”. Can you get any more spring than that? The location, the clothes and the lovable addition of the plants all gave viewers the feel of stylish women bringing plants back to her home garden from her local farmers market. I’m here for it.

All these brands plan to make their operations sustainable through 3 different goals:

Developing and enforcing plans to have “zero greenhouse gas emissions” by 2050

Restoring biodiversity and protecting key species

Protect the world’s oceans by reducing the impact the fashion industry has on them

Under the supervision of French President Emanuel Macron, Kering’s CEO will oversee the brands and their adherence to the pact. President Macron is known for advocating for the preservation of the environment and the world’s biodiversity. So, it comes as no surprise he would put something like this together right before the annual summit held in France.

The press release was very unclear about how these brands are going to accomplish these goals. The fashion industry is a giant one and has been a leading cause of environmental degradation for decades.

One that struck me as an odd addition is the H&M Group. It seems almost impossible for a fast-fashion giant like H&M to ever be sustainable. I mean, one of the goals is to eliminate single-use plastics in most of their operations. How is a brand like H&M supposed to accomplish that? Especially when there are no measurable goals.

Some of the brands in the pact actually make a lot of sense. Nike and Adidas being two brands that have already made headlines with their recycled fabrics and more sustainable operations.

It’s safe to say that most people pushing for this to happen are hesitant about the outcome. Without measurable goals how can anyone hold these brands accountable for their actions?

It seems like these brands are going to do a complete overhaul, from the fabrics they use to their packaging. What if they only reduce their carbon footprint by 2%? It might not be what we want to see but on their end, it’ll be “progress”.

Time is running out to turn our actions around. These brands need to wake up and do their part in making fashion sustainable, BEFORE it’s too late.

MAISON DE LA LUZ

The hotel that started it all is the Maison de la Luz in New Orleans. It has the perfect combination of nostalgic diamond floors and delicate woodwork.

The hotel’s Instagram page is what really hooked me. It’s almost as if you’ve stepped into a time capsule. Remnants of the 1920s are seen all over the hotel.

SILENT LIVING

Let me do the honors of formally introducing you to Silent Living located in beautiful Portugal. I almost don’t want to call it a hotel because it’s much more than that.

Silent Living is closer to an oasis than a hotel. The simplicity in the historically based designs and the very apparent connection with nature is what separates this lodging from all the others.

LE MAURICE

Le Meurice is exactly what you want when you’re planning a trip to Paris. It has history, it has elegance and most importantly . . . the beds look like clouds.

This hotel’s history stretches all the way back to 1811. I know that doesn’t sound like a lot since it was only 200 years ago, but 2019 is a whole lot different than 1811.

GRACE HOTEL

Ah, Santorini, Greece. There’s no way you can do a list of amazing hotels and NOT find one in Santorini. That’s where Grace Hotel comes in.

This hotel is perched just right, to give you jaw-dropping views of the water and land around you. I mean just look at that view. You’d be crazy not to fall in love with this dream-cation.

NIHI SUMBA

As soon as I saw this hotel I knew I had to share it. Located 50 minutes East of Bali, it’s safe to say Nihi Sumba is quite secluded.

Nestled in the jungles of Indonesia, this hotel aims to connect you with the local world surrounding you. Don’t know about you but I would take a surfing lesson here in a heartbeat.

COTTON HOUSE HOTEL

Although the hotel itself didn’t appear until 2015, the location’s history dates back to the days when Barcelona’s textile industry was in its prime.

Showcasing antiques going back to the 1800s, the Cotton House Hotel gives you the full Barcelona experience. It even says it on the hotel’s website, stay here and you’ll “Discover the true essence of Barcelona.”

MARQUIS LOS CABOS

I guess love at first sight really does exist. It doesn’t matter if you get their basic room or their Presidential suite, you will fall in love with every room here. I mean they all have stunning views of the ocean, who wouldn’t love that?

I already know what I would do there. Every morning I would watch the sunrise with my coffee then around 9 ‘clock-ish I would transition to mimosas and lay on the beach all day.

After looking at all these hotels again, I don’t even think they fit into my 10-year plan. All I know is, at some point in my life I’ll make it to at least one of these places. Until then I’ll continue to dream.

Kaia Gerber

A daughter following in her mother’s footsteps. With just two years in the business Gerber has earned a spot next to her mother Cindy Crawford in the supermodel hall of fame. Her very first show was back in 2017 for Calvin Klein when Raf Simmons was head of the brand. Soon to follow were houses like Marc Jacobs, Burberry, Prada, Fendi, etc. After receiving so much exposure on the runway and in brand campaigns, Gerber landed her first fashion magazine cover with Vogue Paris for February 2018. That same year, Gerber won Model of the Year at the annual Fashion Awards.

Bella Hadid

Isabella Khair Hadid AKA Bella Hadid is one of the most talked-about models of our time. Walking in a number of shows and being the face of brands like Bvlgari has propelled her to supermodel status. With all this success it’s hard to believe that modeling wasn’t Hadid’s first passion. As a child and even today in her adult life, she has a passion for equestrian studies. She first appeared on the catwalk in 2013 for Hanna Haynes F/W collection but it wasn’t until 2014-2015 when her career started to take off. Today Hadid has 4 model awards to her name and an extensive modeling portfolio. The fashion world can’t wait to see what she does in the next phase of her life.

Candice Swanepoel

Swanepoel recently opened Max Mara’s SS 2020 collection with Gigi Hadid and Doutzen Kroes, but has been strutting down catwalks since 2003. Originally scouted in a Dutch flea market at the age of 15, Swanepoel has had a successful and long-lasting career. She’s been featured on the cover of magazines from British Vogue, GQ Mexico, all the way to V magazine Turkey. Her runway career is even more extensive than her covers, starring in shows like Dior, Chanel, and even Nike. While Swanepoel still models today, her main priority is her two sons, Anakan and Ariel.

Joan Smalls

Born and raised in Puerto Rico, Smalls moved to New York City to model after graduating from university with her degree in psychology. Her modeling career really took off when she was signed to IMG Models and worked with Givenchy in 2010. For Smalls, there was no looking back. Her modeling portfolio is filled with both ready-to-wear and haute couture collection from a range of designers like Chanel, Gucci, Prada, YSL, etc. Not to mention all the magazines, brand campaigns, and television appearances shes been featured in. In 2017, Jeremy Scott made Small the face of the house's fragrance Fresh Couture Gold.  

Adut Akech

Akech started modeling at the age of 16 and first appeared in a local fashion show in Australia created by her aunt. While at Melbourne Fashion Week in 2017, she auditioned for the Saint Laurent show in Paris. What came next was Akech’s first notable catwalk. She stills walks in Saint Laurent shows as well as McQueen, Givenchy, Kenzo, Off-White and many others. Her latest achievement was this year’s September Issue of Britsh Vogue, where Dutchess of Sussex, Megan Markle chose her to stand with 14 other women as the cover stars.

Edie Campbell

The brand will still produce carbon emissions but they plan to offset them by purchasing what's called “carbon credits.” These credits come in all different forms but the most common for brands is to donate money to renewable energy projects or to organizations that aim to preserve wildlife populations. Gucci plans to go through an organization called REDD+ that supports forest conservation in developing countries.

The biggest promise CEO Marco Bazzarri confirmed to the New York Times is that Gucci will be completely carbon neutral by the end of September. This is a huge task for any company, big or small, so how exactly is Gucci going to pull it together?

The brand recognizes that almost 90% of its emissions come from its supply chain and plan to start there. The process of getting a raw material into a state where the designer can work with it is a laborious and environmentally draining one. Starting with all the resources a grower needs to produce the raw materials, harvest it, sort it, dye it, and ship it, all have a hand in growing carbon emissions.

In order for a brand like Gucci to figure out how to offset their carbon emissions, they needed to figure out their carbon footprint. First, they looked at all the emissions created in 2018 and offset those by purchasing carbon credits. Now they’ve started to track their emissions for 2019 and are trying to avoid them before they’re even created. Any emission they can’t avoid is going to be offset by the carbon credits.

In order for Gucci, along with any other brand, to reach total and complete carbon neutrality, they’re going to have to go to the root of the problem - Raw materials. Gucci is going to have to track every move made by all their suppliers and guess at the numbers they can't calculate.

To start off the enormous task, they’re using guidelines set by the Greenhouse Gas Protocol. This system includes three different stages companies have to follow in order to help reduce their carbon footprint. Gucci’s parent company, Kering, only follows the first two stages which track all in-house activities. The third stage goes outside the company and follows moves made by third parties like factories and suppliers.

How long have you been actively creating content?

I’ve only been actively creating content for about 8 months.

Where are you originally from and how long have you called Miami your home?

I moved to the US from Poland actually! I grew up on a small farm just about 15 minutes away from the border of Slovakia then my mother and I moved to New York. Miami has been my home for a year and a half. I live out of my suitcase pretty much between NYC, Miami, and LA.

Where is your favorite place in Miami to take visiting friends?

Haha, please do not judge me on this one but this place called E11EVEN. I love to take my friends out dancing and to have fun to fun music and that place provides that. It’s a 24-hour burlesque show/club place. For a good dinner, I take them to Katsuya. They have amazing appetizers and dinner menu that’s not through the roof prices.

What are some of your favorite local brands/businesses that you worked with?

Local brands that I worked with would be Military Hippie! They’re a super fun, girly brand based out of Del Rey Beach! This one is not really local, but it took place in Miami. Walking for the D&G fashion show. That was AMAZING. Also, the brand Maxime. We shot in Virginia Key for a few days so that was local but not really a local brand.

What would you say is your favorite part about working in the fashion industry?

My favorite part about working in the industry is constantly meeting new people. Every job I book or photoshoot, I’m surrounded by new creatives and I personally love it because I develop a lot of valuable friendships that way. Whether it be with another fashion model, photographer or stylist.

How can local businesses gain more exposure on social media?

Giveaways at a store’s location under the condition that the person who gets the give away posts on their Instagram and tags the company. That’s the best way I’ve found. If you’re at a store, people are wanting to come in and meet you and see what the giveaway is about. It’s not only good pr for the store, but you get to connect with people face to face, then later on social media.

Tell us your biggest challenge as a content creator?

My biggest challenge as a content creator is to constantly get new content. It’s time-consuming. Organizing a photoshoot or a video shoot takes a lot of effort and time. You put in all these hours and you can maybe do 2-3 posts for the photos and 1 post for the video. So definitely coming up with creative ideas & getting big brands to collaborate on these ideas is a challenge.

How can other content creators better engage their audience?

Honestly, post funny memes of yourself and your friends. Let us get to know the real you. It helps. We’re all human at the end of the day and if someone can relate to you, or get an idea that you are not this “famous unreachable person,” they will spread the word & keep coming back.

Who is your biggest inspiration?

I have two. My father is one and the other is a friend of mine from college. Both of them show me that anything in life is possible. Whether you want to be a fashion model, a lawyer, a day trader or an owner of a business. If you really believe in something, go after it. Don’t take no for an answer, fight for what you believe in and want. Finding a passion, and performing it every day, that’s living.

You’ve done TONS of photoshoots, but which one has stood out to you the most?

The photoshoot that stood out the most to me was actually a recent one I just shot in NYC with Jeff Kravitz. I’ve never clicked so well with a photographer as I did with him. We’re already planning our next shoots and projects! Also the photos we captured that day were phenomenal.

Tell us your strongest skill?

My strongest skill would be that I’m very outgoing and I can connect with people very easily. I’m like a chameleon! Give me a shy person, we’ll be friends in 5 minutes. Give me a party animal, we’ll be taking shots in 3.

Out of all the books you’ve read, which one left the biggest mark?

The book that has the biggest impact on my life is “The Intelligent Investor” by Benjamin Grahm. Some might think it’s boring but it has a ton of useful information about investing wisely.

What equipment do you use?

I use a Nikon camera D3400, my iPhone 8 plus & natural light (can’t beat it).

Top 5 apps

INSTAGRAM! Rated number one haha

SPOTIFY

THINK OR SWIM

GOOGLE MAPS

UBER

As a fashion model, have you run into any roadblocks with people listening to you talk about things like the stock market or investing?

No, honestly I haven’t. I’m sure people are skeptical at first but when the conversation gets rolling and they realize I actually have a pretty good understanding and knowledge of the market in general, their opinions change. I think, I don’t know, maybe they are being nice!

With the rapid integration of technology into fashion, where do you think the industry will be in 20 years?

I think everything about it will be digital. I also think it will be easier to work as a fashion model due to platforms such as Instagram and various apps that already exist for models to book jobs on their own without a need for agencies per se. It’s already happening!

Anything else you are currently working on that you would like to share?

I’m in the process of creating and developing a website along with a few social media accounts to educate models on how to invest their money in the stock market.

I’m a working fashion model myself and I quickly realized that there are months where you work non stop & then there are weeks & months where you don’t have any jobs. But you have to eat and pay bills right? Being a full-time model makes it hard to get a regular 9-5 job because you have to be available all the time. You never know your schedule.

Give us a glimpse into your childhood. What were you like as a kid?

I was born and raised in Geneva, Switzerland. My parents are from the Middle East and I have three sisters. Growing up with three sisters taught me a lot about girls but it also made me want to hang out with the boys more. I loved dressing like a girl but I felt more comfortable hanging out with boys. And that never changed.

As a child I was always sketching clothes, painting on silk and flipping through interior design magazines. It fulfilled and inspired me. Clothes always represented a way to express myself, a symbol against authority.

Have you always wanted to be an artist, or did you dream of something else?

I always defined myself as “outside the box.” I lived in my own world full of paint, crayons and odd clothing. My two passions have always been Fine Art and Fashion. I always knew that I wanted to be a creator, designer, and artist one day, but didn’t embrace it until my mid-20s. Now, I’m 28 and like feel I’m getting closer and closer to fully expressing myself as an artist.

I was always obsessed with the way clothes would embellish the woman’s body. Most of my drawings were and still are inspired by the curves of women. There was always a desire to combine Fashion and Art but I never felt the confidence to go for it until now.

My family put so much emphasis on having a conservative business education, rather than following your passions. I convinced myself that entering the fashion and art industry was a mere dream. So I put my passions to the side and aimed for a business education in Switzerland. I attended l’Ecole Hotelière de Lausanne and graduated with a Bachelors in Business Management and Hospitality. Even though my time in business school taught me invaluable business and life skills, I always felt incomplete as my creativity was sidelined.

Getting Into Fashion

My only creative outlet at this time was selecting what I wore every day. At this point, it was only a matter of finding the right opportunity to express my vision. It all happened in May 2014.

As a requirement of my undergrad, I had to work for a company of choice. In 2014, I applied to Chanel in New York. I was offered the job, and I excitedly packed my bags for New York. Throughout the experience, I was infatuated and inspired by everything surrounding me. I actually started to draw again. My ideas were flowing and I felt energized. I promised myself that from now on, I would only do what excites my soul.

While in NYC, I went to a Parsons information session and had an urge to enroll. After returning to Switzerland, I began taking technical and sketching lessons again. I knew I needed to build a portfolio if I wanted to return to Parsons. A year later there I was. Attending the school of my dreams, where I was taught everything about design.

Take us through your creative process

I believe the creative process is part of your unconscious. It’s not something you can control or decide. It’s about being sensitive and aware of things that surround you. Like staring at people in the subway, seeing them talking, fighting, dancing, crying, etc. It’s very easy to get inspiration in NYC. All the city’s architecture, art, music, and design are very rich and influential. That’s the main reason why people come to NYC.

Personally, I try to surround myself with creative and positive people. For me, it’s something I try to maintain in my life. You can’t go further in life if you’re surrounded by close-minded people. Most of my friends are musicians and they have big dreams. When we hang, whether in a studio or at shows, it always gives me a lot of encouragement to chase my dreams. My friends have a huge impact on my creative process.

A lot of people get their inspiration from social media. It’s is a great platform where people can exchange ideas and get inspired. I follow lots of art magazines and interior design accounts that give me ideas and inspiration daily. I like to save them and stare at them a few days later and create a mood board.

It’s not about stealing ideas, it is about finding a starting point. I can get inspiration from a flower I saw in the deli or a picture of a flower on Pinterest. This same flower will give me the inspiration to create floral prints that are completely different from the flower I saw.

Is there a difference between Miami art and New York art?

They are very different. New York City is definitely richer in terms of museums, art galleries, artists, curators, etc. It’s a more saturated market. This can make it harder as an artist to get in touch with people because there’s so much talent.

Miami is very interesting for people like me who are just starting. It’s easier to get in touch with people in the art world and have projects going on. I think it’s a great place to get started since people are very open to collaboration and hearing your story. The Miami art scene is growing so fast, there are a lot of new opportunities and great projects to consider. There is a huge potential.

Do you prefer to work on large scale projects with a team or on smaller ones where it’s just you?

I love both. It’s important for me to have my own moment but it’s also important to have a team to work with on large scale projects. It’s like Ying and Yang. Having people helping me on my last large scale installation was amazing. They physically helped me with the whole set up and they gave me so much courage to continue when I felt low.

I love hearing other people’s opinions as long as I stay true to my own. Sometimes you have to take a step back and hear what other people think. We can get caught up in our world and need people to tell us what they think we should do. The creative process can make me feel lonely at times, having people around is essential for me.

Do you bring camp into your everyday life, or does it reside only in your art?

I always felt like my art is more kitsch than glamorous necessarily. There is no better way to process times of chaos and instability than through extreme art or fashion. It’s a fun form of escapism. I try to bring humor, colors, laughter, and extravagance into each aspect of my life. Humor is the answer, to everything, it helps you to move on.

Ironically, I don’t wear anything kitsch. Typically I just black clothes but I love to bring colorful furniture into my home. I love clothes and I always try my best to look good. So, in that sense, I’m bringing camp into my everyday life. My art reflects what is in my mind. I’m just a witness of a society where woman are becoming more powerful and more exuberant. Today it’s like sexuality has become almost ironic. Camp captures that spirit.

If you could switch lives with any artist, past or present, who would you choose?

Virgil Abloh for sure. He’s an artist but more than that a visionary and avant-garde, I love that. Abloh is someone who wears many hats. It’s awesome to have a vision and then apply it to different types of media. Doesn’t matter if it’s clothes, home decor, music or a lifestyle.

This guy doesn’t limit himself to one thing, he always pushes the boundaries. I admire him and look up to him in so many ways. There’s no doubt, he’s the king of collaborations. Abloh understands that he has an opportunity to change the scope of fashion.

One of my favorite quotes is:

“Fashion is art to me–I’m involved with all facets of art. My work in architecture, music, fashion, and my art exhibitions all work hand in hand and serve as an inspiration to one another. I see fashion and art as one great entity.”

Where do you think art will be in 50 years?

It’s hard to answer that question. I hope that art won’t be much different from what it is today. At the rate technology is changing, it will for sure have an influence on art. We might see more works with 3D projections on the wall or elaborate moving canvases that are already coming into play. I’m the first one to use digital software but I hope to still see authentic work on canvas that a lot of artists take months or years to create.

Is there anything you’re currently working on that you’d like to promote?

I recently added my work to Showfields in New York City and The Artpark in the Miami Design District. This summer, I’ll be releasing my skateboard art collection on kellydabbah.com, and collaborating with a few artists on an installation at the Delano Hotel in Miami. Soon, I’ll be launching my bathing suit line on my website, so be sure to watch for that.

In the ancient world, winemaking spread outward from Georgia; traveling to China, the Middle East, Egypt and to the Greeks and Romans. The Romans were the first ones to switch the clay pots to wooden barrels around 200 AD, which completely changed the flavors of the drink. That’s why a lot of time wine-os describe bottles as “oaky.” The Romans were also responsible for bringing the grapevine to Europe, where it took off before the Spanish brought it over to the New World.

It wasn’t until the 1600s when proper corks and thicker bottles extended the fermentation process. Then, around the end of the seventeenth century, Louise Pasteur discovered the agent responsible for the entire fermentation process: Yeast! And from here, things started to really take off for the grape juice. Vinters began to measure sugars, acids, alcohol content, and bacteria.

Up until the 1890s, vines naturally grew together, and that was just the way the cookie crumbled. The French were the first winemakers to purposely put a male and female vine together for reproduction. Yes, grapevines are gendered. It blew my mind too. Today all grapevines are hermaphroditic, which means the vine will produce more of whatever is missing to yield a bigger hoard of grapes.

After all this sex play, the industry boomed with new ways for winemakers to create. Because of all these new developments, winemaking today is a very complicated and scientific process. And American wine takes the ‘cork’ for the most experimental of them all. America is a less historical region for winemaking, so there’s more acceptance for experimentation with production. This also means that we have more modern wineries than our counterparts. In Europe, many vineyards have been family owned for decades – if not centuries – and they still use the same techniques as their grandfathers.

Either way, you look at it, it doesn’t really matter what your method is, because it all comes down to the grapes. Climate, soil conditions, and pruning are all factors that heavily affect the grape. Vines typically grow best in temperate climates, places like China, the Canary Islands, Malaga, and California are all on this list. If it was a particularly good year for harvest then brands will put “vintage” on their bottle. All this means is that at least 95% of the grapes from that harvest were picked and used that year. Some of the most expensive vintages (and wine in general) comes from the Domain Leroy in France. Sommeliers drool over Domain wines and are regarded as one of the best vineyards of all time. Let’s talk pricing: A 1992 Screaming Eagle Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa Valley is one of the more expensive I almost choked at the price tag, $500,000. Yes, that number is correct, it’s no wonder why it’s used as a status symbol.

Now, when you get invited to that UBER fancy dinner party, you can pull out all this knowledge you’ve learned and impress quite a few people.

Today, Casebere captures all of his photographs in his studio, working with influence from architecture and cinematography. It’s amazing how he can convey his art using basic materials on a tabletop. It’s common in constructed photography to notice a divide between what is real and what isn’t from time to time, but Casebere is revered for blurring this distinction in his work.

James’ portfolio from 1975-2008 looks like a scene from the Twilight Zone. His work during this time is reflective of the typical American suburban household you would’ve seen in the ’50s or ’60s. Fork in the Refridgerator, 1975 (pictured left) is a prime example of his work during this time and is part of a bigger collection similar to it. In 1994, James produced an interesting piece of work appropriately named Asylum that showcased an empty “room” with a bare bed and a single arched window. James captures a sense of eeriness in his collections during this time. He replicates this same feeling when he produced Garage in 2003, which features an empty room with a row of windows and a corridor you can’t see down

Casebere’s work from 2009-2015 reminds me of the iconic miniature town in Beetlejuice that Alec Baldwin built. This is the time period he started to heavily use color in his work. Prior to this time, he relied heavily on a black and white composition. It was about this time he began to move away from the American cultural influence, as well, and did a number of flooded images to explore different cultural influences. Most of these are influenced by French architecture, but there is a sprinkle of Japanese influence in some of the works.

What’s really interesting is James’ current work from the past two years. His collection dubbed “Emotional

Architecture” was inspired mainly by Mathias Goeritz, a German-Mexican sculptor who worked closely with architect Luis Barragan in the ’50s. Casebere used the collaboration between Goeritz and Barragan named, “Manifiesto de la Arquitectura Emocional” to serve as the sole influence of his series. There is no coincidence in this, he used the homes of the artists and their names for the collab to draw a closer connection to them. Casebere found Barragan’s use of color, paired with minimal architecture, from his Mexican background particularly interesting

One piece that he featured at Basel 2017, Courtyard with Orange Wall (constructed in the same year), was a model replica of Luis Barragan’s home studio in Mexico City. Casebere was quoted in an interview about “Emotional Architecture” saying that he related to Barragan and his use of constructionism in his work, and it definitely shows. Other photos in the collection also represent areas of Barragan’s life that James felt was important to highlight is his reworks.

Courtyard with an Orange Wall (pictured above) wasn’t Casebere’s first run at Miami Art Week. His first showing was in 2014 when he featured Yellow Hallway #2, composed in 2001. The next time he had an exhibition was in 2016 with Vestibule, (Featured on the left) then in 2017 with Cabana and Nine Alcoves. This year was the first that he has shown in other Art Basel cities, popping up in Hong Kong with a piece from his latest collection called Yellow House on Water. This piece also showed at Basel along with Shallow Pool and Courtyard with Orange Wall. Casebere also plans to show at Miami Art Week, this year so make sure to watch out for his exhibit with Sean Kelly Gallery.

Along with his showings for Sean Kelly, Casebere also has had successful exhibits throughout other galleries like 303 Gallery and Lisson Gallery, both of which show at Art Basel. Not to mention the countless exhibits he has held at different galleries all over the world. In cities like Paris, Munich, Antwerp, London, DC and New York he has paraded his art in these major cities gaining himself a great amount of popularity.