Fashion and Race: "The Intersection of Race and the Gaze in Fashion Photography"

The person who commands the lens of a camera, and thus determines the viewer’s gaze, is a crucial power broker for what an image communicates and to whom it communicates. This section of "Fashion and Race: Deconstructing Ideas, Reconstructing Identities" showcases three photographers who are both harnessing and redirecting the gaze, developing images that express joy, resilience, introspection, and transcendence.

An introspective of Black womanhood is explored through the lens of Rachel Cassandra Gibbons, whose works 'La Période Bleue' and 'La Période Rouge' adopt self-portraiture as a form of self-care and provide a visual representation of resilience.

"Disrupting the status quo of invisibility, these self-portraits give into the ebb and flow that Black women face regularly. Our existence falls into the grumbling white noise of 'the Other' as we continue to be silenced and unseen. "Almost Primary" seeks to unearth the words left unsaid, the tears choked back but, above all, the resilience and astonishing vitality that lives within the Black woman."

–Rachel Cassandra Gibbons

"'Primal' is a word constantly attributed to Blackness, so the term 'primary' brings a way to challenge perceptions of Blackness through these bold colors. Adopting the primary color palette, the works expose varying elements of emotion and are a method of obscuring the body into invisibility; thus engaging in the controversial act of nearly dissolving Blackness entirely."

–Rachel Cassandra Gibbons

Myles Loftin’s series, "Hooded," navigates the precariousness of being Black and joyful in the midst of police violence that targets Black men, while "Colored" riffs off of the (historically) reductive term used to identify Black people, instead celebrating the agency that can be found in wearing unnatural hair color.

"‘Hooded' is a multimedia project that humanizes and decriminalizes the societal image of Black boys and Black men dressed in hoodies. I photographed four Black teens/men and portrayed them in a positive light that is in direct contrast of the media representation that has oppressed us. This project seeks to understand where these negative portrayals come from, and how we can change them for a better future."

–Myles Loftin

"With this project, I was particularly interested in documenting young Black people who have made the decision to add color to their hair either through braid extensions, dye, wigs, or weave. Each subject is photographed on a plain white backdrop, inspired by the classic barbershop hair charts I grew up seeing. With each portrait session, I interviewed the subject asking about their decision to add color to their hair."

–Myles Loftin

Stevens Añazco develops portraits of subjects with aplomb, centering queer, trans, and non-conforming people of color, in particular. Añazco’s styling conveys a resplendency that draws a connection between panache and self-preservation, imploring the significance of inclusion and equitable representation.

"Identity has fueled my work because representation is important. Often times I find myself frustrated discussing and sharing experiences as it relates to identity with my peers. Visually, I want to challenge the viewer with different ways of representing diversity with the aid of casting and styling."

–Stevens Añazco

"My goal has been to continue to create images and stories that highlight inclusivity, focusing on representing minorities such as queer artists, creatives, talent and models who are often overlooked and underrepresented."

–Stevens Añazco

"Photographing Katiuscia Gregoire’s 'Hood Dandy' collection was a collaboration between the designer and myself where the concept was to shoot on the streets of New York, creating a contrast and discussion for her colorful collection."

–Stevens Añazco