Ib Kamara Guest-Edits Browns' A Family Affair Project
The influential stylist takes the reins for the boutique's community project, showcasing his favourite collaborators and cultural producers including Mischa Notcutt, Stephen Isaac Wilson and Daniel Sällström.
The influential stylist takes the reins for the boutique's community project, showcasing his favourite collaborators and cultural producers including Mischa Notcutt, Stephen Isaac Wilson and Daniel Sällström.
Sierra Leone born, London-based stylist Ib Kamara joins as guest editor for the fourth and final instalment of luxury retailer Browns' creative community project, A Family Affair, in which selected rising stars of the creative industries create work with their friends, family and frequent collaborators.
Kamara came into prominence in fashion in 2017 through his working partnership with South African photographer Kristen-Lee Moolman on the image series 2026. The images introduced Kamara's fearless and joyful stylistic interrogation of Black masculinity via Moolman's friends, shot in a series of flamboyant, gender non-conforming outfits. Since then, he's worked widely: shooting for AnOther with SHOWstudio's Nick Knight, styling Vogue Italia covers, and becoming i-D's senior fashion editor-at-large.
The stylist's guest-edit of A Family Affair will shed light on his creative processes and go-to collaborators, as well as explore what fashion's future might look like after the pandemic-enforced pause. First up is Misha Notcutt, casting director and stylist, who has created a playlist called Mix It Up, that both underscores music and musicians' importance in working for change, but also her own side project as co-founder of the underground club night PDA (with performer and DJ Ms. Carrie Stacks and filmmaker Akinola Davies Jr.) Also in the mix is singer-songwriter and performer, Nadiah Adu-Gyamfi, performing one of her tracks on video.
On the imagery side, photographers Justin French and Elliott Jerome Brown Jr using quotes and images to inspire a call to action; photographer Rafael Pavarotti undertakes a video interview discussion with Ib Kamara, and filmmaker Stephen Isaac Wilson showcases a number of films that have influenced him, inspired by collections from his favourite designers stocked at Browns.
Digital being the way fashion's had to operate of late, the online experience is also explored, via make-up maverick and queer icon Daniel Sällström's video makeup tutorial which you can try through an Instagram filter, while Gareth Wrighton looks at the ties between gaming and fashion in the digital age by creating a series of short video animations alongside an interview.
Curator, critic and art historian Osei Bonsu, is interviewed by Kamara under the heading The Power of The Edit, regarding their own work within the luxury space.
Naturally, Kamara's edit would be amiss without high quality editorial imagery. Luckily, hair stylist Virginie Moreira explores liberation in a shoot styled by Kamara himself. As part of this creative exchange, Kamara has styled and led an editorial shoot alongside a personal essay, and created a portrait series of his contributors.
On the partnership Ib Kamara said, 'When Browns approached me to work on a community project, I immediately said yes, as I wanted to celebrate some of the amazing talent that I am very humble to know and collaborate with. There are so many that I am blessed to know, so it was incredibly hard to get to this list. For us to progress as people, we need community, as with community we can start to understand each other better, we can love each other better and we can work to build each other up - that’s the family I am part of in London,' adding, 'It’s the perfect time to showcase what beauty can be cultivated when we come together and work in an equal space, a space where the colour of our skin is not determined by our brilliance, a space where everyone feels equal and able to be part of a community.'
