Let's take a second and stare at the screen. Are you seeing what I'm seeing!? The union of style, creativity and talent are to blame for these wonderful images. Let's talk about how the vision came about.
This is a beautiful example of when your network and connections come together to produce works of art. Great minds think alike right? Our founder and designer Rhianna Cooper is childhood besties with wardrobe stylist
Ashley Stern who reached out to her about collaborating on a shoot. Rhianna gets calls to collaborate all the time but this one was different. This was twice as magic! The models in the photos, Alana and Amaya January, are known as
The January Twins. They are a hot duo, modeling from NYC to LA and all in-between. Take a peak at some of their other work if you like seeing things that come in pairs!
The shoot was inspired by many things. The biggest inspiration coming from the 1997 movie, B.A.P.S. (Black American Princesses), starring Halle Berry and
Natalie Desselle. We thank them for sharing their most fabulous hair secrets. Ashley came to Rhianna asking to collaborate with VidaKush, knowing we could contribute the perfect pieces for a trendy modern day princess.
The art piece VidaKush contributed was the rainbow halter top, all made out of lighters. Yes, this was made from scratch and yes, it was all made by hand. Ashley had this idea, pulling the inspiration from a 70's BIC advertisement, which we pictured below for you. Asking the friend with the jewelry company was a smart move. Of course Rhianna was up for the challenge and excited to be apart of the project. Her and the rest of the VidaKush team got crafty and finished the piece in only a day and it was ready to go!
Ashley also has a her own clothing brand called Peaches, that VidaKush gets to collaborate with as well. The Peach Smoothie Rings are some of those pieces. The rest of the brand includes vintage corsets, hair accessories and lots more rings!
The rest of the artists involved in the shoot were masterminds. The creative director
Maiwenn Raoult was also the photographer on set, capturing these brilliant moments. The
BabyBangz Natural Hair Salon is how the January Twins got their hair to such 'BAPS' perfection and
Wendy Martinez is the one responsible for the their glowing skin.
Joshua Hammeran working alongside Raoult with photo assisting as well. What a team!
Additional Feature:
Clearly the lighters were a hit! It also caught the attention of singer
IV4 who wore the piece in her music video for the song
Can't Find Love in LA. Styled by
Dominique Samaniego who switched it up the approach and put it on as a skirt! We can all agree she looks pretty cool!
