As he prepares for the launch of his first edition as Global-Editor-in-Chief of i-D, Alastair McKimm has today announced four senior editorial appointments to the title, which further bolsters i-D’s ambition to be creative, innovative and inclusive. Adesuwa Aighewi, Gray Sorrenti, Hazel Ong, and Paloma Elsesser will become Contributing Editors, reporting to McKimm, providing expert opinion and creating exclusive content for i-D on the industry in which they have grown-up and flourished.
“I am so proud to announce i-D’s new team of Contributing Editors. Adesuwa, Gray, Hazel, and Paloma are all rising stars in their chosen fields and all genuinely speak to i-D’s core values of creativity, innovation and inclusivity,” said Alastair. “I’ve been fortunate enough to know and work with them all for a considerable amount of time and their enthusiasm for the brand and the creative industry we work in extremely inspiring. They have already imputed so much to the renaissance of i-D, which I’m excited to present in September.”
Dubbed by i-D Magazine as someone who has “captured fashion’s imagination”, Adesuwa Aighewrepresents the epitome of a new generation of models who seek to vocalise the deep layers of culture, history, and societal impact embodied by the fashion industry. Of Chinese, Nigerian, and Thai descent, Adesuwa was an intern at NASA prior to entering the modeling world. Soon enough campaigns for Alexander Wang, Bottega Veneta, Chanel, Dior, Marc Jacobs, Vera Wang, and Versace became part of her repertoire. As global brands gradually became significant supporting forces behind her career, Adesuwa decided to utilize the new relationships cultivated within this field to amplify other pertinent issues. Since 2017, she has penned think pieces for The Guardian on diversity issues within fashion, directed short films for LOVE magazine, and works diligently on preserving African culture and promoting its legacy to the world.
Photographer and director, Gray Sorrenti is a rising star at the intersection of fashion, portraiture, reportage photography and film-making. As the daughter of renowned fashion photographer Mario Sorrenti and artist Mary Frey, it is perhaps not surprising that the 18 year old has picked up a camera, but she’s found her own distinct aesthetic place in the fashion world. Over the last two years she’s risen through the industry, shooting campaigns for Saint Laurent and Loewe and editorials for Vogue Homme International, Document and i-D. Gray describes her work as being about creating “a sincere image and a true connection” and is best known for her raw portrayal life as teen in New York City, through the images she captures of her friends.
Toronto-based Hazel Ong is a longtime member of the i-D family. The stylist and creative director cut her teeth assisting i-D’s legendary Fashion Director Simon Foxton and has since risen to style Drake on his “The Boy Meets World” tour. She’s a regular contributor to Billboard, The Fader and Complex, and has worked with brands as varied as Nike, Prada and Stone Island. She continues to work in the spaces where fashion and music meet, providing creative and styling direction for up and coming artists, brands and publications in her native Canada and beyond. Hazel will be using her visual and cultural interest and knowledge to contribute to areas of i-D including music, fashion and special projects.
Meanwhile, London born, New York based model and former i-D cover star Paloma Elsesser will be hosting a monthly i-D TV show called “The Squeeze” as well as conducting interviews and essays for the print and digital editions. Elsesser got her break in fashion after being hand-selected by beauty icon Pat McGrath. She has since become a leading voice in the fashion industry as an outspoken advocate for body acceptance and mental health awareness and has starred in major brand campaigns for Fenty Beauty, Glossier, Nike and H&M. Most recently, Elsesser has served as a muse for Eckhaus Latta, Adam Selman and Miaou, and has graced the covers of British Vogue and i-D. In 2019, she was appointed a coveted spot in the selection committee for the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund. Elsesser will be based in New York.
Launched in 1980 By Founder Terry Jones, i-D has since grown from a magazine with DIY roots into a leading source for fashion inspiration, documenting fashion, music and culture from around the globe.