Each year, one of the events that the global fashion community most looks forward to is the British Fashion Council’s Fashion Awards. Held in London —with this year’s edition taking place on December 5th — the event serves as an opportunity to celebrate the brightest and best of the industry, from designers at flagship houses with titanic reputations to the voices that will go on to shape what fashion — and visual culture at large — will look like tomorrow.
Without a doubt, one of the most exciting components of the annual awards is the New Wave category — a list of 50 innovative young stylists, photographers, models, hair and makeup artists, casting directors, artists and more that any savvy fashion fan should have on their radar. To celebrate the announcement of the 2022 edition, we had a quick one-to-one with ten of this year’s nominees, delving into their unique creative practices and getting their advice for anyone aspiring towards a spot on the list one day.
Aidan Zamiri
How would you describe what you do?
I make films and images.
Give us four words or objects that represent your creative practice.
Suburban, blurry, popstars, lore.
What inspirations do you find yourself returning to?
The suburbs, the passage of time, everyday mythology, the performance of the self, Charlie Kaufman, cursed images, alt-pop, all the things I’m scared of.
What’s been the biggest pinch-me moment of your career so far?
In general, I think it’s very surreal that I’ve managed to get away with doing this as a job. However, it was really cool that on the night before our music video for “Bliss” came out, I texted my friend from high school to tell him I’d made a music video for Yung Lean & FKA twigs. We used to spend a lot of time driving around the suburbs and sitting in fields getting obsessed with these artists and it really did feel like some dreams had come true.
What’s your advice for next year’s New Wave?
There’s loads of time to do everything you wanna do so don’t rush (reminder to myself to follow this advice).
Jack Collins
How would you describe what you do?
I guess, ultimately, I’m sharing my vision and telling people what to wear — that really is the premise of the job. I’m just doing what I always wanted to do, how I want to do it.
What inspirations do you find yourself returning to?
People — it can be something about a single person that can keep inspiring me. The way they tell a joke, the way they look in a mirror, what they look like, what they wear, how they hold their bag, how they do their make-up, what they believe in, how they can command a room, what they do when they’re pissed off. There are so many nuances I notice about people that really transcend into my work. It’s funny to actually write this, but there are people from my childhood, my hometown, from my school, colleagues at my first job, random people I remember being on the bus with, there are so many characters. I come back to them and think, ‘how would they wear this?’.
What makes your work stand out?
My ideas.
What does being part of this year’s New Wave mean to you?
It’s sometimes really hard to measure where you’re at in your career and how you are doing, because there really isn’t a rulebook for what I do — you kind of just figure it out as you go — so it feels good to be acknowledged by people within the industry that I respect and admire.
Michael Delmas
Give us four words or objects that represent your creative practice.
Culture, hands, mistakes, tools.
What inspirations do you find yourself returning to?
Inspiration can come from anything — I find people inspiring in general, as well as cinema, art and music.
What makes your work stand out?
I think that I have a specific point of view and working with shapes and textures is something I’m passionate about. I feel like a very important part of my work is also who I collaborate with and how our visions complement each other.
What’s been the biggest pinch-me moment of your career so far?
Working with Isabelle Huppert was a pinch-me moment for me — I was grateful for how much creative freedom there was. Especially with someone so iconic in French cinema.
What’s your advice for next year’s New Wave?
Stay honest and grounded.
Raphael Bliss
How would you describe what you do?
Getting paid for having fun.
Give us four words or objects that represent your creative practice.
Silly friends hanging out.
What inspirations do you find yourself returning to?
My cat, Pip.
What’s been the biggest pinch-me moment of your career so far?
Getting Pip into Buffalo Zine.
What does being part of this year’s New Wave mean to you?
:———)
Tom Schneider
How would you describe what you do?
Simply put: I imagine, draw and realise environments for fashion and music productions.
Give us four words or objects that represent your creative practice.
Sketching, trackball mouse, PDFs, Diet Coke
What inspirations do you find yourself returning to?
I often find inspiration from going to the movies and in the aesthetic of the technology and craft that goes into them. I’m absolutely obsessed with making-ofs, VFX and BTS. Also the work of other set & production designers. When I see someone putting on a big show or new video I’m like, ‘wow, this is amazing,’ and that’s a huge drive and inspiration to me — seeing how far we can push this practice.
What’s been the biggest pinch-me moment of your career so far?
Maybe sitting in Julia Fox‘s fridge dressing it with noodles and OJ. Or last year, I was art directing a set for a music video and because of travel restrictions I wasn’t able to attend in person — so I plugged a live feed on my TV and spent the night on my sofa overseeing the set from my living room to a huge soundstage in LA.
What’s your advice for next year’s New Wave?
Think big.
Angel My Linh
How would you describe what you do?
I create miniature pieces of art that people can wear. I also paint, draw, and create art in various other mediums. My nails reflect my work in every aspect as a multidisciplinary artist.
Give us four words or objects that represent your creative practice.
Experimental, bold, sculptural, colourful.
What inspirations do you find yourself returning to?
I’m born and raised in south east London, a place known for extravagant nails and a really great mix of cultures. I pull inspiration from my environment and Vietnamese culture which dominates nail art and the nail industry. My family owned a nail salon, so I was immersed in this environment from a young age.
What makes your work stand out?
Most of my creations are inspired by shapes, curves and textures. I like to create my nail art like a sculpture or art pieces that stand out. I like to recreate things that are far from the typical nail inspiration by constantly looking for new ideas in books, and 70s space age design for shapes and colours.
What’s your advice for next year’s New Wave?
Be confident and passionate about your work and love what you do unconditionally!
Aoife Akue
Give us four words or objects that represent your creative practice.
Experimenting, curating, layering, feeling.
What inspirations do you find yourself returning to?
West African and Irish culture are my biggest inspirations. I always gravitate towards them, naturally. There is such a huge amount of inspiration from those alone. I love films and collecting magazines, I’m also constantly listening to music. When I was a kid, my mam was a goth, and my godmother was more punk. I watched them and their friends transition from that into y2k. Their personal style at that time – the late 90s to early 00s — has inspired me massively from a styling perspective. That’s also my favourite time in the fashion archives.
What makes your work stand out?
I think what makes my work stand out is that I go with my gut instinct, straying away from common references. My style has always been a thing if I’m honest; as a Togolese Irish queer non-binary person I’m coming from a unique perspective. I have always stood out. So, when bringing that to my work I make sure to take it to a fantasy level.
What’s been the biggest pinch-me moment of your career so far?
I think this interview is the biggest pinch-me moment! I’ve been reading i-D since I was a teenager.
What’s your advice for next year’s New Wave?
Growing up my mam always told me: be a shepherd, not a sheep
Aurore Gibrien
How would you describe what you do?
My job according to me is art that consists of applying textures and colours on skin in order to reveal a model’s beauty. It’s a mix of techniques and inspiration!
Give us four words or objects that represent your creative practice.
Spontaneity, passion, lip brushes, paint
What inspirations do you find yourself returning to?
I often go back to my Caribbean roots and culture to find my inspiration.
What does being part of this year’s New Wave mean to you?
This nomination makes me feel so grateful, and is a source of motivation
What’s your advice for next year’s New Wave?
My advice for future nominees would be to encourage them to make their job a passion and to give everything they have for it!
Cinthia Sifa Mulanga
How would you describe what you do?
The focus of my art is on the representation of Black female subjects. Through their depiction, I engage with different personas, emotions, or states of mind. Typically, I juxtapose several different women in my paintings, thereby highlighting the complexities of female identity, the stream of varying consciousnesses that occupy a single space, identity or moment in time. These images of women, typically sourced from popular culture or the history of western painting, serve as a reminder of how the strictures of the female gender and beauty are reinforced and bear down on my subjects. In this way I am in conversation with the tradition of western painting, challenging the absence of Black female subjects and the representation of women at the hands of male artists.
Give us four words or objects that represent your creative practice.
Aspiration, reflection, contemporary, multimedia.
What inspirations do you find yourself returning to?
I am fascinated by how Black women find and express self-confidence, particularly examining how they exude these qualities through social media and a succession of self-portraits. Systems of white patriarchy bear down heavily on the conditions set for Black women in accruing visibility, success and confidence. I was born in Lubumbashi in the DRC, however, the visual references and influences in my art are rooted in my adopted home of South Africa. At times I reference well-known artworks o those produced by my South African contemporaries. They are intended as tributes to their work, and playful acts of contextualization. This referential element is also driven by my own desires, to plot spaces beyond my reach or that of my viewers.
What has been the biggest pinch-me moment of your career so far?
I think that there have been two ‘pinch-me’ moments so far: my collaboration with Gucci and being selected to be part of the BFC’s New Wave 2022. It took a while for me to fully process the fact that I was being commissioned by Gucci to create something to celebrate Princess Diana; it only really hit me when we were in the sketching phase. At this point, a sense of disbelief, accompanied by immense gratitude and pride, took over. I could not wrap my head around the fact that my work would be part of such an iconic campaign that would be seen by millions of people. When I received the email about being part of the BFC New Wave Creative 2022, similar emotions surfaced – gratitude, excitement, disbelief.
What’s your advice for next year’s New Wave?
As an artist, I think that it is important to ensure that you take ownership of your career and establish goals for yourself. These goals should align with your values and beliefs, making sure you stay authentic in the process enables you to be proactive in building a safe space in which you are able to create and evolve your practice.
Luca Khouri
How would you describe what you do?
A joyful privilege.
What inspirations do you find yourself returning to?
Paolo Sorrentino films, John Currin paintings, Queen Ladi Gangsta aka Queenie, Steven Meisel, Jamaica.
What makes your work stand out?
You tell me 🙂
What’s been the biggest pinch-me moment of your career so far?
Shooting a cover story for Double was quite special. (I had photoshopped one of my images with the magazine logo about a year ago and left it on a vision board. I forgot about the board, but the manifestation worked!)
What’s your advice for next year’s New Wave?
Quality over quantity. Mind over matter. Get to know yourself as much as possible. Formulate your own opinions. Don’t be afraid to stand on your own every now and then — all things I am still telling myself!
Wenqingao Lei
How would you describe what you do?
Using imagery as a language to explore the transformation of consciousness and poetic illusion.
Give us four words or objects that represent your creative practice.
Illusion, fluidity, ambiguity, anthropocene.
What makes your work stand out?
Maybe since I am new in fashion, but doing fine art all the time, I am used to not seeing either the model or the clothing as the main subject in the picture, but as the narrative and essence of the image.
What’s been the biggest pinch-me moment of your career so far?
There are so many pinch-me and good moments that happened. Every time, when I meet an excellent team, and good work comes out, I feel really happy. The biggest one probably is when my grandfather said he saw a lot of improvement in my work.