QWEAR — EDITORIAL
Exploring Make Up as a Genderless Art Form
An editorial exploring bold contemporary genderless make up art inspired by the looks at Fall Fashion Week 2017.
Objective
Make up is an incredibly expressive tool, yet many shy away from it because of its gendered connotations. We wanted to explore abstract make up concepts under an LGBQIA+ lens to inspire creativity and the use of make up outside the binary.
Solution
We invited LGBTQ+ people and allies of a wide range of ages to pick a look from this gallery of Fall Fashion Week 2017’s bold make-up looks. We produced a photoshoot and asked each model to describe why they choose their look and how it makes them feel.
Results
views
Artistic Direction
Sonny Oram/Qwear
MUA
Sarah Rose and models
Photography
Sam Murray
Models
Lia
Alexis
Cal
Cassie
Nabeela Vega
Sarah Rose
MUA: Sarah Rose
Inspired by: Victoria Beckham
"I like that it's nice and simple but I also like that it's really pretty. I thought it would look really good with the color of my hair. And it's all sparkly. I like wearing make up because I'm not normally allowed to wear it, unless it's Christmas or Easter."
— Alexis
The inspiration
"I like how it's colorful! It makes me feel happy, fun, because it's all different colors. I like animals, and it's called 'tropical'. It makes me feel like I'm seeing a rainbow."
— Lia
MUA: Sarah Rose
Inspired by: Carmen Marc Valvo
The inspiration
Inspired by: Versus Versace
MUA: Cassie
"I choose this look because it's not something I normally do. I think it's an exaggerated version of my style. I really like harsh lines and my face is kind of round. I like to put the softness of my face and body next to really harsh lines. That's why I wear a lot of Black, faux leather, and lots of different textures."
— Cassie
The inspiration:
MUA: Nabeela
Inspired by: Yoji Yamamoto
"Choosing the look was intuitive — it's something that feels like me. I definitely have a color palette or specific hues that speak to me. My relationship to form is kind of informed by my own practice as an artist and someone who uses it on other surfaces. I used the same forms that I would use on an image or a sculpture on my face. It gives me a moment to bond with my work."
— Nabeela
The inspiration:
"My look is flashy. I like to stand out. I'm wearing metallic gold jeans. I'm wearing a Calvin Klein sequin blazer and a golden high heel tee shirt. The make up stands out too with blocks of colors — it's bright, big, and flashy."
— Cal
MUA: Sarah Rose
Inspired by: Maison Margiela
The inspiration:
MUA: Sarah Rose
Inspired by: Junya Watanabe
"David Bowie was a creature from the heavens, who traveled to this planet to teach us that it was okay to be weird — to take risks with our sense of style, and not to give in to the fear of judgment. This bold eye was inspired by one of his iconic looks, but I added my own twist to it (green instead of orange)." — Sarah
