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Expressing Youth in Fashion with Photographer Mateus Aguiar

Discover more stories from Brazil on @instagrambrasil.

(This interview was conducted in Portuguese.)

“#hellomynameis Mateus Aguiar (@mateusaguiarph). I’m 21 years old and I’m a photographer. I was born in Rio de Janeiro, but I currently live in Juiz de Fora, Minas Gerais. My interest in photography arose during a graphic design course where I worked on image editing. Later, I bought a camera and began to call friends to be photographed. Most of my work takes place in São Paulo, so I’m preparing to move there to reduce the amount of traveling I do. In São Paulo, I want to study studio lighting techniques and learn to use light better. What I like shooting most are fashion editorials — it’s something I always wanted to do. I try to express a youthful feeling in my photos — fashion photos with young people eating, skating and going about their daily lives — because that’s not something that you see a lot in the fashion scene here in Brazil. I’m inspired by films and TV series, and I really like the director Wes Anderson — his films have a great aesthetic!”

photography, fashion, Brazil, Wes Anderson, mateus aguiar, hellomynameis, instagrambrasil, instagram,

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Embracing Modernity with Designer Virgil Abloh

To learn more about Virgil, follow @virgilabloh on Instagram.

“The next collection revolves around the idea of embracing a modern woman’s being,” says Virgil Abloh (@virgilabloh), who showed his Off-White (@off____white) designs at Paris Fashion Week, “freedom to wear her clothes with confidence.” Virgil’s inspiration is “a proportion”: “I’m always intrigued by mixing my aesthetic of classic basics with expressive fashion in the realm of femininity.”

photography, fashion, Paris Fashion Week, PFW, Off-White, Virgil Abloh, instagram,

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Naomi Campbell Has Worked to Make Room on the #RunwayForAll

This story is part of an ongoing series featuring models who are redefining industry standards and making sure there’s room on the #RunwayForAll.

“#RunwayForAll is about unconditional love and allowing anybody that has a talent to have an equal playing field. Diversity is beautiful.” —Naomi Campbell (@iamnaomicampbell)

One of the original supermodels, Naomi has walked in countless shows and has staying power in the industry. As for the keys to her success, Naomi credits her intuition and spirituality. “I’m so blessed to be able to work with the same people since I was 16 years old and have their support.”

naomi campbell, runwayforall, diversity, modeling, fashion, london fashion week, instagram,

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Between the Cubes with 20-Year-Old Jewelry Designer Ingrid Rizzieri

This feature is part of #MadeToCreate, a series highlighting our community of entrepreneurs, makers and artisans on Instagram.

(This interview was conducted in Portuguese.)

Ingrid Rizzieri’s jewelry business Entre Cubos (@entrecubos) — translated into English as “Between Cubes” — emerged from a personal fashion quest. “The market offers a lot of classic jewelry, which is more delicate and feminine,” says 20-year-old Ingrid, who’s from São Paulo. “I could never see myself wearing that style.” Ingrid started crafting jewelry that suited her taste, but after constantly getting stopped on the street by admirers, she started selling her handmade designs. “When you want to do something new, you need to stop following trends and start listening to yourself. Follow your own instinct and develop new paths for inspiration. When you do that with passion, dedication and responsibility, the chances of success are higher.”

photography, jewelry, fashion, São Paulo, brazil, instagrambrasil, entre cubos, ingrid rizzieri, madetocreate, instagram,

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Taking the Less Traditional Route with Becca McCharen-Tran

To learn more about Becca, follow @beccamccharentran on Instagram.

Designer Becca McCharen-Tran (@beccamccharentran) grew up dreaming of a career in architecture — not fashion. “It wasn’t until I realized that at the center of the fashion industry are artists who are interested in materials and connections that I could see myself being a part of fashion,” says the founder of Chromat (@chromat), Becca’s bodywear clothing line that started as a creative side project. “Utilizing [architecture] design processes on a smaller scale to the body was a natural progression,” she says. Becca has outfitted style icons like Madonna and Beyoncé, and Chromat’s latest collection takes inspiration from life vests and floatation devices, designed for extended survival in rough, open water.

Her advice to budding designers trying to stay afloat? “I’m a big fan of taking a nontraditional route to fashion. It’s helped me define myself and my point of view,” she says. “Also, learn how to sew.”

photography, NYFW, fashion, design, Chromat, Beyoncé, Madonna, Becca McCharen-Tran, instagram,

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Printed Pattern People: Challenging Standards and Showcasing Beauty

This week, we’ll be sharing the stories of African-American community members in celebration of #BlackHistoryMonth, which runs throughout February in the US.

“I credit my Nigerian-American upbringing and extensive international travels as my main creative influences for designing,” says Shadé Akanbi, the mind behind Printed Pattern People (@printedpatternpeople). She describes her Brooklyn-based clothing line as an exploration of cultures by way of fashion. “When I meet other makers around the world, I repeatedly encounter this reverberating truth that we are more alike than we are different,” Shadé says. “Printed Pattern People is telling this story.”

Two of the most photographed Printed Pattern People models are Tulani and Angelique, Shadé’s best friends and longtime supporters. “As a woman of color, it goes without question that I use models that reflect my everyday reality and showcase the beauty of the places and people that these textiles represent. That makes sense to me,” she says. “Their effortless beauty breathes so much life into my pieces, it really blows me away. There are not nearly enough positive images of women of color in the public eye, so this is how I can contribute to making that change; this is my standard of beauty.”

photography, BlackHistoryMonth, Nigeria, printedpatternpeople, fashion, textiles, Shadé Akanbi, instagram,

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Dispelling and Dismantling Myths: Checking in with Mama Cax

Over the next few weeks, we’ll be looking back at some of the moments, trends and community members who inspired us in 2016. Check #IGYearinReview for more.

A lot has happened since we featured Mama Cax (@mamacaxx) in #RunwayForAll, our series celebrating models who are redefining the industry, earlier this year. She’s visited the White House, started graduate studies and moved to France. “I’m taking part in a multi-country program in International Studies,” Mama says. “My ultimate goal is to work in the field of International Development while focusing on disability rights.” At the White House last September, Mama modeled in a fashion show that celebrated accessible design. “It was not only an honor to meet other trailblazers in the disability community but also great to see that the inclusion of disabled people is at the forefront of the Obama administration’s agenda,” she says. And Mama continues to share her adventures abroad with her fans: “I hope to continue to dispel beauty myths and dismantle the idea of what a disabled person can or cannot do.” #IGYearinReview

photography, RunwayForAll, Mama Cax, IGYearinReview, modeling, fashion, disability rights, instagram,

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Channeling Danielle Vanier’s Confidence and Beauty

Who or what inspires you to feel #PerfectlyMe? Use the hashtag to share your story.

Fashion blogger Danielle Vanier (@daniellevanier) takes pride in telling it like it is. “I am just your average girl from London who loves fashion and happens to be fat,” she says. “The thing that makes me #PerfectlyMe is that I am unapologetically myself because I only have one body, one shot at life and I am the only one who has to live with this body. If you don’t like how I look; keep scrolling.” The 30-year-old commands attention with her bold wardrobe. But she’s not only doing it for herself. Danielle says: “There are so many women out there that don’t share my body confidence or sense of self-worth. These women are the reason I put myself out there.”

photography, PerfectlyMe, Danielle Vanier, fashion, London, body image, instagram,

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Reeling in the Daily Catch from Don Fisher

To discover more voices from the Spanish-speaking community, follow @instagrames in Instagram. Check out @don_fisher for more of Julia’s designs.

(This interview was conducted in Spanish.)

Graphic designer and Don Fisher (@don_fisher) founder Julia Castaño is responsible for the sea creatures that jump out of the ocean and transform into backpacks, card holders and pouches. Julia, who lives in Barcelona, Spain, dreams up goods influenced from a wide array of sources: Scandinavian design, the Mediterranean Sea and the double meaning of the Spanish word bonito, which refers to a family of fish but also means pretty. “Everything is focused on the sea,” says Lorena Fernández, who works with Julia. “If we’re going to set up a fish market, we’ll put on aprons. Julia’s guy acts as Don Fisher, the role of the captain. We’re the crew.”

photography, Don Fisher, fashion, design, Julia Castaño, Barcelona, instagram,

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Creating Bold, Extravagant Looks with Makeup Artist Ryan Burke

To see more of Ryan’s looks, follow @ryburk on Instagram.

The first time Ryan Burke (@ryburk) set foot in a night club he was on his way to developing a new career path. “I started getting into nightlife and dressing up, and I used photography as a way to connect with other people who performed or dressed up,” says the New York–based makeup artist and photographer. Never formally trained, Ryan, who studied computer science, learned how to apply makeup through experimentation, online videos and lots of practice. There’s no rhyme or reason to his inspiration — once Ryan gets an idea or picks a mood he wants to express, he runs with it.

For Halloween, he’ll be rocking a “stars and stripes” look for one party and “twisted bride” for another. “I want to be fake-stabbed on the dance floor, with blood and red glitter all over me,” Ryan says, laughing. “I don’t know if I can get away with that.”

photography, makeup, fashion, halloween, Ryan Burke, instagram,