SLEEK #65

Introducing the spring 2020 edition of SLEEK!

For our first issue of the new decade, we wanted to put the concept of glamour under the microscope. It feels normal now to see a glamorous woman in fake nails and fashion that doesn’t attempt to look ‘dressed down’ talk about grooming and current affairs, but a decade ago, it wasn’t a combination of characteristics that many mainstream fashion publications endorsed. If you were born in the mid-Eighties, there was a real feeling that dressing up and indulging in glamour made you frivolous – something that negated intellect. 

Over the last few years, behaviours have changed and a new generation has transformed its attitude to glamour: now, people see it as an attribute, a platform or just something to enjoy. To gain a greater understanding about this shift in perception we selected a group of artists, photographers and writers to pick apart the theme of glamour.

Research:

—Multifaceted artist Victoria Sin on subverting Western standards of beauty with portraits by London-based photographer Nhu Xuan Hua
—Painter, performer, musician and Balenciaga muse Eliza Douglas on navigating the divide between art and fashion
—New York performance artist Narcissister discusses how her visceral stripteases challenge ideas around femininity, race and glamour 
—Clifford Prince King casts his lens on close friends to express tender moments of blackness, queerness and beauty 

Features:

—Ed Atkins reflects on his personal image, smartphone addiction and how to develop a resistance to go against the grain
—Feminist film theorist and filmmaker Laura Mulvey who coined ‘the male gaze’ in 1973, discusses her new book tackling trends in women’s cinema
—Hussein Chalayan on teaching sustainability measures of garment production to the next generation of designers
—Poet and critically acclaimed author Jenny Zhang reflects on glamour through the lens of her girlhood
—Ruth Ginika Ossai captures this season’s womenswear, shot in London and styled by Theo White, in Glamour Girls
—Jamie-Maree Shipton of @airtomyearth styles beauty 

Order a copy of SLEEK 65 now!