Carlsen and Curtis Atanga, Double Vision
One of Us Is a Meal, Together We’re the Banquet
LE MILE
Carlsen and Curtis Atanga exist in stereo, two voices layered over each other, finishing sentences, finishing outfits, finishing the thought before it has even landed. Estate sales and anime, Gucci trenches and rooftop escapes, hopeless romance and twin telepathy, the catalogue of their world reads like a mood board spilled across the floor of a studio that never sleeps. They speak about fashion as if it were oxygen, something you exhale without noticing, something that signals identity before a word is spoken, and they step into every room aware that their presence carries charge, two Black twins moving through high fashion with looks that spark questions, disrupt stereotypes, amplify visibility.
Carlsen and Curtis Atanga wear coats by TAREET and boots by DSQUARED2
Carlsen and Curtis Atanga wear coats by TAREET and boots by DSQUARED2
Carlsen builds rooms around vintage finds, entire atmospheres imagined from a single object, while Curtis folds lyrics into melodies he insists sound great even without an audience, claiming food or song as his fallback languages when the phone screen goes dark. Dreams drift into their daily reality with little ceremony, stories rehearsed in sleep and retold as memory, proof that their ideas are always half a step from manifestation. Atanga as a set, never as a single, a vibe that comes in doubles, meals that only make sense served as banquet, patience for nothing less.
They trade closets, steal archives, guard secrets, confess to coding in silence, the analog residue of their cybersecurity degrees lingering under the gloss of editorials. They joke about switching places on bookings, they joke about candy jars, they joke about walking out after five seconds, but the undercurrent is serious, a refusal to dilute the package. The Atanga Twins arrive together, leave together, live together in the mirrored rhythm of reflection and echo, a double vision that insists on being seen in full.
Carlsen Atanga wears a wool coat by CHEN SIFAN, shorts by MOUTY and shoes by CHRISTIAN LOUBOUTIN. Curtis Atanga wears a coat by MOUTY and shoes by CHRISTIAN LOUBOUTIN.
LE MILE
Phones buried under socks and lost dreams, you breathe real air and maybe remember boredom. What do your hands do, suddenly jobless?
Carlsen
I’ve got a big passion for vintage interior décor. I’d probably be driving to an estate sale, because that’s where the real treasures hide. I spot a vintage piece and instantly start imagining a whole space built around it.
Curtis
Music has always been my second language. If I can’t scroll on my phone, I’d probably start creating and reinventing my own lyrics to a famous song. And not to brag, but I sound really good. If I’m not singing, I’m probably eating.
Somewhere in the real world, a stranger makes eye contact. Does your soul freeze, or do you wave back like nothing ever happened?
Wave back, for sure. We have this motto of putting out positive vibes everywhere we go. You never know how much that small moment can mean to someone.
Everyone’s busy career-ing, collecting jobs like stickers, but let’s talk about the one gig you’d take even if it meant showing up as just a single Atanga.
There’s no “single” Atanga gig. We’re a package deal. If one’s there, the other’s there. ALWAYS.
Dreams filed under D for “Double Vision.” Ever get them mixed up with reality, or is reality just what you make while nobody’s looking?
Curtis
I mix them up all the time. I’ll dream about something so vividly, like walking in a show or meeting someone, and a week later I’ll start telling the story like it actually happened. Carlsen’s always like, “Curtis… that was a dream.” But honestly, I think that’s why my reality feels so alive. I treat the wild ideas in my head like they’re just waiting their turn to happen.
Carlsen
Yes, always. You’ve got to dream first before you can make it real. That’s literally how most of our ideas start.
Is fashion your first language, or is it just the easiest one to shout in across a crowded room where everybody’s already pretending they can’t hear?
Our first language is definitely our twin telepathy, haha. Fashion is our most fluent one. We’ve been finishing each other’s sentences since we were kids, but now we finish each other’s outfits too. It’s the language that lets us represent exactly who we are before we even open our mouths. Being two Black twins in high fashion, we know that every look we put together can challenge a stereotype, spark curiosity, or make someone feel seen. Fashion is our way of saying, “We exist, and we exist loudly.”
Every day, new room, new mirror, same faces. Do you wink at your own reflection, or do you wait for your brother to go first?
Carlsen
Curtis always strikes first. I usually just follow his lead.
Curtis
That would probably be me because I know Carlsen will wait for me to go first, lol.
Carlsen Atanga wears a bomber jacket by Y-3, a shirt by NADAV PERLMAN, shorts by MOUTY and shoes by CHRISTIAN LOUBOUTIN. Curtis Atanga wears a bomber jacket and shirt by ZELIG DAVOULT, pants by EUGENIA ALONSO and moccasins by JACQUEMUS
Carlsen Atanga wears a jacket and skirt by Y-3 and Tabi boots by MAISON MARGIELA. Curtis Atanga wears a shirt and skirt by Y-3 and Tabi boots by MAISON MARGIELA
Some say you can only wear one look at a time, some say twins double the fun. You say what, exactly, when someone asks for “the Atanga vibe” and only brings enough snacks for one?
The Atanga vibe only exists when we’re both in the room. If there’s only enough snacks for one, we’ll politely remind them they didn’t place the full order. The Atanga vibe comes as a set. One of us alone is a meal, but together we’re the full banquet. Why settle for a bite when you can have the whole feast?
What’s the movie you watch when you’re both pretending to sleep, lights off, volume down, the plot unravels like a really good outfit that almost gets away?
Carlsen
Call Me by Your Name. What can I say, I’m a hopeless romantic. The music, the scenery, the way it’s shot… it’s that perfect mix of slow, romantic, and unforgettable, like a summer you never want to end.
Curtis
To be honest, I would probably be watching anime instead of a movie. Either Black Clover or Hunter x Hunter. I love anime because it’s about worlds where you can reinvent the norms of a typical movie plot. Where are my anime lovers at?
Brand loyalty or brand mischief — who’s got the better archive in your closet, and are you ever going to let them in on the secret?
Carlsen
Me, no questions asked. Curtis can’t even argue, he’s always in my closet. He’s probably still jealous of my vintage Kendra Scott x Gucci trench, lol. The secret? Definitely estate sales. Everyone sleeps on those.
Curtis
Carlsen, for sure. I’m so jealous of some of his pieces. I don’t know how he always finds the best stuff.
A hobby that can’t be posted, a pleasure that leaves no digital trace — is there anything left for the analog gods, or have they all gone home?
Coding. I know, crazy! But we did graduate with a degree in cybersecurity. We’re secretly a bit of nerds.
Twins in the industry. Do you ever swap lives for a booking just to see if anyone’s awake?
Not yet. But one day we will, and no one will know until they see the behind-the-scenes years later.
Someone says, “We’ll take just one twin today, the other can wait outside.” How long do you let them think that’s an option before you both walk out?
Carlsen
Five seconds, max.
Curtis
If there’s a candy jar, I would grab some first, but five seconds MAX.
Carlsen and Curtis Atanga wear pants by TAREET and mules by ACNE STUDIOS
creative direction + photography OLESYA PARFENYUK
styling TENWI ARCHIVE
talent CARLSEN ATANGA + CURTIS ATANGA
agency FORD MODELS
movement director EXO BORGIAL
make up artist SOPHIA GUNEV
hair SUNDIA WEN
styling assistant LUCAS LAURENT-CARUGE
copyright LE MILE Magazine / Olesya Parfenyuk
styling TENWI ARCHIVE
talent CARLSEN ATANGA + CURTIS ATANGA
agency FORD MODELS
movement director EXO BORGIAL
make up artist SOPHIA GUNEV
hair SUNDIA WEN
styling assistant LUCAS LAURENT-CARUGE
copyright LE MILE Magazine / Olesya Parfenyuk