SKYE NEWMAN *SE9 Part 2, Healing, Identity and Taking Back Power

Why Skye Newman Had to Return to SE9

interview + written KLAAS HAMMER

With SE9 Part 2, available to stream on Spotify, Skye Newman delivers her most personal work to date. Exploring identity, inherited trauma, healing and self-discovery, the project transforms deeply intimate experiences into stories that resonate far beyond her own. In conversation with LE MILE, she reflects on the making of the record, the courage it takes to embrace vulnerability, the importance of setting boundaries, and the everyday inspirations that continue to shape her creative world.

Skye Newman
/ Sony Music

Skye Newman
/ Sony Music

Klaas Hammer
"SE9 Part 2" is named after the postcode that shaped your childhood. Looking back, what are the most important lessons and experiences from SE9 that still influence the artist and woman you are today?

Skye Newman
Looking back, the most important lessons and experiences from SE9 that still influence the artist and woman I am today are probably the ones I talk about in “Vicious Cycle” and “Too Far South.” Those two, in particular, really stand out to me because they’re about taking back my power, finding more strength in myself, and facing things that I didn’t necessarily feel comfortable facing a little while back.

I think they carry really important lessons in life. It’s about trying to do our best for the next generation and making sure we become better versions of ourselves before we have children. We need to be aware of how much the way we view ourselves affects our children. And “Too Far South” is also about being selfish with your life in the best way. I think so many people don’t realize that you need to put yourself first before you can be the best version of yourself for the people you love and the ones around you.

There are so many important messages throughout the project. You can definitely hear even more by just listening and really taking in the music.

Throughout the project, you explore themes such as inherited trauma, identity and emotional survival with remarkable honesty. Was there a particular song on the record that felt especially difficult—or liberating—to write?

There were definitely a few songs on the album that felt more difficult to write, but also incredibly freeing at the same time: “Too Far South,” “Traumatised,” “Vicious Cycle,” and I think “Family Matters” is a big one. I got to process a lot of emotion and heal so much through writing this album, which was such an incredible experience. That’s why I love music so much, and I’m so happy that my music has reached people and carried the message I wanted to share: that no matter where you come from or what you’re facing in life, you can do whatever you believe in. You just have to believe in yourself to get where you want to go.

So yeah, there were definitely times when I struggled in the studio. And I think “Woman I Am,” as beautiful as the song is, was definitely a turning point in my life. It was a moment where I realized how incredible women are and how amazing it is to have that love around me, but also to acknowledge the struggles I’ve had to go through in order to truly realize that.
But yeah, it was such a beautiful experience and such an amazing thing to be able to write about, so I’m very lucky.

Skye Newman
/ Sony Music

Skye Newman
/ Sony Music

One of your greatest strengths as a songwriter is transforming deeply personal experiences into stories that feel universally relatable. As your audience continues to grow, how do you balance vulnerability with the need to protect parts of your private life?

I would definitely say this is one of the hardest parts of my job: trying to balance vulnerability with the need to protect my private life and my own personal business. It can definitely be a struggle at times. Facing a lot of these issues in such a public space can be really, really scary, and I do get people overstepping boundaries or digging too deep into things. But I think you just have to trust the process, write your music, allow yourself to heal through it, and simply not answer questions you don’t feel comfortable with.

I’ve been in interviews where certain things have been said or questions have been asked, and I’ve just thought, “I’m not comfortable with that.” And I think that’s okay. It’s important to set boundaries. It’s definitely hard sometimes because there are certain subjects you may want to talk about more, but then it becomes a domino effect—more questions, more attention, and more people trying to get too deeply into your personal life.

I think you just have to set those boundaries and be aware that people are going to pry and people are going to want to know, but that doesn’t mean you have to tell them. Just do what you’re comfortable with.

Beyond music, what currently inspires you the most—whether it’s books, films, fashion, art or everyday moments—and how do those influences find their way into your creative world?

Beyond music, so many things influence and inspire me. That goes for films, clothing, my personal style, and fashion—I love it so much! I love putting an outfit together because it expresses how I’m feeling that day or the stage of life I’m currently going through. I definitely think all of that plays a part in creating my art. I think it all builds towards creating who you are as a brand and who you are as an artist to the world. I think a lot of people connect with my style and my love for fashion, and it allows me to share a little more of my story.

I also take so much inspiration from the people around me every day and from my experiences with them. Even a small conversation with a stranger can be inspiring. There’s so much inspiration in the world if you just step outside and talk to people. It’s crazy how much you can discover, and it’s such a beautiful experience that I then get to turn into music. So yeah, I’m very, very lucky. As I said, it’s amazing—and thank you guys for always giving me inspiration.

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all images courtesy of Sony Music

SILVIA NEGRI FIRMAN from NEGRI FIRMAN PR *Inside Fashion PR

#InsideFashionPR

Offline Prestige, Online Chaos, and the CEOs Who Call It All Just Another Day at Work

A Conversation with SILVIA NEGRI FIRMAN

interview + written CHIDOZIE OBASI

At a time when the creative industry keeps shifting at restless speed, the worlds of advertising, fashion communication and public relations are changing with it. Once anchored in print, physical presence and carefully built editorial relationships, the field now moves through digital platforms, social media strategies, data systems and the growing presence of Artificial Intelligence, all of which have accelerated the way stories are created, distributed and measured.

Still, the central task of communication has remained strangely consistent: to shape a story, to place it in the right context and to understand what gives a brand cultural relevance beyond visibility alone. Between printed pages and digital screens, between long-term image building and immediate online response, the industry continues to renegotiate its own language.

With this series, LE MILE speaks to industry insiders about the changing role of print, the pressure of digital speed, the use of AI, the value of storytelling and the future of fashion communication. This conversation continues with Silvia Negri Firman, Founder & Creative Director of Negri Firman PR, whose career began between styling, photography and the early years of Karla Otto before moving through Giorgio Armani and into her own agency. Her perspective is shaped by a long-standing understanding of image, reputation and communication as a practice that must evolve without losing depth, credibility or cultural intention.

Silvia Negri Firman
Founder & Creative Director of Negri Firman PR / photographed by Stefano Guindani

Chidozie Obasi
First things first: I’d like to get acquainted with how your journey into the realm of fashion communications began. Could you unpack it for us?

Silvia Negri Firman
My journey started quite early, and rather by chance. I’ve always been passionate about fashion and initially thought I wanted to become a fashion designer. After high school, I enrolled in university and, at the same time, started attending a fashion school. But I also wanted to work, so I began assisting a photographer—both as his assistant and as a stylist.

Before long, I started freelancing as a stylist, which led me to collaborate with a number of brands and PR agencies. At one point, I was offered a job at Karla Otto, and I accepted. In a way, you could say it was Karla who chose my future. She was just starting out herself, and I was the third person to join the agency—literally one of three. But we were already working with the most cutting-edge brands at the time, and the agency kept growing. A few years later, I joined Giorgio Armani—and the rest is history. I’ve always worked with dedication and passion, never shied away from challenges, and embraced every opportunity to learn and grow professionally. I’m still learning, still working with passion, and I still love what I do.

How have you seen this industry sector develop over the years?

This industry has evolved significantly over the years, constantly adapting to societal and cultural shifts as well as the rise of new technologies. We've seen major changes in both strategies and working methods, with technological advancements offering us increasingly sophisticated and efficient tools. To be truly effective, communication must reflect these societal changes. It’s crucial not only to recognize but also to anticipate new trends and shifts in consumer behavior in order to design successful campaigns.

What, in your opinion, has been the biggest shift in this field?

The most significant shift has undoubtedly been the advent of the internet and digital technology. These developments have transformed the world at large and have had a profound impact on the communication industry. They've revolutionized the way we connect, create, and share content, reshaping both strategies and audience expectations.

Could you argue the benefits and disadvantages between traditional practices of communication and the digital facet of social media?

In my opinion, there are no real disadvantages on either side—what truly makes the difference is the integration between traditional communication and digital platforms. Traditional practices offer structure, credibility, and depth, which are essential for building long-term reputation and authority. On the other hand, digital tools and social media bring immediacy, interactivity, and the ability to engage directly with a wide and diverse audience. When used together strategically, they complement each other and enhance the overall effectiveness of a communication campaign. It’s not about choosing one over the other, but about leveraging the strengths of both to deliver consistent, impactful, and meaningful messages.

In a world where social and cultural innovations are changing at an increasingly ferocious pace, what are your thoughts on AI?

I’ve personally embraced the rise of AI with great interest and enthusiasm. I see it as a potentially powerful and valuable tool in the field of communication. Its arrival has undoubtedly accelerated the pace of change in our industry, pushing us to rethink processes and explore new creative possibilities. That said, I believe it's still too early to fully measure AI's real impact, as many people are using it in a limited and somewhat superficial way. However, if integrated thoughtfully with other tools and channels, I’m convinced AI can be a highly positive force—enhancing efficiency, insight, and innovation across the communication landscape.

Will we ever reach the point where it’ll replace the work of humans?

I don’t think so.

In your opinion, will print and traditional means of communications ever die, or will they somehow stay afloat?

In my opinion, print and traditional media are not destined to disappear—they are simply evolving to take on a different, perhaps even more valuable, role than in the past. The rise of digital and online platforms has certainly challenged traditional media, leading to a significant shake-up and a necessary selection process. However, this shift has also given new meaning to print: it’s now seen as more curated, more intentional, and often more prestigious. Integration between platforms is essential, and each channel has its own strength. Print remains highly appreciated in certain contexts, especially where depth, quality, and tangible presence are key. Rather than dying out, traditional media are being redefined—and still have a meaningful place in a well-rounded communication strategy.

What are your hopes for the future of the media industry?

I hope to see a media industry that continues to evolve without losing sight of quality, credibility, and depth. I believe the future lies in a balanced integration of traditional and digital platforms, where each medium plays to its strengths. My hope is that print and legacy media will continue to be valued for their reliability and depth, while digital tools and AI drive innovation, accessibility, and speed. I’d like to see a media landscape that is both dynamic and responsible—one that embraces change but remains grounded in thoughtful, meaningful communication.

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This conversation is part of LE MILE’s series on print, fashion communications and the future of PR.

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Continue reading with

→ ALEXANDER WERZ, CEO & PARTNER OF KARLA OTTO

→ MARCO SCOMPARIN, CEO & FOUNDER OF MASC AGENCY

→ LUCA CONTARTESE, CEO & FOUNDER OF PREMIUM ID AGENCY

MARCO SCOMPARIN from MASC AGENCY *Inside Fashion PR

#InsideFashionPR

Offline Prestige, Online Chaos, and the CEOs Who Call It All Just Another Day at Work

A Conversation with MARCO SCOMPARIN

interview + written CHIDOZIE OBASI

At a time when the creative industry keeps shifting at restless speed, the worlds of advertising, fashion communication and public relations are changing with it. Once anchored in print, physical presence and carefully built editorial relationships, the field now moves through digital platforms, social media strategies, data systems and the growing presence of Artificial Intelligence, all of which have accelerated the way stories are created, distributed and measured.

Still, the central task of communication has remained strangely consistent: to shape a story, to place it in the right context and to understand what gives a brand cultural relevance beyond visibility alone. Between printed pages and digital screens, between long-term image building and immediate online response, the industry continues to renegotiate its own language.

With this series, LE MILE speaks to industry insiders about the changing role of print, the pressure of digital speed, the use of AI, the value of storytelling and the future of fashion communication. This conversation continues with Marco Scomparin, CEO & Founder of MASC Agency, whose path into fashion communications began outside the industry before moving through New York, digital PR and talent representation. As the founder of an agency built around male talent and high-level brand positioning, his perspective is shaped by relationships, cultural timing and the shift from traditional gatekeepers to a media landscape led by audiences, algorithms and real-time influence.

Marco Scomparin
CEO & Founder of MASC AGENCY

Chidozie Obasi
First things first: I’d like to get acquainted with how your journey into the realm of fashion communications began. Could you unpack it for us?

Marco Scomparin
It actually started far away from catwalks and red carpets; I was in the world of numbers and finance. I quickly discovered that it wasn’t for me—maybe because it felt too uncreative and, dare I say, a little too “old boys’ club” for my taste. So I took a sabbatical year and moved to New York, where I learned that PR wasn’t just the person selling you a ticket for nightclub entry; it could be so much more. That experience opened my eyes to the power of storytelling, brand positioning, and cultural influence. When I returned to Italy, I dove headfirst into fashion communications, working with brands across fashion, beauty, and lifestyle. Over time, I built MASC Agency—the first in Europe to represent only male talents—and became equally focused on high-level digital PR. At the heart of it all, my strength has always been relationships: I don’t just know who’s who; I know what makes them move.

How have you seen this industry sector develop over the years?

It has evolved from being an industry driven by glossy magazines and a small, elite group of people to one where a single Instagram story can shift brand perception overnight. We’ve moved from carefully curated, slow-burn campaigns to real-time, multi-platform storytelling. What’s interesting is that while tools and channels have changed, the core hasn’t: it’s still about influence—only now it’s in pixels. The power dynamic has also shifted: ten years ago, brands dictated the conversation, but today creators often lead it.

What, in your opinion, has been the biggest shift in this field?

The democratization of influence. In the past, the gatekeepers were editors, stylists, and PR directors. Now the gatekeepers are algorithms and audiences themselves. The most powerful shift is that credibility is earned in real time—you can’t fake authenticity for long. For agencies like mine, that means we have to be more agile, more transparent, and much more in tune with cultural timing. What works today won’t necessarily work tomorrow. You have to be brave enough to invest in the future (even if I don’t always fully understand it) and patiently trust the process.

Could you argue the benefits and disadvantages between traditional practices of communication and the digital facet of social media?

I often say that traditional communication was like a luxury cruise: steady, elegant, and predictable, while social media is a speedboat—fast, exciting, and sometimes a little chaotic. Traditional PR had authority, depth, and a certain timelessness, but it was slow to adapt and often accessible only to a select few. Social media changed all of that: suddenly anyone could be part of the conversation, and brands could have direct, real-time exchanges with their audience. The downside is that digital moves at such a pace that trends can burn out before a campaign is even over, and attention spans are shrinking dramatically. Personally, I believe the real magic happens when the two worlds meet—when you combine the prestige and storytelling depth of traditional media with the immediacy and interactivity of digital. That’s when communication becomes truly powerful.

In a world where social and cultural innovations are changing at an increasingly ferocious pace, what are your thoughts on AI?

AI is like having the world’s most efficient intern—brilliant at processing data, spotting patterns, and never asking for vacation. [Laughs.] But it’s still missing the human heartbeat that drives culture, emotion, and taste. In my field, AI can speed up research and analytics, but the magic happens in human decision-making, which will never be substituted by AI: knowing which influencer to pair with which brand because you’ve shared a dinner table with them, not just a spreadsheet. Often, clients give me a budget and I decide which influencers to include in the project. I choose not only those who are a good fit for the brand, but also the ones naturally suited to the activity and who connect well with each other. In 2025, there’s no room for a diva-like attitude anymore—not even international celebrities can get away with it, let alone influencers.

Will we ever reach the point where it’ll replace the work of humans?

AI might replace tasks, but it won’t replace taste and expertise like mine. It can simulate creativity, but it can’t live a night at the Venice Film Festival or sense the unspoken dynamics between a designer and a muse. My job is 50% strategy and 50% intuition—and intuition is born from lived experience, cultural awareness, and emotional intelligence. AI can be a phenomenal assistant, but in this industry, human nuance will always lead.

In your opinion, will print and traditional means of communications ever die, or will they somehow stay afloat?

Print will never fully die; it will just become more niche, more collectible, and more symbolic of prestige. Much like vinyl records, its value will lie in its tangibility and artistry. You might not buy a magazine every week anymore, but when you do, it feels like an occasion. For brands, print will remain a mark of legacy; for consumers, it will be a slower, more intentional way to engage.

What are your hopes for the future of the media industry?

I hope we move toward a media landscape that values depth as much as speed, that balances virality with substance, and that remembers audiences are smart—they can tell when they’re being sold to, and they appreciate honesty. My dream is for the industry to keep innovating technologically while doubling down on storytelling that’s truly human. In the end, trends fade, but stories—the good ones—last.

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This conversation is part of LE MILE’s series on print, fashion communications and the future of PR.

---

Continue reading with

→ ALEXANDER WERZ, CEO & PARTNER OF KARLA OTTO

→ SILVIA NEGRI FIRMAN, FOUNDER & CREATIVE DIRECTOR OF NEGRI FIRMAN PR

→ LUCA CONTARTESE, CEO & FOUNDER OF PREMIUM ID AGENCY

LUCA CONTARTESE from PREMIUM ID AGENCY *Inside Fashion PR

#InsideFashionPR

Offline Prestige, Online Chaos, and the CEOs Who Call It All Just Another Day at Work

A Conversation with LUCA CONTARTESE

interview + written CHIDOZIE OBASI

At a time when the creative industry keeps shifting at restless speed, the worlds of advertising, fashion communication and public relations are changing with it. Once anchored in print, physical presence and carefully built editorial relationships, the field now moves through digital platforms, social media strategies, data systems and the growing presence of Artificial Intelligence, all of which have accelerated the way stories are created, distributed and measured.

Still, the central task of communication has remained strangely consistent: to shape a story, to place it in the right context and to understand what gives a brand cultural relevance beyond visibility alone. Between printed pages and digital screens, between long-term image building and immediate online response, the industry continues to renegotiate its own language.

With this series, LE MILE speaks to industry insiders about the changing role of print, the pressure of digital speed, the use of AI, the value of storytelling and the future of fashion communication. This conversation continues with Luca Contartese, CEO & Founder of Premium ID Agency, whose path began inside the industry as a model before moving into marketing, communication and creator management. As the founder of an agency dedicated to content creators and influencers across fashion and beauty, his perspective is shaped by the rise of TikTok, the shift from audience to community and a media landscape where digital speed defines visibility, while print still holds symbolic weight within luxury.

Luca Contartese
CEO & Founder Premium ID Agency

Chidozie Obasi
First things first: I’d like to get acquainted with how your journey into the realm of fashion communications began. Could you unpack it for us?

Luca Contartese
I started my journey as a model, learning from the internal dynamics of the industry and how brands think and perceive things. At the same time, I continued my studies in marketing and communication, combining my insider experience with what I was learning academically. This broader vision of the industry made me realize that a phase of change was approaching—one in which the prospects I had observed until then would undergo a major shift. It was the end of 2019, I was 20 years old, and that’s when I truly began to approach the world of fashion communication, working on a first project that later led me to create an influencer marketing agency. Just a few months later, Covid drastically accelerated this process: that was when I noticed how influencer marketing was becoming the most requested tool and the one with the greatest expressive potential for brands. This led me to found Premium ID, an agency dedicated exclusively to managing content creators and influencers, which today collaborates with key partner brands across fashion and beauty.

How have you seen this industry sector develop over the years?

The sector has changed significantly and continues to evolve—it is a highly dynamic environment where every month can bring incisive innovations. Transformations are many, but first and foremost, the way brands approach communication has shifted. We’ve moved from a detached style of communication to an era in which brands can no longer avoid showing behind-the-scenes moments and speaking to audiences in an open, direct way. For example, consider how social media has reshaped communication during key moments of the year, such as fashion week. In my first runway shows, the event was accessible only to those attending in person, whereas today it has become a global media event with thousands of viewers connected via livestream. This allows users to experience a much closer and more direct connection with the brand. This evolution has been largely facilitated by content creators, who in most cases have become the faces and spokespeople of brands, innovating communication in a more immediate way. The concept of community has become central: the client has transformed into a supporter, demanding greater attention from the brand, which can no longer simply provide a product but must deliver an experience that fosters a sense of belonging and loyalty. This makes it essential to focus on the quality of content and to maintain an updated communication style, choosing faces that can best represent the brand in both aesthetics and values.

What, in your opinion, has been the biggest shift in this field?

The most significant change, in my opinion, came with the arrival of TikTok. The platform created many of today’s key creators and, more importantly, reshaped users’ online habits, which until then had been focused more on photos than on videos. Today, video content is the pinnacle of communication and the primary tool brands use to promote their products through creators—and the only truly effective medium for building communities.

Could you argue the benefits and disadvantages between traditional practices of communication and the digital facet of social media?

There are substantial differences, and since I lean toward digital communication, I tend to emphasize its advantages. Digital communication has brought many benefits compared to traditional practices, such as greater speed and ease in spreading messages. Today, news is consumed live, often even before it appears in print or on television. Another major advantage is interactivity: audiences can directly express opinions and, in turn, influence the spread of content. The greatest advantage, in my view, is that communication was once reserved for a select few, while with digital, anyone can share content and potentially reach an audience as large—or even larger—than a media channel. The downside compared to traditional media is speed: content becomes outdated almost immediately, whereas print, for instance, has a longer-lasting influence.

In a world where social and cultural innovations are changing at an increasingly ferocious pace, what are your thoughts on AI?

AI is a tool with enormous potential. Even today, it is possible to create entire content from scratch without any on-site shooting, thereby reducing costs and production time. I believe it is already part of the present and represents a major opportunity to further innovate the sector.

Will we ever reach the point where it’ll replace the work of humans?

Honestly, I think so, but it will be a long process. Some jobs will inevitably be replaced, but at the same time new ones will emerge. I believe human input will remain essential, especially when it comes to creativity and relationships—areas where technology can support but cannot fully replicate human sensitivity.

In your opinion, will print and traditional means of communications ever die, or will they somehow stay afloat?

I believe print still carries a symbolic value and a fascination that digital cannot entirely replace, especially in the luxury sector. When it comes to news and information, however, I think digital has completely overtaken traditional formats. In some fields, print will remain relevant, while in others it will gradually disappear. As for television, I believe that over time it will be completely overtaken by more flexible, on-demand platforms.

What are your hopes for the future of the media industry?

I envision a future where communication will increasingly focus on the quality of content, with new technologies playing a crucial role in raising the standard. My hope is that transparency will be preserved in the use of these technologies, ensuring that consumers remain aware and informed. Ultimately, I hope the industry continues to innovate without losing the human connection that makes communication authentic.

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This conversation is part of LE MILE’s series on print, fashion communications and the future of PR.

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Continue reading with

→ ALEXANDER WERZ, CEO & PARTNER OF KARLA OTTO

→ SILVIA NEGRI FIRMAN, FOUNDER & CREATIVE DIRECTOR OF NEGRI FIRMAN PR

→ MARCO SCOMPARIN, CEO & FOUNDER OF MASC AGENCY

ALEXANDER WERZ from KARLA OTTO *Inside Fashion PR

#InsideFashionPR

Offline Prestige, Online Chaos, and the CEOs Who Call It All Just Another Day at Work

A Conversation with ALEXANDER WERZ

interview + written CHIDOZIE OBASI

At a time when the creative industry keeps shifting at restless speed, the worlds of advertising, fashion communication and public relations are changing with it. Once anchored in print, physical presence and carefully built editorial relationships, the field now moves through digital platforms, social media strategies, data systems and the growing presence of Artificial Intelligence, all of which have accelerated the way stories are created, distributed and measured.

Still, the central task of communication has remained strangely consistent: to shape a story, to place it in the right context and to understand what gives a brand cultural relevance beyond visibility alone. Between printed pages and digital screens, between long-term image building and immediate online response, the industry continues to renegotiate its own language.

With this series, LE MILE speaks to industry insiders about the changing role of print, the pressure of digital speed, the use of AI, the value of storytelling and the future of fashion communication. We begin with Alexander Werz, whose career has moved from fashion design and show production into high-level communications, including his long-standing work with Karla Otto, where strategy, culture and brand identity sit at the centre of his practice.

Alexander Werz
CEO & Partner, Karla Otto

Chidozie Obasi
First things first: I’d like to get acquainted with how your journey into the realm of fashion communications began. Could you unpack it for us?

Alexander Werz
I was fascinated during my childhood about fashion when I was about12. I had access to Vogue Italia through my father, and I was dreaming about a career in fashion, so I decided at age 14 to do everything to do a fashion school in Paris. 5 years later I started at Studio Berçot fashion design. My first path was working with designers in the design department, but I was always good in organizing fashion shows, press meetings etc. so I decided to go that path.
Many years later, with a serious experience in communication but also in production, I joined Karla Otto in 2010.

How have you seen this industry sector develop over the years?

Of course, the sector developed a lot over 20 years, especially with the arrival of digital platforms, but also thanks to the globalization of fashion and luxury. What we needed to do for strategy was to improve communication skills to its perfection. We are working in a highly competitive, yet also sensitive business, storytelling and strategy is a great combination to support brands in many sectors in luxury. But for me the biggest question today is culture, what do we really want and what does a brand stand for?

What, in your opinion, has been the biggest shift in this field?

Digitalization was and is key to support our brands, nevertheless we need always to keep in mind a strategy which is in place to support a brand in communication, but also talent support, influencer marketing and event support. We support our brands in a 360° degrees approach.

Could you argue the benefits and disadvantages between traditional practices of communication and the digital facet of social media?

What we need in communication, depending on the brand, is a combination of traditional communication, PR services, obviously balanced with a digital communication strategy, where we work on a social media strategy but also on talent which is key.

In a world where social and cultural innovations are changing at an increasingly ferocious pace, what are your thoughts on AI?

I like the arrival of AI to a certain degree, but I believe in human touch which we need to preserve and can’t be replaced to 100%. It should be a fair combination. AI is a very useful and creative tool to support communication in a very distinctive use, nevertheless in creative business sometimes nuances and even little mistakes can bring immediate success. Aiming perfection is a goal but only aiming.
AI is a powerful support.

Will we ever reach the point where it’ll replace the work of humans?

I don’t think so, as humans are sensible and sensitive and these are key elements also in communication. I really believe that we can learn a lot from AI but to use it as a replacement would be a mistake… But the future will talk.

In your opinion, will print and traditional means of communications ever die, or will they somehow stay afloat?

I believe that print and the traditional side of communication is a pillar and a great foundation to utilize but the digital side of communication, of course will give an immediate outreach and a great support to our brands. The fast pace of our brands needs immediate result, therefore we are using the digital side on a 360 approach.

What are your hopes for the future of the media industry?

My hope for the future is also not to over communicate and to really measure the way how to communicate.
We know that the commercial pressure asks us to be not only proactive, but always to anticipate.
We want to provide a perfect communication strategy which is meaningful, authentic and with cultural value.

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This conversation is part of LE MILE’s series on print, fashion communications and the future of PR.

---

Continue reading with

→ SILVIA NEGRI FIRMAN, FOUNDER & CREATIVE DIRECTOR OF NEGRI FIRMAN PR

→ MARCO SCOMPARIN, CEO & FOUNDER OF MASC AGENCY

→ LUCA CONTARTESE, CEO & FOUNDER OF PREMIUM ID AGENCY

VERONIKA GEORGIEVA *On Paper Surgery, Deconstruction and Memory

Ctrl + X
IT’S ABOUT THE CUT, THE WOUND AND THE IMAGE

interview + written HANNAH ROSE PRENDERGAST

Destruction isn’t more natural. Just easier.

Deconstruction, on the other hand, is Veronika Georgieva’s native language.

With her trusty scissors, she frees photographs, slides, and film from an eternity of official events. This version feels truer to how it actually happened.

Paper Surgery is a delicate operation to restore the soul; it’s also an SS 2010 ad campaign for Comme des Garçons.

Pulled from her own archive and that of complete strangers, the source material stings the same. The rest is just recovery.

No need to name the wound or explain the cut—the light will get to it. If not, a fashion magazine will.

Paper Surgery Series, Hannibal
Image courtesy of Veronika Georgieva

I Loved You For So Long. from Paper Surgery Series.
Image courtesy of Veronika Georgieva

Hannah Rose Prendergast
What’s lost when you try to replicate Paper Surgery digitally in Photoshop?

Veronika Georgieva
The imperfections in my work aren’t just visual; they’re conceptual. They challenge ideas of control. The accidental tears and unpredictable folds from physically manipulating paper are essential to the series. When you try to replicate this digitally, even with the most skilled attempts, the result feels too precise. It loses the raw touch that defines this aesthetic. And I’m just not interested in doing that. I love accidents too much.

All my works exist on the threshold between control and surprise, even for myself. Otherwise, I’d be bored by my own creativity. There’s good boredom and bad boredom—like good and bad cholesterol. I need the material to surprise me. I’m deeply annoyed when there’s no excitement of the unknown, no “accidental mistake.” I need a physical dialogue with the material, with its resistance, to feel that I’m an artist alive.

Why does deconstruction feel so natural to your creative process?

There’s absolutely no rule. But it’s important to distinguish between destruction and deconstruction. Destroying isn’t more natural—just easier. Deconstruction is harder because it’s analytical. Its goal is creation: building something new. I’d like to think creation is ultimately more natural for humans than destruction. At least, I want to believe that, even though recent years seem determined to prove the opposite.Deconstruction may look like destruction to anyone unwilling to engage with the process. People often ask, “Why did you ruin this dress?” or “Why cut up those photographs?” But I adore deconstruction. My methods break habitual perceptions of ordinary things, sometimes pushing them to the point of unrecognizability.

What are the risks of starting with a political message?

The risk isn’t politics in art, it’s politics as art’s predetermined script. The strength of art lies in interpretation. When it begins with a fixed political premise, it can end up privileging the artist’s authority over the viewer’s freedom to engage. A didactic mural about climate change, for instance, might dictate a single correct reading. But a more ambiguous work, like Anselm Kiefer’s scorched landscapes, leaves space for multiple, active interpretations.

True subversion doesn’t force the world to understand—it lets people feel and outspeak. Overtly political art can be easily co-opted. When power meets dissent, it often inoculates itself by sanitizing and selling it back. Think of Banksy’s anti-capitalist murals, auctioned off for millions. Starting with politics risks turning art into a gesture absorbed by the market as “radical chic.”

How does photography influence our collective memory and perception of truth?

Truth? What truth? Personal and collective memories are both unreliable. Photography has joined the club, thanks to Photoshop and AI. Even eyewitnesses can’t be trusted. Just look at the Rashomon effect, where the same event is recalled in contradictory ways by different people. Memories depend on identity and interests. Take the myth of George Washington cutting down the cherry tree—'I cannot tell a lie'—a story invented after his death to portray him as virtuous. Isn’t it symbolic? A story about honesty that's itself a lie.

Is there an image that becomes stronger by resisting capture?

Absolutely. Like gods or monsters left unseen in horror films, the viewer’s imagination always eclipses the reveal. But this principle extends beyond horror. Any image grows stronger by resisting fixation. The moment you try to pin it down, in a photograph, a painting, even in words, it loses its spectral charge. That’s why Resnais never showed the traumatic event in Last Year at Marienbad, and why Borges described the Aleph as “a point in space that contains all other points.” The most potent visions remain unfinished, demanding the mind’s collaboration to exist at all.

This is exactly why the hidden folds in Paper Surgery, or the dark voids built from layered slides, matter more than what’s visible. Meaning crumples into layers, interpretation becomes a dance between surface and depth. The unseen isn’t absence—it’s the image’s engine.

Page 9 from Paper Surgery Series.
Image courtesy of Veronika Georgieva

Do you see more character in fashion magazines today?

I don’t think so. It’s just a new grammar of control. To ask whether faces have “more character” implies we’ve agreed on what character is. Unpredictability? The marks of lived experience? Fashion magazines today reflect a cultural hunger for authenticity but deliver it as a product. Modern retouching tools simulate character (a freckle left intact, a wrinkle allowed to stay), but it’s a calculated rebellion—a corporate nod to realness.

Compare that to Corinne Day’s raw Polaroids of Kate Moss in the ’90s, where the awkwardness was unplanned—and therefore revolutionary. Today’s “flaws” are often focus-grouped: an illusion of imperfection.

How do you embrace conflict or tension in your work?

I’m currently working on a video installation for a ballet performance centered on barocco, a theme that deeply resonates with me. Barocco isn’t just a historical period; it’s a state of mind. It emerges when old systems fail—when something bursts beyond its frames, rupturing space, scale, and meaning. The ballet will unfold on an unconventional stage: a circular platform rotating around a massive metal cylinder. The venue, a former bread factory, offers almost no space for traditional scenery. The dancers appear like butterflies pinned to the cylinder, with no room to fly.
My idea is to deconstruct the cylinder with multi-channel video projections, puncturing it with virtual trompe l’œil corridors, expanding it through illusion. These corridors will stretch into receding depths, pulling viewers inward.

For inspiration, I revisited Last Year at Marienbad, those haunting black-and-white corridors shot in a German Rococo castle, that endless hall of mirrors. For weeks now, I’ve been losing myself in those imagined passageways. I want to go there, to see that place. Though I know reality could never match the film. Some inspiring places are better left unvisited, preserved only in the mind.

In a world where authorship is fragmented, what still truly belongs to the artist?

The process. The moment. The thrill. Love and death.
Everything belongs to the artist.
The decision to designate it as art.
The vulnerability of offering it to the world, knowing it will be rewritten, reclaimed, or erased.
The act of bravery belongs to the artist.

Page 57 from Paper Surgery Series.
Image courtesy of Veronika Georgieva

Page 55 from Paper Surgery Series.
Image courtesy of Veronika Georgieva

What image will you always return to?

Martin Kippenberger’s self-portrait. He stands with a crudely made sign around his neck, something you might expect to see on a lost child, a drunk, or an Alzheimer’s patient. Instead of a name or instructions, he scrawls: “Please, don’t send me home.” To me, it encapsulates the artist’s eternal paradox: the simultaneous search for home and flight from it—the dull comforts of the familiar. It’s desire rooted in impossibility: a lost paradise, forever out of reach, yet perpetually pursued.

A chaotic journey without a map.
The purpose of purposelessness.
Unfiltered traces of a personal destiny.
Moments of raw emotional gesture.
The coveted “mistakes.”
That time before morning arrives with its regrets and clean-ups.
The choice-free, guilt-free, unfiltered ride.

Can an image that wounds also offer healing?

I don’t know about healing, but I can tell you about the wound. In Camera Lucida, the French philosopher Roland Barthes introduces punctum—a term I adore. Punctum is an accidental detail in a photograph that “pricks” or “bruises” the viewer, creating a deeply personal, often painful resonance. As Barthes writes: “The punctum is a sting, speck, cut, little hole—it is also a cast of the dice. It wounds” me.

That’s why it remains elusive: punctum doesn’t reside in the image itself but in the collision between image and life. Barthes describes how a photograph of his mother evoked profound sorrow in him, though to others, it was just an ordinary snapshot. Punctum can’t be planned or manufactured; it arises spontaneously, unique to each observer, tethering emotion to image.

I suppose if you understand why an image reopens a wound, healing follows naturally. It lies in refusing to let pain stagnate. Like champagne, best drunk once opened, or it sours into vinegar and poisons you. As Rumi wrote: “The wound is the place where the Light enters you.”

Is there something you’ve cut that you wish you hadn’t?

Scissors are a girl’s best friend. They’ve never betrayed me. Not yet. Everything I’ve cut—and I’ve cut a lot—I’ve never regretted. When I was a young girl growing up in the Soviet Union, stores had limited clothing, and what they did have was usually ugly. But I always wanted to be stylish, so I learned to sew. I sewed everything, fromraincoats to pants, shorts to dresses, even a summer suit for my mom. I once designed and sewed an entire fashion collection.

With my architecture degree, paper models and cutting were already part of my routine. But after becoming a mother twice over, I only had time to cut. By then, I was living in New York City, surrounded by secondhand stores filled with more clothes than I’d ever dreamed of. To create unique designs that fit my figure, I cut endlessly.

Once, my dear friend Renata was shocked to learn where I’d gotten such a lovely belt. I’d started by cutting up a whole dress, but ended up trimming it down until only the belt remained—perfect for my vision.

When should you go offline?

I can tell you when not to go online: when you’re bored. Boredom is the mother of creativity—those who get bored turn to something new, something unique. It’s a huge problem, especially for kids today, who are never bored. They can fill every second with social media, immersed in the lives of others, forgetting their own. To create, you need a vacuum. Being online offers everything except a vacuum.

In his essay In Praise of Boredom, one of my favorite poets, Joseph Brodsky, frames boredom as a portal to self-awareness and existential clarity: “When hit by boredom, let yourself be crushed by it; submerge, hit bottom. In general, with things unpleasant, the rule is: the sooner you hit bottom, the faster you surface. The idea here … is to exact a full look at the worst. The reason boredom deserves such scrutiny is that it represents pure, undiluted time in all its repetitive, redundant, monotonous splendor.”

The notion of time is important for the artist. And when you’re online, time flies. The sad thing is, it flies unnoticed.

Comme des Garçons campaign. collaboration with Stephen j Shanabrook
Image courtesy of the artists & CdG

GIZEM EMRE *On Identity, Confidence, and Staying True to Yourself

Why Gizem Emre Is Done Measuring Herself Through Other People’s Eyes

interview + written THINLEY WINGEN

For years, Gizem Emre has been a familiar face on screens, red carpets, and across Germany’s cultural landscape. Yet despite growing up in the public eye, the actress describes herself as much quieter than many people might expect.

Gizem wears top, pants and jewelry by IOANNES, tights by FALKE and shoes by H&M Studio

"I think many people are surprised when they meet me in person because privately I'm much calmer and more reserved," she tells LE MILE. Born and raised in Berlin, Emre grew up between cultures and learned early on how to navigate different expectations while staying connected to herself. Over the years, she has developed a stronger sense of confidence, letting go of constant comparison and placing greater value on how she feels rather than how she is perceived. "I think the older you get, the more important it becomes how you feel about yourself instead of constantly thinking about how you appear to others." Below, the actress reflects on public perception, belonging, self-confidence, and finding moments of calm in an increasingly noisy world.

Gizem wears look by ELISABETTA FRANCHI and shoes by IOANNES

Gizem wears a dress by DIESEL

Thinley Wingen
Many people feel like they already know you before you've even said a word. How do you experience the difference between public perception and who you actually are?

Gizem Emre
Because I play many different roles and show different sides of myself through them, I’m not even sure if people have one specific image of me. I actually think many people are surprised when they meet me in person because, privately, I’m much calmer and more reserved than some might expect at first glance. As a viewer, you often only see fragments, a role, an appearance, or an interview, but not necessarily the person behind it.

You have been in the public eye for many years. What has changed about being a woman who is constantly seen and judged?

A lot has changed over the years. I’ve become much more confident, I know myself and my body better, and over time, I’ve learned not to compare myself to others all the time. You grow up with certain beauty ideals, and especially in the public eye, you are constantly being judged, consciously or unconsciously. It used to affect me more, but today I see things much more calmly. I think the older you get, the more important it becomes how you feel about yourself instead of constantly thinking about how you appear to others.

Gizem wears a dress by DIESEL

You often come across as very confident and present. Are there still moments when you feel misunderstood or reduced to a certain image?

Being able to speak freely also means allowing yourself to be seen without filters, and I think the fear of being misunderstood or not being taken seriously has been with me for a very long time. Especially when you enter the public eye at a young age, you quickly develop the feeling that you constantly have to prove yourself.

How has growing up in Berlin and as a Turkish-German woman shaped your understanding of belonging, strength, and identity?

I grew up between two cultures, and I see that as a gift. Of course, it can also come with a certain sense of being torn between different expectations or perspectives. But I was lucky enough to grow up in a very liberal family, which meant I never felt like I had to choose one side over the other.

What has helped you stay true to yourself over the years, despite public attention, social media, and outside expectations?

Above all, spending time with myself. I think it’s incredibly important to keep coming back to yourself and sorting through your own thoughts. Especially in a world where so much is constantly coming at you from the outside, you need that sense of calm to stay grounded.

Gizem wears top, pants and jewelry by IOANNES, tights by FALKE and shoes by H&M Studio

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talent GIZEM EMRE
photography NIC SCHOPPET
hair + make up FINA BOATENG
styling KLAAS HAMMER
interview THINLEY WINGEN
management BTA / CAROLINA DACHS

DRAGON PONY *South Korea’s Rising K-Pop Band

DRAGON PONY
When Four Players Collapse Into One Sound

interview + written AMANDA MORTENSON

Dragon Pony belong to a generation of South Korean bands quietly reopening the space for guitars, drums and collective noise inside a musical ecosystem famous for precision pop engineering. Formed by Ahn Tae-gyu, Kwon Se-hyuk, Pyun Sung-hyun and Ko Gang-hun, the four-piece operates within a musical landscape long dominated by tightly produced pop systems. Their work moves in a different direction, built around live instrumentation, collective songwriting and the physical intensity of performance, Dragon Pony position the band itself as the central creative unit.

total look OKIIO LOUNGE

shirt FOURONESIXZERO tie + jacket ARCHIVE

Each member brings a distinct role into that structure. Tae-gyu’s voice anchors the group’s melodic direction, Se-hyuk’s guitar frames its tonal identity, Sung-hyun’s bass provides the gravitational core, while Gang-hun’s drumming defines the band’s rhythmic architecture. Together, these elements produce a sound shaped as much by chemistry as by composition.

The band’s thinking about music often extends beyond technical language and performance becomes a shared environment where stage and audience collapse into a single moment of exchange. In this conversation with LE MILE, Dragon Pony reflect on sound, time, collaboration and the subtle mechanics that allow four musicians to merge into one evolving presence.

total looks MONTSENU

Amanda Mortenson
When the four of you walk into a room together, what kind of silence follows you — quiet curiosity, anticipation, or something else entirely?

Ahn Tae-gyu
Before a show, I think it’s a “silence of preparation and excitement,” where anticipation and nervousness coexist - hoping that everything we’ve prepared will be delivered well to everyone who came to see us. And after the show, it feels like a “silence of reflection,” as we slowly let the heat and energy from the stage settle and look back on whether Dragon Pony’s message and energy truly came through.

Tae-gyu, if your voice could melt and take a new shape, what would it become when it cools again?

Ahn Tae-gyu
If I borrow the idea of melting and taking on a new form, I think when it solidifies again it would become something like an even harder metal. The stories and emotions that melt and flow through me would eventually become stronger, more solid.

Ko Gang-hun, drummers often speak through impact. What’s the most delicate sound you’ve ever tried to create — and did anyone notice?

Ko Gang-hun
I don’t think the sounds I make are very close to “delicacy,” so I haven’t had many experiences like that! But one thing comes to mind. When I fall for a drummer, I tend to try to imitate everything about him very meticulously - their motions, gestures, even the tone of their kit.
There was a time when I was completely captivated by Thomas Hedlund, the session drummer for the band Phoenix, and I was trying to copy everything about his playing. During that period, a fan once told me that my snare tone reminded them of Thomas’s snare, and I still remember that.

total looks OKIIO LOUNGE

total looks ARCHIVE

total look ERREUNO

What’s the most unexpected sound you’ve ever decided to keep in a song?

Pyun Sung-hyun
Before recording bass, I once accidentally captured some noise. I liked the feel of it, so I sampled it and used it as an FX sound.

Sung-hyun, you once said the bass feels like gravity. What happens when you want to escape it?

Pyun Sung-hyun
Whenever I want to escape that gravity, I do my own personal work - taking photos or videos, or trying to make new music. I step away from what’s familiar for a moment and do the things I personally want to do.

Imagine Dragon Pony performing for someone who’s never experienced music before. How would you describe what’s about to happen — without using words like song, beat, or emotion?

Kwon Se-hyuk
(Dragon Pony = 4 / The people joining the show = X)
(4 + X) = 1
Thump thump thump, boom boom boom, waaaah ÷ (4 + X) = ♡

(Interpretation: When Dragon Pony and the audience come together, they become one - and when that show ends, what remains is love.)

total look FOURONESIXZERO

Se-hyuk, if your guitar suddenly refused to play anything “beautiful,” where would you take it to make peace?

Kwon Se-hyuk
I’d take the guitar to the cinema, into nature, to see people - and to meet the people who’ve been waiting for our music - and then come back.

Who in the band has the best relationship with time and who’s always challenging it?

Ko Gang-hun The person who gets along best with time - and the one who has to - is probably me, the drummer. Because drums are tempo itself.
And the person who goes against time - and has to do it well - is Tae-gyu, our vocalist. Sometimes it’s amazing when sounds are played precisely and meticulously inside the tempo, but there are also times when what feels best is playing freely and comfortably without being obsessed with tempo - and I think that’s something unique to the human voice.

There’s always one instant on stage when you stop being four people and turn into one sound. What triggers that moment for you?

Kwon Se-hyuk
I think the time we’ve spent playing together and living together is what allows us to come together as one. That collective synergy is the band’s identity, and depending on what kinds of times we continue to share, we’ll keep growing and changing.

total look ARCHIVE

When your fans sing louder than you, does it feel like letting go or expanding together?

Ahn Tae-gyu
It’s a feeling that’s hard to put into words. In that moment, it’s not just our performance anymore - it expands to include the audience, and it becomes a moment where everyone is playing together. It’s one of the moments that makes me truly happy.

Looking ahead — five, ten, maybe twenty years — what kind of story do you hope people will tell about Dragon Pony: a quiet legend, or a vivid one?

Ahn Tae-gyu
In the end, I want to be remembered as a vivid story. But at the same time, I hope that everything we leave behind through the stage and our music stays with people - and that when time has passed, it might also become a kind of legend someone can quietly take out and revisit.

Pyun Sung-hyun
I want Dragon Pony to be remembered with the image of “a band that burned hot.”

Kwon Se-hyuk
I hope we can simply be Dragon Pony as we are - and that, in our own way, that can shine fiercely.

Ko Gang-hun
It still feels far away for me to imagine, since we haven’t been a band for long. But if I think about it, the bands I respect - like Foo Fighters and Oasis - have all expressed their stories vividly to the world, and they still are. So I think it would be amazing if we could become like that too.

total look OKIIO LOUNGE

total look ERREUNO

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photography KANG MINJE
photo assistants LEE AHREUM + LEE JAEHO + YOO JIHOON
videography CHOI SEUNGWON
1st ac PARK HWANPIL
b cam KIM DONGHEE
fashion KIM HYUNJEONG
fashion assistant PARK CHEOLBEEN
fashion pr KIM HEEWON
hair LEE SEUNGJOON
make up LEE JEONGWON
band DRAGON PONY
talents AN TAEGYU + PYUN SUNGHYUN + KWON SEHYUK + KO GANGHUN

ADRIAN KISS *Keeping the Comfort Complicated

Objects Don’t Rest, They Plot

Adrian Kiss Keeps the Comfort Complicated


interview + written ALBAN E. SMAJLI

There’s a duvet folded in half in Adrian Kiss’s memory, heavy with wool and childhood, a private weather system pressed close in the dark. Long before anyone started calling it sculpture, there were mattresses, blankets, the stubborn geometry of safety and sleep, objects that promised comfort and ended up complicating it. Adrian grew up negotiating softness and weight, inventing worlds under covers that protected and sometimes trapped, learning early that the line between body and object is a moving target.

Dunyha Firka 1, 2021, quilted leather and canvas with acrylic spheres, 200 × 140 cm, presented as part of Dunyha Tomorrow at acb Gallery, Budapest, Hungary, 2021 / Image by Dávid Tóth

Leather Hole 1, 2021, leather on metal structure, 185 × 150 cm, presented as part of Dunyha Tomorrow at acb Gallery, Budapest, Hungary, 2021 / Image by Dávid Tóth

His work never hides its seams. Materials arrive marked, stained, scarred by use or time, sometimes freshly buried, sometimes coaxed into new shapes by the hands of collaborators or by gravity itself. Duvets and tyres, stitched suns and industrial leftovers, everything carrying traces of its past life, everything drafted into the ongoing drama of care and disruption. Nostalgia and hypermodernity don’t compete here. They mingle in the form of a quilt dragged across a concrete floor or a basket woven to hold more than bread.

The studio is both laboratory and cul-de-sac, a place where tools outnumber screens and the slow work of listening shapes every decision. When things risk getting too polished, Adrian ruins the surface, lets chaos in, or simply walks away until time itself gets bored and leaves its mark. He’s learned to trust whatever’s at hand, scrap, memory, silence, and to keep the choreography open, the outcome unresolved. 
Every object in the room wants to speak, but the story keeps shifting, between sleep and vigilance, labor and leisure, skin and structure. That’s the paradox Adrian returns to inhabit, over and over, until the work feels as alive and restless as the hand that made it.

Alban E. Smajli
Your work thrives on physical materials. How do you decide which medium becomes the “skin” of your next piece?

Adrian Kiss
For me, the “skin” of the work is often where the human body is, as that has been at the centre of my practice. My relationship with materials is intuitive, a safe space that forms the foundation of my artistic language.
In my earlier work, I struggled to translate my positionality and material intuition into larger narratives, often compelling me to symbolically bury my pieces for transformation and “curing”. This analogy became a guiding methodology for understanding the performativity of materials and the transformative potential of forces. I began investigating how the non-living can act as a performer, embodying time-based processes, under and beyond the influence of the human. When deciding what becomes the 'skin' of a work, I think about its capacity to resist or welcome the passing of time.

Tell us about your childhood obsession with duvets, why does that heavy comfort keep showing up in your installations?

I’m drawn to everyday gestures and the object culture associated with them. I’m especially interested in the things we all must do, like sleeping, but which, sadly, we’re not all allowed to do equally. We all need sleep, but are we given the right to rest? Mattresses, blankets, pillows, and duvets represent the care of home and the comfort of safety. In my installations and sculptures, they often appear without the human figure, and in that absence, they start to become the body. I use them to create a sense of insecurity by juxtaposing their softness and familiarity with more brutal or unstable surroundings.
I only started working with bedding a few years ago, after a long period of engaging with jackets and garments. Duvets, in particular, carry intimate traces, stains, scents, marks, subtle forms of memory and presence. They’re comforting, but they also speak of vulnerability. At my grandparents’, their duvet was filled with thick wool, making it very heavy. As a child, under its heavy-comfort, I often felt trapped and safe.

Say your studio suddenly went analog. No screens or signal, just tools and silence. How might that reshape the way you create, or even the way you think inside your space?

Answering this question tells much about how I work. I haven’t always been in the privileged position to do art full time, I’ve worked alongside my studio practice most of my life. This really shaped what I had access to, time and money-wise. So I often worked by collaborating with other creators to produce parts of my work. This meant I didn’t need much of a studio; much of the experimentation at the start was done on paper. With time, I reconnected with making, and that was a revelation, I found a new purpose in it. But havint this experience, I’m also comfortable working with whatever space and tools I have access to.
No screens and signals, just tools and silence, would mean I am a child again, probably getting bored soon, and through that, entertaining myself through creative explorations of what I have and what I know. Sounds exciting.

Is It Big? Is It Small? How Does It Smell?, 2024, textile objects with clay, sand, straw and wooden pallets, dimensions vary / Image by Adrian Kiss

Is It Big? Is It Small? How Does It Smell?, 2024, textile objects with clay, sand, straw and wooden pallets, dimensions vary / Image by Adrian Kiss

Your inspirations range from brutalist architecture in Romania to internet visuals. How do you balance nostalgia with hyper-modernity?

These seemingly opposite sources of influence are not so far from each other. My work exists both in the countryside and the city, because that’s where I’m from. I live and work in the memory and nostalgia of my time spent in Romania and Hungary, but I’m constantly inspired by my surroundings. Having studied in the UK and the Netherlands, always being on the move, I’m constantly challenged to question my learnings.

It’s true that in my early work, right after graduating, I was very much a post-internet artist, deeply engaged with digital aesthetics. But over time, that shifted and I became more present in my physical surroundings and also began mingling more with memory, especially memories of my childhood in Coșnea.
I spent many summers in that cul-de-sac village, isolated in the Romanian mountains, at my grandparents’ home. It was largely untouched by urbanisation. The small rural working-class community, where folk traditions were still lived and performed through material culture, gave me a deep sensitivity to how objects carry meaning, and agency. Now, after living in two post-socialist countries, and then in London and the Netherlands, I see how the city is present in the village, and the village in the city. What seems like a contrast, between nostalgia and hyper-modernity, often overlap. I move between them intuitively.

When things get too polished, do you ever feel the urge to ruin them a little, just to keep the chaos alive?

Yeah, that is exactly what happened when I lost contact with the making. I felt like my works were coming out of a factory, and I’d been removed from them emotionally. It wasn’t an urge to create chaos that I felt, but an urge to “age” my work. This is how I came up with the idea of burying my early pieces and allowing them to cure. I’ve tackled this question frequently in the past years through different experimentations where I extended the making to forces outside my control. I dropped sculptures from my studio window in an improvised but directed sequence, a performance that lasted 16 minutes. The “final compositions” were shaped by gravity and inertia. The audience’s experience was guided by the expectation, what will fall next, and when?
On another occasion, in the performance titled Mom, Why Didn’t You Tell Me?, I wished to juxtapose the care embodied by six quilted wool blankets with the brutality of soil and the everyday. I demonstrated these tensions by disassembling a 500 kg adobe sculpture in front of an audience, and carrying the adobe’s weight down to the garden using the blankets..

How does physical context—like the sunken pool at VUNU or decaying industrial spaces—shape the way your work behaves in the real world?

I usually organise my studio time around larger projects that often respond to the spaces where the works will be shown. That was the case with my solo show at VUNU, Satin, Soil, Stomach, curated by Lilla Lipusz. When we first visited the space and submerged ourselves in the concrete basin of the former swimming pool, we were transported elsewhere, the space had a particular vibration that had to be respected.

It became a question of listening, of learning how to be in dialogue with both the space and the materials. Listening, arguably, has been suppressed today, whether through the silencing of others, the deliberate creation of noise and disinformation, or through our own disconnection from listening itself. The work created for VUNU would have a different dialogue in another space. Equally meaningful, but a different story.

Untitled (bonnet), 2014, acrylic paint on car bonnet, 97 × 128 × 6 cm, presented as part of MMM at art quarter budapest, Budapest, Hungary, 2020 / Image by Dávid Biró

Roll Me, Squeeze Me, Say My Name (detail), 2025, quilted wool blankets, tires, ratchet straps and wire on metal structure, 544 × 400 × 150 cm, presented as part of Restless Dislocations at Ján Koniarek Gallery, Trnava, Slovakia, with Radovan Čerevka, 2025 / Image by Dávid Biró

Your moodboards often feel like industrial scraps meet sci-fi: what’s your trick for transforming found objects into uncanny-human extensions?

I’m compelled to juxtapose materials, shapes, and concepts with polar values. There’s a kind of specificity that emerges when you intersect them. Through their contradictions, something precise is revealed, often oddly familiar, rooted in the everyday. Like the harshness of quilted black leather paired with soft padding. Or the weight of an old used tyre placed beside a woven basket. Or the intimacy of a stitched sun on a wool blanket, a material usually meant to protect the body, now used to carry remains from a “burial site.” Care and brutality in the quotidian are not opposites, but entangled, complicating any clear notion of what care even means.

When do you feel the work is alive? Is it the moment you stitch it together, exhibit it, or let it sit and transform with time?

Most of my stitchwork is done by my fantastic colleague Eszter Előd, she gets to experience the slow catharsis of a quilt coming together, step by step. I often work as a producer, collaborating with others to create something together. Like Sándor Végh, a third-generation basket weaver, or Zoltán Ónodi, an incredible welder and metalworker. And more recently, I’ve been collaborating with the agency of time and chance itself. In other instances, I do the labour myself, because it’s conceptually important that I endure the weight of the soil, or because I technically can, and want to.
That said, while the process of making is always fascinating, what I enjoy most isn’t the making, it’s the human connections that come with it. I get to meet and work with talented people, to share stories and trust.

What’s the next paradox you want to explore? Organic vs. synthetic is “vintage Kiss.” Where do you go after that?

I’ve recently leapt into time-based media, and I’m enjoying the new challenges and the broader visual vocabulary it allows. Rather than seeking new paradoxes, I want to deepen the ones I’ve already been working with, exploring them in depth and more situated.
Lately, I’ve realised how much material has been right in front of me that I’ve overlooked, like the social interactions with my collaborators, the physical labour of preparing adobe for my sculptures. These aren’t just background processes, or invisible work, they’re part of the work.

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Adrian Kiss
Dunyha Tomorrow, installation view, acb Gallery, Budapest, Hungary, 2021 / Image by Dávid Tóth

COSIMA KAIBEL *Three Stripes and the Codes of a Generation

Three Stripes and the Codes of a Generation
From Neukölln to Canvas with Cosima Kaibel

interview + written ALBAN E. SMAJLI

Adidas appears in contemporary painting with a frequency that would have seemed unlikely a generation ago. The three stripes have moved beyond sportswear and entered the visual vocabulary of a younger generation of artists. Tracksuits and sneakers circulate through studios and canvases in cities like Berlin, London or New York as a shared cultural code, carrying references to belonging, migration histories, street culture and urban identity. For many painters today, these garments carry a particular duality. They are instantly recognizable yet deeply ordinary.

leather bomber jacket by ESRA VON KORNATZKI

A tracksuit can signal attitude, nostalgia, irony or intimacy depending on how it is framed. Adidas has quietly become part of the visual language through which contemporary identity is read and expressed.

Berlin-based artist Cosima Kaibel approaches this language from within the environment that shaped her. After years abroad, she returned to Berlin, where her work continues to circle around Neukölln and the subtle social codes embedded in everyday scenes.

For this collaboration with Adidas, Kaibel condenses the scene into a fragment where two figures meet, visible only from the legs down, Adidas trousers falling into Adistar Control 5 sneakers as the three stripes trace quiet lines along the bodies. Everything above the frame remains open. Without faces, identity unfolds through posture, fabric and proximity, allowing the viewer to complete the moment while reflecting Kaibel’s wider interest in how bodies are framed and interpreted in contemporary visual culture.

Alban E. Smajli
You lived in the UK, China, Uruguay, India, France and Italy before coming back to Berlin. Did leaving make you see the city more clearly, and why did you decide to return and paint it again? How does place shape identity for you?

Cosima Kaibel
Leaving and coming back definitely changed my perspective on the city. It made it feel much more like home. Exploring different places made me realize what’s special about Berlin to me and see the magic in things I thought were normal before, like the mix of cultures on Sonnenallee or the Queer culture here, the rough down-to-earth attitude of Berliners and the way all of these shape the whole energy of the city. Seeing things that are different helped me realize that there is no universal ‘normal’, but that ‘normal’ is always relative. That was freeing.

I believe that places are a big part of identity. They determine our experiences, what we learn, what we see, values people hold up around us. All of that eventually shapes who we become. Even if you try to live in your own bubble, you still move through streets, hear languages, deal with people. That does something to you, even if it means rejecting your direct environment. Traveling made me realize how much I do identify as a Berliner, if not a Neuköllner. (44 Represents! - That’s the number of the part of the district where my school was.)

Painting scenes from the city and my district is a way for me to show my appreciation for this place and the things it stands for in my view. I paint it because it formed me. 

What does identity mean to you right now?

To me identity means knowing who I am, which is rather an ongoing process than a fixed definition. It’s about understanding what matters to you and why. When I look at the people and places I grew up with, I understand myself better. Shared experiences stick. School friends, old memories, stupid stories you still laugh about - that creates belonging. Even if everyone came from different backgrounds and went in different directions later on.
Identity isn’t just how you see yourself. It’s also who you experienced things together with. I’m also interested in how identity is performed.
Through clothes, posture, the way someone stands or moves. You don’t just have an identity - you show it. Sometimes consciously, sometimes not. That’s something I explore in my Neukölln series and in my newer series „Anything Butt Dates“ - Bodies carry projection, control, vulnerability, stories, and power. 

For our first ever painted cover, you decided to show only the lower body, from the thighs down. Why did you leave out the faces? What changes when identity is told through posture, fabric and sneakers?

Omitting faces is something I often do in my work, because they often don’t matter for what I want to show. Posture, fabric and sneakers are carriers of cultural meaning and stories. A tracksuit, for example, is never just sportswear; in Neukölln it becomes part of a shared visual language. When faces disappear, the image becomes less about “this person” and more about structures: belonging, subculture, class, gender expression - which is what I’m more interested in, when I choose to paint this way.
At the same time, leaving out faces creates space for projection. The viewer completes the image, fills in what is missing, invents a story beyond the frame. I’m interested in that openness. I don’t want to over-explain or resolve everything. I want to provoke a certain unresolved tension, a friction that keeps the image alive. 

watch the making of
/ directed and filmed by FURKAN CETIN

And what do you imagine is happening beyond what we see (We only see part of the scene and everything above the frame is open)? Is that anonymity protective, political or simply poetic for you?

For me, it’s just a love scene. Two people kissing. Whether they’re men, women, or something else doesn’t matter. If that becomes political, that says more about society than about the image.


Also, in general I like to omit details in the stories I write and the images I create, when they’re not necessary. In this image it’s about two people in a moment of affection. It doesn’t matter which gender they identify with or what skin color they have. I also find it boring to be too explicit.
In “Anything Butt Dates,” anonymity has a protective dimension. The project deals with male bodies as carriers of social role models, beauty ideals, and power structures, but also as vulnerable and relational beings. In a digital culture shaped by dating apps and photographic self-exposure, the act of showing and withholding becomes charged. Omitting details protects the privacy of the models and shifts attention to the politics of the gaze itself. 

When you paint Adidas, do you think of it as a brand, or more as a shared cultural code for your generation?

Both - but primarily as a cultural code. In Neukölln, certain brands function almost like dialects. A three-stripe tracksuit carries references to migration histories, masculinity, street culture, aspiration. It can signal belonging or stereotype at the same time. I’m interested in that ambiguity. When I paint something like that, I’m not advertising a brand - I’m painting a social symbol. It’s similar to how Renaissance painters depicted fabric folds to signify status. Today, a tracksuit can communicate just as much.

That’s also why, in the painting with the tracksuit, I gave so much attention and care to the material itself. I treated it with a kind of tenderness - to show the texture, the shine, the weight of the fabric. By rendering it with that level of detail and affection, I elevate something often dismissed as ordinary or stereotypical and show how it carries dignity, complexity, and beauty. Even if the cover isn’t officially part of the Neukölln series, it speaks the same language.
Cropped bodies, sneakers close to each other, stripes running down the legs. You don’t see faces but you immediately read identity, generation, intimacy. Clothes tell the story.

In this image, the brand almost disappears.
The stripes become lines connecting the bodies.
It’s less about a logo, more about proximity and shared code.

You’ve often explored who is looking and who is being seen (especially in your series "Anything Butt Dates"). In this cover, without faces, who really holds the power of the image?

Me and the viewer. The models I work with agree to be directed by me. That way I create the image but every viewer has their own experience with it. They can notice different aspects of it and are free to let their own imagination interpret and judge it. It’s something that’s out of my control. Once I let an image go, it’s with everyone who sees it.

What does a typical day in your studio look like right now, and what kinds of images or moments in everyday life tend to catch your attention?

Sometimes I lock myself in, put on music, and paint for hours without talking to anyone. Other times I invite friends over. I like noise in the background and life happening while I work. I also host events here. Art shouldn’t sit in a white cube pretending it’s above everything. It’s part of society. So people come, we talk, we argue, we drink, we think.
Some days I feel like I have to go outside. Walk around. Call people. See what’s changing. Other days I don’t leave until something on the canvas finally makes sense. The beginning of a painting is usually messy, vague, like trying to remember a dream. I often don’t know what I think until I paint it. Sometimes I photograph models, sometimes I sculpt, sometimes I write. I like having a plan - and then ignoring it. Structure is good. Something to push against.

I’m drawn to things that feel slightly off. An old car overloaded with watermelons. Trash on the street, a bridal shop next to a men’s café, a male butt. Things people don’t consider “important” are usually the most interesting. They carry more story than they admit.

There is often a quiet tension in your work, between glamour and absurdity, closeness and distance. Where does that tension sit in this cover motif?

I think, in a sense, it has something voyeuristic about it, although there is nothing explicit and it’s entirely anonymous. However, it’s not me who is to judge. If I wanted to explain everything in words, I wouldn’t paint. I think the tension exists because something remains unresolved, and that’s where an image begins to breathe.

Has growing up in Berlin shaped your sense of humor and irony in your work?

Berlin has a very specific dryness.
If you don’t develop a sense of humor here, you won’t last long. So you learn to laugh at things, including yourself. People will insult you and help you in the same breath. You either learn to find that funny or you suffer.
In Berlin, a grandmother might yell at someone in Arabic while two queer guys in crop tops walk past at 8 a.m. after a club night. No one blinks. That coexistence shapes your humor. You stop taking a lot of things seriously.

I use humor as a way in. Otherwise people shut down. I’m not interested in moralizing or lecturing people. I’d rather make them look twice.

What are you curious about exploring next in your practice?

When I was painting places, I was already dealing with power. Space shows you everything: Who takes it, who avoids it, who feels safe, who doesn’t.
A city isn’t neutral, it reflects how we live together.
Now I’m focusing more on bodies. But it’s the same question. Bodies are also shaped by power, by media, by art history, by what was idealized and what was excluded. The way we’ve learned to look at bodies affects how we look at ourselves and others, how we interact, how we judge, how much space we believe we’re supposed to take up and where.

In that sense I’m not really changing the topic, I’m just zooming in.

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seen NICOLAI SAUER
styled + fashion editor KLAAS HAMMER
make up + hair LEO STERN
talent COSIMA KAIBEL
male model MERLIN FINN BARBER
head of production ALBAN E. SMAJLI
production LEMILESTUDIOS
film + direction FURKAN CETIN
in collaboration with adidas

ESRA VON KORNATZKI *Developing Garments from Existing Materials and Process

Esra von Kornatzki Works with Worn Materials and Fixed Surfaces in Contemporary Fashion

interview + written SARAH ARENDTS
seen JULIAN MELZER

Esra von Kornatzki is a Berlin-based designer whose work develops from a background in sculpture and fine art studies at Universität der Künste. Her focus lies in constructing garments directly on and for the body, using methods that stem from mold-making, draping and surface treatment. Pattern cutting functions as a way of shaping the body, with each piece defined through proportion, weight and material resistance.

leather bomber jacket by ESRA VON KORNATZKI

She uses existing materials such as discarded leather, inherited fabrics and used saddle blankets sourced from racetracks. These materials are chosen for their surface condition and durability. Signs of wear such as creases, dirt, sweat or discolouration are not removed. Instead, they are fixed into the garment through technical processes. Saddle blankets, for example, are treated with a water-based transfer glue, silk-screen printed and then fused with a transparent foil using heat, sealing the surface and preserving the traces underneath.

Esra von Kornatzki works directly with the material rather than outsourcing production, allowing the properties of each fabric to influence the final shape. Many of the materials resist standard sewing techniques, which results in firm, structured silhouettes.

Her parallel involvement in horse racing informs the way she works with time and preparation. Materials often come from that environment, and the process of developing a garment follows a similar logic of pacing and control. The garments retain visible information about their origin and a sofa becomes a bomber jacket, saddle blankets become coats and trousers. The previous use remains present through the surface, while the function changes through construction.

Sekou is wearing a trenchcoat from ESRA VON KORNATZKI, GDR military boots from FASHION ARCHIVE, and knitted gloves from FASHION ARCHIVE

Sekou is wearing a grey suit, and Esra is wearing a white suit from ESRA VON KORNATZKI and red leather gloves from MAISON MARGIELA

Sarah Arendts
What led you from sculpture into fashion design?

Esra von Kornatzki
Sculpture has a tendency to be very removed from the body, an object in space, but I wanted to get closer to the human body and have that as my point of reference. Fashion design feels more urgent and relatable, as it implies everyday usage and thus becomes part of a new physical reality rather than something to look at. There is an intense, passionate relationship between people and their clothes that I find compelling. 

How does your fine art training influence the way you construct garments?

My background in fine art shapes the way I look at and construct garments. My studies were conceptual and that translates into the way I approach fashion design. There is the symbolic meaning a material carries but also its physical abilities. My first professor was a sculptor and the second a painter. You will find both influences in the garments I make in the way I stress the three dimensional aspect of clothing, treating the body like a canvas that the clothing wraps around. During my fine art studies I became an expert in mold making. Pattern making and drapage is an extension of that skill, molding the body and changing its properties, using the garment as a medium. I like to transform the fabrics and materials I find, treating the surface using dye and methods of coating like laminating. I tend to work with stubborn materials that resist being sown, but it gives them their strong sculptural quality and firmness in the silhouettes. 

What role does manual work play in your process? 

I think through making. That’s another reason why I place so much value on craftsmanship, which has always caused some residual tension between me and my conceptual art training. But I think of this tension as a strength and driving force, it's part of my identity as an artist and designer. As a designer I don’t like handing over the production part of the design process. Technology has detached many from manual work and I think certain ideas and refinement gets lost in this disconnect. For example, the stubbornness of the material I work with pushes me to find creative solutions and incidentally teaches me to be patient, which definitely hasn’t been my strong suit. I like to joke that I don’t have any impulse control, which can be a source of creative output, but also needs to be channeled carefully. Time is an important factor, manual work takes time, a rare commodity in our society, but something you see and feel, when you wear the garment. For me, manual work is more than a means to an end, it's a dialogue based on the material and the vision of the form it should take. 

What criteria do you use when selecting materials for a piece?

At art university it's a common notion that sculptors have a material fetish and I think it’s true for fashion designers as well. I have this obsession with the physical and symbolic qualities of certain materials that I’m intuitively drawn to and I think that materials age like fine wine. My selection process is a mixture of purpose and chance. I’m a nostalgic 90’s girl. I usually use worn materials, because I love a good story and worn materials are more likely to tell one. It started when my grandmother passed away and I inherited all her fabrics. Oftentimes I know an opportunity, when I see one. For example, I had to rework an old leather sofa for a client, the old leather was too gorgeous (showing off everybody who’s ever sat on it and every sunray that shown on it) to throw away and I came up with a piece, which is the bomber jacket, that suited the thick discarded leather of the sofa. It's the unused potential I see. For the other garments in this editorial, I sourced the material from a racetrack near me, each saddle blanket had been used once on a rainy day, meaning they were full of dirt and sweat, bearing witness to a specific moment in time, which made them interesting to me. However, I knew the material had to be modified in order to become desirable, which led me to coating it. In most cases I look for durability as well, functional, high quality materials that could last a lifetime, even if signs of usage add to their given patina, essentially continuing the story. 

What changes when a worn object like a sofa or saddle blanket is turned into clothing?

The context changes. The original object disappears physically, but remains conceptually present. The new garment gives clues to its origin through traces and marks on its surface, which aren’t immediately decodable for the audience, but felt anyhow by them. 

Esra is wearing a top from INTIMISSIMI, nylon shorts and boots from PRADA (via @velvetknife.archive), and Romeo Ultra is wearing a leather collar by ESRA VON KORNATZKI

Esra is wearing a top from ORNELLA PROSPERI, a jacket from ESRA VON KORNATZKI, and pants and bag from FASHION ARCHIVE

Sekou is wearing jeans from ESRA VON KORNATZKI, gloves and a waist bag from FASHION ARCHIVE

How do you technically preserve traces such as dirt, sweat or hair when coating materials?

For the saddle blankets I used a water based transfer glue (TRANSLAC BOND 55) that I silk screen printed onto the material and then fused with a glossy transparent foil using a heat press at 16o °C, essentially laminating the material and trapping the dirt, sweat and hair underneath.

What information do you want the material to retain once it becomes a garment?

I want the material to retain its history—where it came from, even if in an abstract sense—and its symbolic meaning. I’m interested in what a material carries physically and conceptually, and how that can continue to inform the garment once it is transformed.

How do you position your work within current discussions around material-driven design?

Generally speaking, material does come first in my design process and informs the outcome. I relate to practices like Martin Margiela or even Joseph Beuys, where material isn’t neutral but holds memory and meaning before it becomes form. The material has been exposed to time and happenings, which shape its physical and aesthetic reality, making it a witness and narrating agent. I hold a deep sensitivity for texture, fabric behavior, and tactility. Intuitively exploring and engineering materials while also respecting what they are rather than forcing them to fit a preconceived idea. It's a hybrid practice of a material-led, but conceptually-charged design approach.

What kind of relationship should exist between the garment and the body?

An emotionally charged one - somewhere between love, desire, mystery and comfort. A garment should be an extension of the body and soul. Fashion needs to be felt. My muses that I tailor the garments to, are often people close to me and how I feel about them shapes the garments they inspire me to make. It's another conversation: that between garment and body and I’m in a feedback loop with my muses during the design process in order to modify the garment based on their experience. 

How do you ensure your work is not reduced to sustainability or upcycling?

Sustainability is not my primary motivation. I work with materials sourced outside fashion’s conventional system, rethinking their use and making them desirable for clothes, giving them a stage to tell their own story. The focus is on aesthetic and conceptual value, quality and functionality, as well as sustainability. Although I would describe myself as somewhat of a hoarder, making it a coping mechanism to repurpose materials into polished and clean garments in order to declutter—literally and metaphorically.

What are the next steps for your work within fashion?

To expand the dialogue and deepen the narrative dimension—through collaboration, new contexts, and material experimentation —while exploring accessories as an extension of the practice.

Esra is wearing a top from ORNELLA PROSPERI and a jacket from ESRA VON KORNATZKI

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photography JULIAN MELZER
designer ESRA VON KORNATZKI
styling XUAN
talent SEKOU + ESRA VON KORNATZKI + ROMEO ULTRA
hair + make up JANETTE PETERS
assistant YEONGHYEON KANG

CHARLOTTE DAY WILSON *That Version that Stays Untouched

That Version of Charlotte Day Wilson that Stays Untouched

interview + written ALBAN E. SMAJLI

Charlotte Day Wilson continues to work from a place that remains closely connected to how she began, building songs in isolation and protecting that condition as a necessary part of her process. What started as a private space to explore her voice and identity without interruption still defines how she approaches music, requiring a level of focus where outside noise, expectations, and constant communication are pushed aside in order to reach a state where decisions come from within.

Charlotte wears a Vector jacket by CAMPILLO, a shirt and pants by WANGDA, a ring by AGMES, earrings by GRISÉ, and shoes by TWOGAA

For Patchwork, this way of working becomes more deliberate through repetition and revision, moving away from immediacy and toward a process that involves returning to songs multiple times, adjusting details, and testing whether they reach a point that feels fully resolved. Her earlier releases, including CDW, Stone Woman, Alpha, and Cyan Blue, already established a clear direction, but the most significant shift comes through her role as a producer, where growing confidence replaces previous doubt and allows her to define structure, pacing, and final decisions without relying on external validation. This position enables her to recognise that she is best suited to produce her own work, reinforcing a process that remains internally guided.

Collaboration stays part of her process, grounded in ease, mutual awareness, and working with people who know when to contribute and when to step back, creating a space where trust supports the work. Visual elements follow the music, with imagery and clothing developing from its tone, turning style into an extension of her language shaped by identity, perception, and the way she chooses to present herself in public. Her current direction moves toward a more reduced approach, with an interest in creating space within recordings and limiting the number of elements involved, allowing each sound to carry more weight without relying on density. This shift continues the logic that has defined her work so far, refining it through a more concentrated and controlled use of sound.

Charlotte wears a HELGA womens polo by CALVIN KLEIN COLLECTION and a necklace by GRISÉ

Charlotte wears a HELGA womens polo by CALVIN KLEIN COLLECTION, jogging pants by WANGDA, a necklace by GRISÉ, and Moto Boots 1.0 by SUNNI SUNNI

Alban E. Smajli
Looking back to the moment you started making songs alone in your room, what part of that early creative energy do you still try to protect today?

Charlotte Day Wilson
I think I still try to protect the aloneness of it. The feeling of uninterrupted exploration with oneself. It’s not always easy to truly be alone, even when you are alone. There are always creeping thoughts of other people, other music, texts and emails that need to be responded to, a friend you haven’t checked in on in a while. Tuning out all the noise and finding a flow state where none of that can penetrate your focus and it’s just you and the music.. I always hid who I was from the outside world so music became my sanctuary where I could express and discover myself. I protect that sanctuary with my life because I probably wouldn’t really have one if it weren’t for it.

Did you approach Patchwork differently than your earlier releases?

I approached Patchwork differently than the music I’d recently put out. I went back to the version that I was just talking about in the last question. Really indulging in myself, however long it takes. Deep focus, deep alone-ness, searching for magic and glorious lifts. On Cyan Blue, the approach was “first thought best thought” which was very fun. But this time I reconsidered a lot and repeated and repeated, adding slight variations, until I found the glory. If the glory never came, the song didn’t make the cut.

When you look back at CDW, Stone Woman, Alpha, Cyan Blue, and now Patchwork, what feels like the most important shift in your relationship with music?

I would say the most important shift in my relationship with music is my confidence as a producer. I needed this project to remind myself that I’m good at what I do. I lost the plot many times over the past few years, doubting that what I was making could possibly be good enough. I know now, that not only am I good enough, I am the best producer for my music.

What kind of creative chemistry do you look for when collaborating with artists like Kaytranada, BADBADNOTGOOD, or Saya Gray?

I look for ease. But most of all now, I look for people who empower me and I look for people who I want to empower. So much of the time our greatest critic is ourselves. Sometimes all you need is for someone like Saya to remind you you’re on the right track. A great producer knows when to intervene and when not to. This requires a tame ego, which is not always so present in this industry.

How do you feel when fragments of your music appear in songs by artists like Drake or John Mayer?

I think it’s incredible. Once my music is out in the world it takes on a life of its own and it always amazes me to see the unexpected places it goes.

Charlotte wears a jacket by WANGDA, a cropped shirt by CALVIN KLEIN, Arco pants by CAMPILLO, and boots by STONE ISLAND

Charlotte wears a uv-reactive hoodie by STONE ISLAND and a necklace by AGMES

“If Only” circles around the idea of moments just out of reach. Are there experiences in your life that continue to shape your writing years later?

Yes of course. A lot of the time when I’m writing I don’t even know who or what I’m writing about. I let my subconscious do the talking. Sometimes I won’t even realize until years later what my subconscious was trying to tell me, or what memory I was revisiting. I learn a lot about myself in the unraveling after a song is pulled out of me.

How important is the visual world around your music when you begin shaping a new project?

It’s important but it’s not everything for me. The music can often provide an answer to a visual question but not the other way around.

What role does clothing or style play for you when performing or creating visuals?

Clothing is very important to me. Like music, it’s a language that not everyone speaks. How we present ourselves in public says so much about how we want to connect or not connect with others. I always think about the very human desire to be accepted and I think clothing plays such a huge role in how we can achieve acceptance. I think that’s something a lot of people have a hard time being honest about when it comes to clothing but I know deep down it’s true for so many of us. It’s an expression of gender, of “class”, cultural identity, and the relationship we have between our body and our mind. On the days where I feel tired and lacking in personality, I might try dress better so that even though I’m a dud of a person that day, my odds of acceptance are higher with a nice outfit on. I think when I’m 60 I’ll start dressing without any concern for how my outfits impact others but for now I’m engaged in the social conversation of it all and I find it fun.

When you imagine the next phase after Patchwork, what kind of sonic territory feels exciting or still unexplored for you?

I get excited about the idea of extreme minimalism. Lots of air in a recording, less stacks of sound. I don’t think I’ve quite approached music like that yet and I want to try.

Charlotte wears an ASHLEY womens trench by CALVIN KLEIN COLLECTION, a shirt by WANGDA, and earrings by GRISÉ

talent CHARLOTTE DAY WILSON

seen TAKAHIRO OGAWA via FACTORY DOWNTOWN
stylist PACO LAMPECINADO
hair KELLY NOVOBIELSKI
make up MARIA ORTEGA via SOUTH JAMES
production MUSIC IS MUSE
creative direction TAKAHIRO OGAWA + PACO LAMPECINADO

MANUEL LICCI *On Sport, Community and Wellness Culture

MANUEL LICCI
Body In Motion

interview + written CHIDOZIE OBASI

There’s no denying the influence fitness and sport have had through centuries and, more specifically, on the creative industry at large. Since the dawn of the Olympics and across further key tournaments across a wealth of disciplines, sports have been permeating the mainstream consciousness, with veterans and newcomers alike embracing and reacting positively to this acceptance of genre.

Manuel wears a cardigan by BRIONI, pants by FIVEFOURFIVE and shoes by SEBAGO

On the fashion spectrum, lines are becoming increasingly blurred between function and tailoring, tackling this field with a packed punch of offerings that infuse elements of wear-anywhere practicality with dashes of winsome elegance and breezy structure. With this in mind, LE MILE’s Fashion Director meets Manuel Licci — Sport and Lifestyle Director at Milan’s media agency Attila&Co — who unpacks the core values of his practice, the importance of community and future hopes. You’re welcome.

Manuel wears a T-shirt, pants and hat by FIVEFOURFIVE, jewellery by LAG WORLD and underwear by CALVIN KLEIN

Chidozie Obasi
First things first: could you introduce yourself to us?

Manuel Licci
I’m Manuel Licci, PR Director for the Sport and Lifestyle division at Attila&Co: a communications agency founded in Milan in the early 1980s. In my daily practice, I develop strategies for brands that operate mainly in the world of wellness and lifestyle. One of my goals is to create authentic connections between companies, talent, medi and communities, promoting stories of inspiration and rich in storytelling.

What’s your earliest memory of sport?

I’ve always been a sportsman, but I’ve never been a professional. I started playing sports at around the age of ten, when I tested swimming (almost forced by my mother, I must admit), then I moved on to basketball and finally soccer, where I played as a goalkeeper in my local team until I was twenty. When I started university and found myself lacking new stimuli, thus I decided to give up competitive sport, but I continued to play in various tournaments for several years. During that period, I also began training at the gym. Since then, sport has become part of my daily routine and has never left it, as I see it a source of energy, discipline, and balance. 

When did you realise that you wanted to pursue this practice as a full-time job?

When I started working in communications, I immediately realized that the world of sports was the field in which I could best express myself, even at a time when terms such as “hybrid athlete” or “running club” were not yet in use as they are today. After the Covid period, in particular, sport has become essential for many, not only as physical activity but also as a moment of socialising, mental well-being and connection with others, reaching an even more diverse audience in terms of age and gender. Sport unites community, values and storytelling: three elements that represent me perfectly.

And how has your journey been so far?

It’s been an intense yet stimulating journey, full of important connections that have enriched me both personally and professionally. I’ve had the opportunity to collaborate with different brands and people, tackling projects that have always pushed me to grow, innovate, and listen to those who work with me, consolidating my belief that sport is a powerful tool for communicating authentic values. 

Sport – and its wealth of facets - has had a significant yet impactful resonance over centuries: from the Greek epoch until the modern day. In your opinion, what have been the most drastic changes (and perhaps the challenges) in how people approach the training side of it, over the years?

n recent years, training has become more conscious, personalised and accessible. Technology has introduced new tools, from wearables to gamification, but the main challenge remains finding a balance between performance, well-being and enjoyment. Today, people are looking for meaningful experiences that connect body and mind, rather than mere results.

Manuel wears a sweater and T-shirt by CANALI and pants by QUARTO ATTO

What values do you look for when picking an athlete to partner with some of the brands in your agency portfolio?

Authenticity, consistency and the ability to communicate real values. An athlete or creator is a strategic partner: they must be credible, share the brand’s vision and be able to build a genuine relationship with their community. Talent is important, but integrity and storytelling are even more so. Only then can collaborations become true engagement experiences.

How important is team building and community in your day-to-day approach?

Fundamental. A good strategy always comes from discussion. At Attila&Co, we have always placed great value on teamwork and community relations. After all, sport is always a team effort: no project can truly succeed without a strong ecosystem to support it.

And tell me: are there any downsides or setbacks you encounter, in this field and in your routine?

As in any dynamic sector, there are challenges: tight deadlines, the need to adapt quickly to change and managing expectations. But these are aspects that fuel creativity and push you to find new solutions. It’s a fast-paced but extremely engrossing environment, where every obstacle can be turned into an opportunity.

Is mental health a theme that is dealt with in the sports sector, or would you argue that it is still a marginalised topic?

Mental health is much more central today than in the past, but it remains an issue where there’s still a long way to go. Fans and professionals are increasingly aware of the importance of psychological well-being. As communicators, we have a responsibility to give space to these conversations in a responsible manner, helping to create inclusive and supportive environments in equal measure.

What's next for you? Future hopes?

My hope is that the social trend that today involves Gen Z and millennials towards a healthy and sporty lifestyle will not fade away, but become a constant source of inspiration, especially in these turbulent times. I would like to see this trend turn into a real movement, capable of motivating more and more people to take care of themselves through sport and wellness. Personally, I want to continue to grow both as an amateur athlete and as a communications professional, developing projects that create credible connections between brands, athletes and communities and help to spread an inclusive, authentic and wellness-oriented sports culture. In my own small way, I want to help build a sports culture that truly inspires people, every day.

Manuel wears a total look by LORO PIANA

credits
all Images (c) LE MILE / Antonio Crotti

seen ANTONIO CROTTI
fashion director + stylist CHIDOZIE OBASI
head of production JESSICA LOVATO
fashion coordinators ALBERTO MICHISANTI + EDWARD PUSCA
make up KIM GUTIERREZ via STUDIO REPÒSSI
hair ANGELICA DAVANZO via BLEND MANAGEMENT
model MANUEL LICCI
production assistant LORIS VOTTERO
fashion assistants ALESSANDRO GIANESIN + ANGELINA PERSIANI + CHARISSE ORDINARIA + VALENTINA INVERARDI

REDA ELAZOUAR *The Rhythm of The Family Plan 2

A New Pulse
Reda Elazouar on Omar, Prep and The Family Plan 2

interview + written ALBAN E. SMAJLI

Reda Elazouar speaks about The Family Plan 2 with the kind of clarity that comes from living deep inside a role. Omar began for him in a stretch of intense weeks marked by parkour sessions, stunt rehearsals, boxing drills and a steady routine that shaped his body and focus.

REDA ELAZOUAR wears full look AMIRI

The preparation built a discipline that stayed long after production wrapped; he still trains with the same consistency, still carries the structure that the job demanded. He joined a cast that already moved as a unit, and the film’s chronological shoot gave him a rare advantage, the story introduced Omar at the same pace Reda met his scene partners. The early days on set shaped the tone for everything that followed. Wahlberg’s guarded intensity, Monaghan’s warmth, the fast rhythm of the action scenes — all of it created a space where Omar’s openness grew naturally. He talks about those first scenes in London with a kind of ease, as if the city itself kept feeding the role through every corner they filmed in.

REDA ELAZOUAR wears full look by TODD SNYDER, belt by FRAME, boots by JIMMY CHOO, and a ring by MEJURI

Alban E. Smajli
When you think back to The Family Plan 2, what’s the scene that still lives in your body?

Reda Elazouar
I would have to say my introduction scene when I come out of the shower because the amount of discipline that it took to train literally changed the way I live my life to this day. In order to keep up with the amount of exercise that I was doing, after I wrapped I continued with the workouts and so I came away from the job a lot more disciplined than I was previously. The prep for that scene also involved eating much healthier than I was before so I stuck to that too, which definitely makes me live in my body differently.

How does it feel to step into a franchise where the chaos is already in full motion?

Amazing! I got to jump straight in the deep end and straight off some buildings. The first film did a great job at explaining who Dan was and the lie that his family had believed for so long but in this one, we get to the action pretty quick. Because of how familiar everyone was with each other already, it was super easy to slot in and be a part of that family dynamic. 

Working with Mark Wahlberg, Michelle Monaghan and Kit Harington — what dynamics emerged between the four of you that shaped your performance?

Since we filmed it pretty much chronologically, I didn’t know any of the cast well when I filmed my first few scenes. So our characters were getting to know each other at the same time that we were which was a welcome ‘art imitating life’ moment. That dynamic worked best with Mark as Dan had to be distrusting of Omar but as the film goes on they get closer. Michelle is so maternal as well in real life and in character so that helped make everything feel real. Unfortunately, the only scene I was in with Kit is when he’s chasing after the family so we didn't get to interact much which probably worked for the character dynamic that we had to have. Overall, though, the way all the cast were so welcoming helped me have a great time on this one.

What did this film demand from you that earlier roles didn’t touch?

A lot of physical prep in a short time. I’ve never had to physically prepare for a role before but the moment I got the call up I went straight into parkour, stunts and boxing training. I had amazing teachers in Tom Cotton and Kyle Freemantle who taught me everything I needed to know in order to look like I was a parkour professional. In the times I wasn’t training with the, I had gym sessions with Simon Waterson and Tim Blakeley to get me prepped for my first scene as Omar when he steps out of the shower. Since I had only 5 weeks to get in shape, all my time outside of these sessions were either spent walking to get my steps in or resting for the next workout. Even though it was a big task, I felt very privileged to work with amazing professionals who made the experience so smooth and enjoyable. 

After the production wrapped, what stayed with you the longest?

How thankful I was to be on a project of this size with actors that I had watched growing up. That feeling still hasn’t gone away and was there every day that I was filming. We filmed in such iconic locations around London and since I live here and walk around those locations often, I am constantly reminded of my experience.

Describe the moment you realized your character had a completely different rhythm from everyone else on screen.

It was actually in the first scene I shot which was in the Chinese restaurant. Omar first pumps the air and is happy when Dan says “you’re in” to which he replies “in what?”. That part made me realise how oblivious he was and how he doesn't really understand exactly what's going on. It’s one of my favourite moments in the film as the audience knows that type of craziness the Morgans get up to while Omar has no clue!

When you look at scripts now, what makes you pause — in a good way?

If I’m genuinely interested in the pathology of the character and start wondering why they’re doing what they’re doing then I know I’m reading a great script. Also, most of the time that I'm reading scripts is because I'm auditioning for the project and there's a certain feeling between nervousness and excitement that makes me feel like I'm reading a great script that I'd love to be unpack and work on.

Is there a role, a genre or a mood you’re currently orbiting that you haven’t played yet?

There's a few things that I can think of. I haven't yet had the opportunity of leading a film/show which I'd love to do whenever the time is right. I also would like to dive into theatre and back on the screen side, I would love to do a mockumentary. I've been writing one on-and-off for a while where I would play the three central characters and I think that could be a great challenge and also lots of fun.

What question do you ask yourself before stepping into a new character?

I’m always curious to find out what is intrinsically different about the character and I. At what point was there fork in the road where the character went one way and I went another. In that, I also learn the ways in which the character and I are similar and to what degree. So I guess to boil it down to a question it would be: “what would've had to happen in my life for me to become you?”.

Away from set life, what keeps your imagination awake?

I take acting classes in between working and mainly do improvisation with a company called Talking People. Every few months we do an improv show which helps keep me on my toes. It’s a place for me where I can flow and do some theatre in between screen roles. I also train in kickboxing which I’ve come to learn is a physical form of chess. It’s nice to be able to have a hobby in something that has completely different stakes from acting and keeps me fit and disciplined too. It also reminds me of a saying I heard once: “if you want to become a better actor, read a book on kayaking”. The things away from acting that keep my imagination alive will in turn help me become better at what I do.

Is there a piece of advice someone gave you that returns at unexpected moments?

‘Slow down’. When I first started training in theatre, I didn’t really pay attention to how fast I spoke and so when I’d rehearse I would just speed through the lines. That was most likely because I was so nervous that I wanted to finish as quick as possible but I remember my teacher Robbi telling me time and time again to slow down and make sure that I was heard. That was a tough task as when you have that adrenaline hit of being on stage, everything speeds by. But that piece of advice has helped me in all aspects of my life to just slow down and take the moment in.

If your younger self could watch you working today, what do you think he’d be most excited about?

I think the mere fact that I actually started working as an actor would be enough for my younger self to smile ear-to-ear. I was told from young how hard it was to get started in this industry, especially coming from a working-class background with no one around me that worked in the creative field. On top of that, being able to work with people in front and behind the camera that worked on projects that I grew up watching is something younger Reda would give me some cool points for.

credits
talent REDA ELAZOUAR
thanks to AMBER MOTTO / AMPR

seen DAVID REISS
styled HOLLY WHITE
grooming CHARLIE CULLEN

PRISCILLA DELGADO *on Transformation and Life Beyond the Screen

PRISCILLA DELGADO
on What It Means to Vanish and Begin Again

interview MARK ASHKINS

At seven Priscilla Delgado was already reading minds on Spanish television, headlines still calling her the little girl as if time had frozen in reruns while she kept filming, kept slipping into roles that stick to the skin long after the lights go down.

The little girl is still there, shadowing the woman who walks through sets of Euphoria lit in electric haze, rewriting herself in ways impossible to chart, transformations that accumulate one frame after another. On another project the orange jumpsuit clicks into place and suddenly the story is alive, the uniform shaping the body, escape rehearsed on rooftops with helicopters hovering, details carried into sleep, details returning in dreams.

Priscilla Delgado wears VERSACE

“Life gave me the chance to start my career at a very early age, and I haven’t stopped working since the day it began.”

Priscilla Delgado speaks with Mark Ashkins
for LE MILE FW25 - OFFLINE Edition

watch film

She remembers the first time a stranger renamed her in an ice cream shop, the baptism of being addressed as someone else, the odd thrill of identity folded back into fiction.

Characters sometimes stay lodged inside her, sneaking into gestures, contaminating her nights, refusing to leave with the costumes, reminding her that the boundary between role and person is porous, flimsy, optional. Scripts without punctuation, directors with too-perfect smiles, flags she reads instantly, warnings disguised as opportunities.
Offline she disappears into neutrality, outdoors where signal fades and thoughts scatter, into tasks that narrow her focus until flight mode feels like another form of presence. When the circus of productions pauses, she reaches for films waiting in the Criterion Collection or in her father’s private archive, unwatched reels stacked like maps of worlds she hasn’t entered yet. And always, there are the dogs. Coqui was the last, scooped from a roadside chinchorro in Puerto Rico between alcapurrias and a piña colada, carried into a new life within a week, another role cast, another story closed.

Priscilla Delgado wears a coat by DOBLAS and shoes by CHRISTIAN LOUBOUTIN

Mark Ashkins
We googled you. Then we stopped. What’s one part of your life the internet keeps getting spectacularly wrong?

Priscilla Delgado
Life gave me the chance to start my career at a very early age, and I haven’t stopped working since the day it began. When I was just seven years old, I played a little girl with the superpower of reading people’s minds. That role became my first major appearance on Spanish television, and it’s one that people still remember to this day. There are still headlines that refer to me as “the little girl,” a reference I find both endearing and curious, especially considering I’ve grown into something much closer to a woman.

You just wrapped Euphoria. Were there tears? Blood? A new tattoo? What part of you got rewritten in all that neon fog?


Given the universe of Euphoria, all the possibilities mentioned are entirely plausible. It has definitely been a deeply transformative experience. I’m not sure which part of me may have been rewritten, but what I do know is that it has been fascinating to gain such a profound understanding of aspects previously unknown to me.

You’re in Virginia filming a Prison Break spin-off. Did you sneak out of set in an orange jumpsuit just to feel something? What’s your favourite kind of escape?

Everything finally came together the moment we were given the chance to try on our uniforms. After that, everything else began to take shape. My ideal escape would be running up to the rooftop and getting picked up by a helicopter.

What’s more terrifying: a script with no punctuation or a director with perfect teeth?


To me, they’re both clear red flags!

Priscilla Delgado wears a total look by ABRA

You’ve been acting since before the world fully digitised itself—do you remember the first time someone called you by a character’s name in public and you liked it?


Yes, I remember the first time it happened. It was in an ice cream shop. It felt like being baptized anew.

Is there a character you’ve played that still lingers in your laundry, in your soup, in the way you blink when no one’s watching?


I have to confess that this has happened to me. During an incredibly intense week of work, I woke up suddenly in the middle of the night and found myself slipping into some of the mannerisms of the character I was portraying at the time. It was a terrifying moment because I always try to leave the character on set. But I suppose, as in this case, sometimes it’s inevitable.

How do you stay Offline without becoming invisible? Or is being invisible the goal now?

I really enjoy being in a neutral space and allowing myself to relax. For me, this neutral space is usually being outdoors in nature.

What’s your personal version of flight mode? A lake? A locked bathroom? The inside of your own head?

Being deeply focused on a task and not allowing any distractions. For me, being on set can be synonymous with being in flight mode, although theoretically, it could also be the opposite.

You’re juggling productions like a circus performer on a caffeine drip—do you ever feel like not being good at things for a minute?

All the time, I find myself unraveling the mysteries of the world. Meanwhile, I navigate this journey with respect and an open heart, embracing every lesson, while gently reminding myself to be kind and patient along the way.

When everything wraps, what’s the first thing you really do, once the Wi-Fi dies and the makeup wipes win?

I’ll probably lose myself in watching a film, choosing from the countless gems left unwatched in the Criterion Collection and from my father’s personal archive, which may be even more vast and treasure-filled, haha.

Tell us something you’re working on that has absolutely nothing to do with the industry. 


I strive, in my own way, to be of service to society, whether by contributing to causes that need support at any given moment. One of the things I enjoy most is rescuing street dogs or fostering them, giving them love, food, and warmth, and preparing them for their new forever homes. The most recent was Coqui, a little dog I found at a “chinchorro” in Salinas, Puerto Rico, when I stopped to enjoy some alcapurrias and a piña colada. We managed to find her a home in just one week!

Priscilla Delgado wears a total look by JULIE KEGELS

“For me, being on set can be synonymous with being in flight mode, although theoretically, it could also be the opposite.”

Priscilla Delgado speaks with Mark Ashkins
for LE MILE FW25 - OFFLINE Edition

seen + direction   PABLO MAS
styled   GONZALO ORUTÑO
art direction   MARTA OCHOA and YOSI NEGRIN
movement direction   MURIEL SEIQUER
make up   LUCAS MARGARIT
hair   TRINI ASTEASUAIN
production   SOFIA FRAMES
light   CLAUDIO OCA, CRISTIAN FENOLL + XAVIER BOUZAS
digital retouch   PABLO RIVERA

talent PRISCILLA DELGADO

ALI GUTY *Action of Becoming

ALI GUTY
*Action of Becoming

written + interview MARK ASHKINS

Ali Guty arrives in a way that makes arrival feel like an outdated concept, because she’s already in the room before she steps into it, already occupying the gaze before the lens has the nerve to blink, already shaping the air before the stylists even begin to fuss with the hem of anything, because presence doesn’t begin or end, it spills, it stretches, it slips under doors and over walls and between the seams of whatever someone once tried to call fashion, or work, or image, or identity.

There is a pace to her, the kind that folds time in on itself, the kind that turns a set into a stage into a space into a world where cameras become guests and nothing—absolutely nothing—is static, because static things break and Ali doesn’t do broken, she does bending, reshaping, reworking, reappearing, again and again and again, in forms that flicker just long enough to be felt but never long enough to be held.

Fashion loves a narrative but she refuses punctuation, lets the story spill out of her limbs, her shoulders, her neck, the angle of her jaw in late afternoon shadow, and there is always shadow, and there is always light, and between the two she moves like she invented both, like someone who doesn’t need costume or cue because expression lives in the body, and hers writes paragraphs in silk, in denim, in latex and cotton, in things you forgot were supposed to be clothes because they start to feel more like skin or muscle or the inside of a thought that never needed words.

dress ONRUSH

There was Jean Paul Gaultier, of course there was, because some people spot truth without needing it explained, because identity comes to some as intuition and others through decades of misdirection, and Ali holds it with the kind of grip that just rests firm, like someone who’s never had to borrow power because hers came with a fuse already lit.

There are shoots, there are rooms, there are teams and tables and call sheets and sponsored water bottles, but also—there’s motion, breath, the way her hand interrupts the air and tells it to pay attention, and it does, and so does everyone else, because rhythm doesn’t require music and energy doesn’t request permission, and when presence hums, everything else becomes chorus. So she moves—forward, outward, upward, inward, all at once, without a map, without a pause, into the spaces that recognise her even before she’s named them, because naming is for those who need labels, and Ali has already lived the thing.

dress LARHHA

Mark Ashkins
What’s the frst fashion moment that made you stop and think—this is where I belong?

Ali Guty
Refecting on my journey in the fashion industry, there was a moment that made me think, “This is where I belong.” It was the realization of how beauty standards are manipulated, and how, depending on the prevailing trends, one’s body type can be in Vogue or sidelined. The resurgence of 2000s fashion has brought back the ultra-thin ideals of that era, sidelining curvier fgures that once gained acceptance. I don’t like to see how our bodies are treated as mere trends, leading to a draining experience where opportunities diminish for those who don’t ft the “regular” model mold.

The cyclical nature of fashion trends often leads to the resurgence of past styles. The return of Y2K aesthetics brings back not only the fashion but also the body ideals associated with that era. This can perpetuate a narrow standard of beauty, sidelining those who don’t conform to these ideals. It’s essential to challenge these patterns and advocate for a more inclusive approach that celebrates all body types. Our presence and voices are essential in challenging these standards, advocating for genuine representation, and ensuring that fashion celebrates diversity in all its forms.

You move between high fashion and commercial work efortlessly. Is there one space where you feel most challenged?

I honestly enjoy both high fashion and commercial work, and I think they both bring something valuable to my experience as a model. Commercial work is very structured, there’s a clear order to follow, and everything is carefully planned to appeal to a specifc audience. I appreciate that because it teaches me discipline, adaptability, and how to work within a well-defned framework. It’s a great learning experience.
That being said, I feel more at home in high fashion. It’s where I feel the most creative freedom, where I can move, express myself, and contribute my voice. There are fewer limitations, and it’s not necessarily about making something that “makes sense” for a broad audience—it can be abstract, experimental, or even purely artistic. That level of creative expression is something I truly love.

So while I enjoy both worlds, I’d say I feel the most comfortable and fulflled in high fashion and editorial work.

If you could only wear one designer for the rest of your life, who would it be and why?

Jean Paul Gaultier is the frst high fashion brand that truly believed in me. I love the team, their values, and the community they’ve built. It’s a brand that feels full of life, authenticity, and meaning. JPG vibes deeply with the way I express myself and how I experience love, friendship, strength, and the divinity within me. There’s an undeniable sense of empowerment in everything the brand represents, and that’s exactly why I love it. If I had to choose one brand to wear for the rest of my life, it would be Jean Paul Gaultier, without a doubt. It gives me that strength and confdence that makes me feel like the woman I am.

shoes COPERNI

“Our bodies are treated as mere trends, leading to a draining experience where opportunities diminish for those who don’t fit the ‘regular’ model mold.”

Ali Guty speaks with Mark Ashkins
for LE MILE Ephemeral Edition - SS 2025 Nr. 38

Fashion thrives on the ephemeral. Do you see that as liberating or unsettling?

Both. The feeting nature of things can feel unsettling because nothing is permanent, but at the same time, it’s incredibly liberating. It reminds us that nothing is ever too serious everything fades, shifts, and transforms. Life itself is ephemeral. We try to hold on to control, to certainty, but the truth is, everything around us is constantly evolving: fashion, culture, our personal lives… Instead of resisting change, I think there’s power in embracing it, in letting it inspire us rather than unsettle us. Fashion is a refection of this fuidity, an invitation to play, reinvent, and move with the rhythm of time.

What’s a trend you loved but knew wouldn’t last?

The clean girl look, with glossy skin, laminated eyebrows, and polished buns dominate but fashion always oscillates between the immaculate and the maximalist. Life as trends are cyclical as we already mentioned, so what’s next?

The industry is fast, demanding, sometimes unforgiving. What keeps you grounded in it?

I know it's easy for me because I'm the same person in my personal life and working as a model, I have fun working while creating timeless art and memories that last forever. It's the way I express myself and I don't take everything so seriously, but the most important thing for me is to connect with others while working and inspire others along the way. The industry can be demanding, but I choose to see it as a moving space where there's always something new to discover. It anchors me in the idea that at the end of the day, the most important thing is to enjoy the process. I have friends who work in the industry and friends who have nothing to do with the fashion world, and I find balance in the people around me as well because they keep me connected to both realities.

People assume modeling is just about being in front of the camera. What’s the part of the job that no one sees?

What many don't see is the connection you build with people on set. It's not just about being in front of the camera, but about contributing creatively. Every day it feels frst day at work and also I love that. Sometimes, you're given the freedom to add ideas and be part of the creative process because, as the main character, you also have a voice. You're more than just a body; you have personality, opinions, and things to say. That’s how I experience modeling because of who I am and the way I approach it.
But there’s also a lot that goes on behind the scenes. The time spent alone, the rejection, the uncertainty. You never really know what will happen until the last moment in your life plans, and the idea of long-term planning in this industry is almost impossible. It’s an unpredictable journey, where you have to embrace the unknown and trust that each step leads to something new, even if you can’t always see the bigger picture. A LOOOOOOT of faith in the process.

If you weren’t in fashion, where would your creativity take you?

TV host, actress, casting director, model agent…There are things I still think about today. But most of my thoughts are still around the fashion industry.

Social media can turn a face into a brand overnight. How do you define success beyond the numbers?

For me, expressing yourself in a way that both inspires and allows you to be inspired is everything. It’s the heart of why I love social media and connecting with others. Social media gave me a lot of opportunities to be seen frst that model agencies for example did, it was where all it began. The true reward comes from using your success to create something meaningful that positively impacts those around you. It's about using your power and your voice for good and making a diference.

Is there something next already planned, or are you letting the moment decide?

This year, I decided to surrender to the process and let life take me a little, without planning too much, leaving many doors open to new possibilities. A few months ago, I started an acting course, and I’m excited about it. Nobody knows what will happen tomorrow, but I always have new concerns and new things to learn that will help me grow both as a person and as a professional. There is a saying in Spain: “Caminante, no hay camino, se hace camino al andar.” This refects the idea that life doesn’t come with a pre-determined path; it’s created through the actions we take, the choices we make, and the steps we choose to follow.

coat NEXT COUTURE
shoes COPERNI

shoes COPERNI

model ALICIA GUTIÉRREZ via JAG MODELS
photography + creative direction ARDEN
styling SERGI PADIAL
styling assistant PAULA SÁNCHEZ
retouch ISMAEL VILLAR
set design JORGE GARCÍA

set assistant BLANCA DE LA CIERVA
film developing + scanning CUARTO COLOR LAB
photo assistant NANO HERNÁNDEZ
second photo assistant MARINNA BORHAN
location RUGE STUDIO

ANA POLVOROSA *The Threads Are Still Moving

ANA POLVOROSA
*The Threads Are Still Moving

written + interview Alban E. Smajli

You see some actors once and that’s it — you’re in. Like a crush or a weird fever. You follow them through all their stuff, even the bad stuff, like they’re a cousin you sort of invented.

Then there’s the other kind — the shapeshifters. The ones who never show up the same way twice, who make you feel like you're watching them for the first time every time. Ana Polvorosa? She's that second kind. A glitch in the system. She’ll do twisted comedy, ghosts, heartbreak, mystery — whatever.

She folds roles inside out and wears them like borrowed jackets. Now she’s back, or sideways, or upside down, in Last Night at Tremore Beach, a Netflix storm-drenched, genre-melting thing, directed by Oriol Paulo and co-starring Javier Rey. And yes, she’s done it again, of course she has. What did you expect?

total look DIOR

Juan Marti
Ana, how have you experienced the days following the release of your new series, The Last Night at Tremore Beach?

Ana Polvorosa
Honestly, it's been a lovely few weeks. Many colleagues and dear friends have watched the series and left very positive comments. They're saying they really enjoy it and appreciate the work that went into it. So, overall, I'm really happy.

I’ve also watched the series, and I found it very intense. I have to admit that there are some things I think I didn’t quite understand …

Don’t worry. In the end, it’s a series that, precisely because it has so much to unpack and unravel, leaves room for many different viewpoints and ways to interpret it. This is due to how the story is told and what the series is like in itself. So really, don’t worry about that.

How did this project come to you?

Oriol Paulo, the director, got in touch with me and told me he’d written a story that was going to be adapted into a series format. He sent me the scripts and mentioned it was an adaptation of Miquel Santiago’s novel. He asked me to read them and share my opinion. I read the scripts and found the story fascinating on all levels, very… I don’t know, spectacular, impressive. What also caught my attention was how Oriol wanted to approach it, the perspective he wanted to give it. In short, there are many things, but what really connected me to the project was the character of Judy.

The series has a very complex plot, did you understand it during the first reading of the script?

Well, you obviously have to read it and reread it. Even then, there’s something in the story that makes you think way beyond what’s immediately apparent. But, for my taste, that’s what makes it interesting. It’s one of those stories that leaves you in a kind of limbo, like: “Is it telling me what I think it’s telling me, or is it really telling something else?” And that’s fine too, because it gives the viewer the chance and freedom to draw their own conclusions or have their own point of view.

Sometimes I feel like we’re too used to being given the answers instead of being allowed to ponder a bit …

I think right now we’re in a moment where we’re driven by a wave of action and reaction, quick responses, things made easier, so we don’t have to think too much or get stuck in universes that make us reflect or that allow room for different opinions. And it’s true that stories like this, at least, give us the opportunity for personal reflection and the chance to draw our own conclusions.

A story with so many plot twists and where the characters are not who they say they are must be quite a challenge as an actress. To what extent do you really need to understand what happens to your character?

It really depends, I think, on each project, each story, and where you are at the moment. It also depends on the colleagues you have, who is directing, and the vision they want to give it, how you feel with the character, or how you approach it. I think there are a lot of factors that influence how you approach all of that. At least, that’s been my experience. Maybe what I’m trying to say with this is that, in some cases, I start creating or connecting with the character from a more intuitive or sensory place, depending on how I live through the moment.

Did you discover Judy’s truths from the beginning, or did you keep being surprised by each script?

In this case, there was a previous novel that you could read or not. Then you have scripts to base yourself on, which are the ones you’re going to work with. Those scripts are written as they are, and you understand them as you read them. I mean, the way the information about the character comes to you is similar to how you later see the episodes.

You must have had many surprises!

In this series, the characters develop as the story progresses. I think that’s one of the hallmarks of the show, something that's really well done. I think Oriol has done this in other works and other stories as well—he often focuses on episodes that center more on certain characters, to delve a little deeper into their backgrounds. In this case, for example, you can see it in episode four or five, where the characters' past lives, traumas, or lived moments are explored. These elements continue to affect them, and in the end, it's not so important to know a character's pastto tell their present, but it certainly helps to understand them better.

As a viewer, do you like these kinds of series that make things easier for the audience?

Like everything in life, it depends on the moment you’re in. As a viewer, there are times when I feel like I want the story to be a little more complex, where I’m suddenly surprised or given something more "unusual." And other times, I prefer simpler stories, without flashbacks or unexpected twists, that are told from beginning to end, depending on how I’m feeling at that moment.

The series presents certain terrifyingly supernatural nuances. I think there are a lot of prejudices in the industry toward the horror genre, especially toward supernatural horror. How do you feel about these kinds of stories?

I think, in the end, what matters is that there’s some kind of relatively coherent justification, you know what I mean? Although, many times, I also like things that are... more "crazy" ideas, even if they’re a bit inexplicable. I don’t know, I think it’s not so much about wondering if a story has supernatural themes or something like that, because I’m not entirely sure what you mean by that. But I imagine you're referring to things that are more inexplicable, or stories that go beyond the ordinary. In the end, I think I focus more on the story itself, on what it wants to tell, what kind of story it is, rather than the twists or the themes it might explore or where it’s heading.

I love talking about supernatural experiences with my friends.

I don’t really pay much attention to those things (laughs).

Have you never experienced something supernatural?

Not that I’m aware of! Though I might have experienced something and just not realized it.

One of the things I liked most about the series was its foggy, menacing atmosphere. It’s a town that invites mystery …

I found the story attractive, and it also seemed like a great opportunity to work with Oriol. I’ve seen some of his previous works, and there are things I really liked. So, I saw this as a wonderful opportunity: to work with him, develop this character, and be part of this story. I don’t focus so much on whether the settings are more aesthetic or even more "flashy."

total look BIMBA Y LOLA

trench TERESA HELBIG
tights CALZEDONIA
shoes VERSACE

“Acting makes you evolve professionally, as an artist, as a creative, but also personally, a lot. You grow, you delve into other places, you mature, you learn.”

Ana Polvorosa speaks with Juan Marti
for LE MILE Issue 38 / Ephemeral Edition SS25

total look VERSACE

Are you a fan of mystery movies?

I think, initially, I’m interested in any kind of story. It’s true that, perhaps, mystery attracts me a bit more, but horror, not so much, actually. I don’t know, because then it’s true that sometimes I watch horror movies and think, "Hmm, I liked that." I’m not sure if, as a viewer, I usually focus on this type of story, but there are some films in this genre that I’ve enjoyed.

Would you like to work with horror filmmakers like Jaume Balagueró or Paco Plaza?

Why not? I’ll repeat a bit of what I mentioned before: within whatever genre it is, what really attracts me is the story itself. If there’s something in the story that connects with me, if the character touches me, and everything that the story encompasses, then yes, I’m interested. It’s not so much about the genre, but about what the story conveys to me.

Tell me about a piece of fiction that has touched you recently.

It’s true that right now I’m a bit disconnected, but what I’ve been able to do lately is read more. Look, I’m going to mention a book I just finished. I’ll tell you the author exactly because I finished it the other day, and I read it super fast. You know, those books that just grab you. I went to the bookstore to buy other books I needed, and suddenly I saw this one, The Vegetarian, and it caught my attention. It was written by Han Kang, the winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature this year, 2024. And, wow, it really disturbed me a lot. In fact, I read it very quickly, but that’s because it hooked me so much. What’s curious is that, when I finished it, I was really shaken. I mean, it affected me quite a bit. It’s a very disturbing novel, but at the same time, I find it fascinating. I got trapped in such dark and eerie worlds that… I don’t know, it was a strange feeling. Kind of in line with this more mysterious and dark genre.

I’m curious about what you did during your free time on the set of Last Night at Tremore Beach.

The truth is that, you know, during shooting periods, when I’m immersed in a project, I find it quite difficult to disconnect during the process. Well, I do disconnect, obviously, because when the shoot is over, I go home and have time for myself, but it’s true that I’m so immersed in the universe of the story… I don’t know, I tend to stay focused on the work, looking at the scenes for the next day or reviewing what I have coming up the following week. Sometimes, I even go back to check what we filmed the previous week to try to improve details. I’m really focused on all of that. As for disconnecting, well, the most we did was go out for dinner or make plans with the crew, because since we were shooting outside of Madrid, in Asturias and Barcelona, we formed a really close bond. Sometimes we’d step out of the characters’ bubble, but honestly, I didn’t do much to disconnect. I was very caught up in the universe of the story.

Isn’t it exhausting to get so involved at that level in your projects?

When it’s shoots like this, that deal with more delicate themes or, well, when the shoots are complicated, they inevitably affect you. There’s something you’re experiencing firsthand, and those complex themes, in some way, stay with you—in your body, in your mind.

How was the return to your life after a shoot like this?

Well, in this case, since the shoot was so long, and also intense, with a lot of commitment and responsibility, the excessive duration of the project added to it. Afterward, I needed some time to readjust to my daily life and routines. I mean, I had to normalize my life again, pick up my habits. I needed a period of time to settle back in because I was completely in another place, in a different context.

I guess it must involve a lot of personal work?

Yes, there’s a lot of personal work involved as well. It’s part of the process. For me, being quite reflective, I like to go over the moments I went through during the shoot, because in the end, that’s what leaves you with the learning, in some way. How have you evolved? Because shoots are incredible experiences. Acting, in itself, makes you evolve professionally, as an artist, as a creative, but also personally, a lot. You grow, you delve into other places, you mature, you learn. They are very powerful journeys.

What have you discovered about yourself during the shoot of Last Night at TremoreBeach?

Well, I’m still discovering myself. That’s not something that ends at the end of the shoot. It’s not like you finish shooting and say, "That’s it, I’ve got it all figured out." In fact, it’s been a year since we wrapped the shoot, in October or November of last year, and I’m still thinking and reflecting on many moments from the shoot. I’m still reaching conclusions about what it has taught me. So, I think it’s not something immediate, it’s not about finishing and knowing everything right away.

After this experience, don't you feel like doing something more naive and silly?

With stories, when they come to you, I think there has to be a connection, both with the story and with the character. When you read the scripts or when you get the casting calls, there has to be something that hooks you, something that makes you feel connected. Because if not, it doesn’t make much sense. I’m not sure if it’s something intuitive or sensory, I’m not sure how to call it, but it’s that feeling of reading the script and thinking: "Wow! Here’s something on an energetic level, something that connects with me and excites me." I don’t know, I think it depends on that, regardless of whether it’s comedy, drama, tragicomedy, theater, film, or television.

Are you an actress who is guided more by your head or your heart?

There’s a part of me that’s inevitable, a very passionate side, both with life and with my profession. That part is there, and it’s beautiful, I love it because I think it brings very intense things. But, of course, there are also moments when you have to stop, reason, think, and weigh things out. I don’t know, I think there’s a balance between both parts, depending on the moment.

What are you craving as an actress right now?

I think, precisely, what we were talking about earlier, about evolution, learning, and growth… I believe that stories come to you that move you from within, that make you say, "I want to dive into this, I want to explore it, I want to understand what this is, how I approach it, from what place I do it." It’s a continuous learning process, in the end. And that’s one of the most beautiful things about this profession, because you never stop learning, and at the same time, you never stop getting to know yourself.

suit BIMBA Y LOLA
earrings SUOT STUDIO
shoes VERSACE

total look ZIMMERMANN

talent ANA POLVOROSA
photographer DANNIEL ROJAS
stylist SERGI PADIAL
make up + hair MIGUEL ANGEL TRAGACETE for CHANEL BEAUTY + KEVIN MURPHY SPAIN
producer JULIA NAVARRO via SUNSEASANDS AGENCY
words JUAN MARTI
photo assistant JAVIER BLANCO
stylist assistant PAULA SÁNCHEZ

special thanks ESPACIO LA CANDELARIA + MESALA FILMS

ANXHELA *Plays and The Room Follows

ANXHELA Plays
*The Room Follows

written + interview ALBAN E. SMAJLI

Anxhela moves with steady momentum. Her sessions open when the day allows for it, tracks surface with the kind of weight that feels tied to place and time, and each one holds its shape without needing to explain how it formed.

She releases music in a way that suggests she’s already past the part where it needs to be explained — each piece arrives formed, quiet, intact, without scaffolding or commentary, and then lives where it lands. The tone across her output remains steady, and the surrounding space—both physical and digital—feels maintained with the same attention, creating a rhythm where every release holds its own position, shaped by a sense of timing that reflects the internal pace of her process, with no visible urgency or external structure, and everything aligned with a working method that keeps expression at the centre and lets the material speak without interference.

The same applies to how she dresses. There’s alignment without overthinking, detail without decoration. Each look feels connected to the environment she enters, whether that’s a small club, an outdoor stage, or a studio session in progress, and the alignment between sound, space, and image settles without commentary. Nothing leans toward performance and everything in view appears selected with quiet precision, creating an overall impression that builds naturally as part of the experience she’s creating, rather than functioning as a separate layer around it.

total look JUUN.J

Kosovo sits in recent memory — the kind of night that works in layers, with a familiar crowd positioned close to the stage, a set that held its shape across its full length, and a kind of energy that remained steady from beginning to end. Family watched. Energy held. Nothing overstated. Just the kind of connection that registers in the body and stays there for a while. Right now the work is happening in parts. Studio sessions, fragments, outlines, days where something clicks and the rest falls into place. The process stays active, shaped by the environment and the rhythm of her own attention, with new material appearing as part of that motion, guided by feeling and sustained by structure.

Playing live remains essential. The volume in the room, the faces, the architecture of the room and the way bodies move inside it. Each set builds on instinct, adjusted in real time, shaped by the way the crowd responds without language. She approaches the set as a whole structure, one that forms through presence and holds together through instinct, with every element placed deliberately and nothing overstated. The direction stays inward, the delivery stays exact, and the result maintains a kind of clarity that travels well beyond the night itself. That balance works. It’s already working.

total look DIESEL
jewellery ARCHIVED PROTOTYPES

jewellery ARCHIVED PROTOTYPES

Alban E. Smajli
Please, define your sound without limitations. What does it evoke, where does it live, and who does it belong to?

Anxhela
Yes,my sound is an emotional journey and it reflects what I feel, what I imagine, and what I want others to experience. I stay true to what moves me, but I also think of the listener because I’ve been on that side too, waiting to be transported by music.
Every track I play or create carries a piece of my mood, joy, sadness, energy, nostalgia. It’s a mix of instinct, emotion, and connection. My sound lives between my inner world and the dancefloor, and it belongs to anyone willing to feel something real.

Fashion and music—does one dictate the other for you, or do they move in tandem as part of the same vision?

For me, fashion and music move in harmony, they’re both expressions of the same inner world. Just like sound, what I wear reflects how I feel, what I want to say, and the atmosphere I want to create.
Sometimes a look can amplify the energy of a set, or help tell the same story the music is telling. I don’t see them as separate, they evolve together and complete each other as part of my artistic identity.

Albums seem like a relic, streaming is a battlefield. Where do you stand in this war for attention?

Streaming is important, it’s where people discover you, connect with your music, and follow your journey. But I don’t create just to grab attention. I create to express something real and to connect with the listener. Whether it’s one track or ten, the emotion behind it is what matters most to me. I released singles so far, because I like focusing on each track as its own story. Every release is a moment, a feeling, something I want to share without waiting for a full project.

At the same time, I really admire the idea of building something bigger, like an EP or album. I haven’t done that yet, but it’s definitely something I think about for the future. I don’t follow a fixed strategy or release constantly, I create when it feels right. But at the same time, I know how important it is to stay visible, especially today. So I try to find a balance: I want to stay true to my sound, but also be smart about how and when I share my work. I’m learning to combine both sides: the passion and the planning, without losing myself in the process.

total look JUUN.J Archive

“Every track I play or create carries a piece of my mood, joy, sadness, energy, nostalgia. It’s a mix of instinct, emotion, and connection.”

Anxhela speaks with Alban E. Smajli
for LE MILE Digital SS25

Are clubs sacred spaces, or are we witnessing the birth of something new?

I think clubs will always have a special place. There’s a certain and real energy you can feel there,but at the same time everything is evolving. Music evolves, and we see new collectives, new concepts and new ways to connect. I think we’re already in the middle of this change.
I love playing in clubs, but I’m also excited to explore other spaces and see how electronic music keeps evolving.

Festivals—have they lost their cultural significance, or are they evolving into something new in the live music experience?

I don’t think festivals have lost their meaning,I think they’re just changing, like everything else in music.
Today, festivals bring people together in a big way. It’s not just about the music anymore, it’s about the full experience, the community, the energy, the visuals, the feeling of being part of something. I think they’re evolving into something new, and that’s not a bad thing. As long as the music stays at the center, festivals can still be powerful and emotional moments, just in a different way than before.

Your music is a world of its own—what stories echo through it, and what emotions form its foundation?

My music is built on emotions. Every time I create or play, it depends on how I feel.
Sometimes I’m happy, sometimes nostalgic, sometimes sad, I try to express that through sound. I don’t follow one story, but I want the listener to feel something to connect with the mood. For me, music is a way to speak without words. It’s like sharing a part of myself, and at the same time imagining what the people on the dancefloor might need in that moment. I don’t follow one fixed story, it’s more like a journey through feelings.

If you could construct the perfect performance from the ground up—what does it look like, sound like, feel like?

My perfect performance would be in a special place, maybe outdoors, in nature, or somewhere unexpected. I’d want the music to be emotional, and full of energy. A sound that makes people feel something and takes them on a journey.

The lights, the space, the people, everything would come together. But the most important thing is the connection. I’d want everyone to feel free and present, just enjoying the moment with the music.

Kosovo—Europe’s youngest pulse. How did this performance come to life, and what was it like to play in a place so charged with energy and change? What’s next for you? A whisper, a roar, a new world?

Playing in Kosovo was a really emotional experience for me. I’m Albanian, and having my family there, people I love made it even more special.The energy was powerful, I could feel the crowd connecting with every sound, and I felt so free to express myself. It wasn’t just a performance, it felt like home.

What’s next?

I think it’s a mix of all three: a whisper, a roar, and maybe even a new world. I’m in a phase where I’m discovering myself more through music, step by step. I don’t always know where it’s going, but that’s the beauty of it. I just follow the emotion, stay true to what I feel, and let the sound lead the way. Whatever comes next, I hope it surprises even me.

dress HADERLUMP ATELIER
shoes DR. MARTENS
jewellery ARCHIVED PROTOTYPES

talent ANXHELA
photographer PASCAL SCHONLAU
production + styling BASAK SAYGIN
makeup & hair GIOVANNI ZUMMO
production assistant ANETA TARASEVICIUTE

GUY REMMERS *The Duke Goes Off-Script

GUY REMMERS
*The Duke Goes Off-Script

written + interview Alban E. Smajli

There’s something about Guy Remmers. Maybe it’s the voice — precise but unbothered. Maybe it’s the posture — somewhere between centuries-old nobility and Gen Z’s nonchalance. Or maybe it’s the fact that he’s straddling about five different lives at once and making it all look impossibly casual.

You’ve seen him as Theo, the Duke of Tintagel, in The Buccaneers — Apple TV’s velvet-clad, chaos-laced, post-bridgerton fever dream of a period drama. He plays it with just the right amount of restraint and emotional slippage, like someone holding a glass of brandy they’re about to smash. Now, with Season 2 freshly dropped last week, and the one and only Leighton Meester joining the cast, Theo’s world is about to get flipped on its finely groomed head. No spoilers, but let’s just say Remmers is riding the heartbreak horse hard this time around.

total look ANN DEMEULEMEESTER

But The Buccaneers is just one thread in the tapestry. Before screen, there was stage — and before that, Bristol. Guy trained at the Bristol Old Vic and made his debut at The National Theatre in The Grandfathers, a moment he still talks about like a first kiss. “Being a Bristol boy at that age in London… that was the moment I knew,” he says, and you believe him. His presence off-camera feels less rehearsed. You might’ve seen him walk for Burberry, pose for Jimmy Choo, or drift across a moody editorial like he woke up in a 1970s issue of The Face. But fashion, he insists, is its own thing — something he enjoys, but doesn’t conflate with his work as an actor. Still, there’s a symmetry: both spaces let him play with image, identity, and what he calls “the evolving shape of masculinity.” You get the sense he’s aware of how he’s looked at, but not defined by it.

Ask him what he wants next, and he lights up. A detective role (“Life on Mars” energy), a comedy-drama à la The Thick of It, something American-accented. What you’re reading is a man who wants to stretch — not because he’s bored, but because he knows how good the view is from the edge. In an industry obsessed with immediate heat and viral cool, Guy Remmers is moving differently. He’s not here to be loud. He’s here to last.

total look ANN DEMEULEMEESTER

Alban E. Smajli
So you’re the Duke of Tintagel—old money, stiff collars, and then boom: American chaos. What made you say yes to Theo, and how did you find your way into all that aristocratic angst?

Guy Remmers
Thank you! Theo's constant battle with the benefits and disadvantages of his title has always fascinated me. I did a lot of work on what his upbringing would have been like and how he physically carries himself and speaks. A lot of suppressing his emotions but the really exciting part was then allowing him to be swept off his feet by this new unique ball of energy from overseas. 

Season 2’s loading, Leighton Meester’s crashing the party, and Theo’s still stuck between duty and desire. Where’s he heading this time—and what happens when fresh blood hits old money?

New faces and characters are super exciting as it means you get to meet and work with incredible new actors. I loved seeing how they all seamlessly intertwined into the story. Theo's journey in this season is an absolute rollercoaster and his world flips upside down when he has to decide if love is more important than the institution he has been born into.  

You started on stage, Bristol Old Vic, National Theatre, all that velvet and sweat. Now you’re in streaming land. What do theatre and screen give you that the other can’t?

They are both magical in slightly different ways. I haven't done theatre in a few years now and the thing I miss most is the feeling of being part of an ensemble where you all rehearse together and feel like one organism. The Buccaneers is an ensemble cast but it is rare for us to all be on set at the same time. But I have now done two seasons of seeing the world through Theo's eyes and growing with him and that is equally as special.  

You’ve done Burberry, Jimmy Choo, the whole fashion orbit. What itch does that scratch that acting doesn’t or is it all just dress-up in different lighting?

I feel very lucky to have done those things, especially as I have a love for fashion. To me they are completely separate, neither offers me something that I would need from the other.  

You move between film sets and fashion shoots, all soft tailoring and sharp stares. Do you see yourself as part of a generation that's reshaping what masculinity looks like, or does all that talk just feel like another box to be put in?

I definitely feel like 'masculinity' is evolving into more open and expressive ways and I think one strong representation of that is in fashion. I hope it keeps moving in that direction. 

You’ve done corsets, campaigns, a bit of everything in between. Is there a role or genre still lurking on your wishlist, just waiting to be cracked open?

I've always wanted to play a detective, that would be super cool. I loved watching police dramas like 'Life on Mars' and 'Ashes to Ashes' when I was younger, I think that's where my love for them started. My favourite TV series is 'The Thick of It' so I'd love to do a comedy drama in that tone too.  Also a big goal is to do a role in an American accent.  

Was there a moment where it all just clicked and you thought, yep, this is it, this is the thing I’m meant to do?

When I was 18 I did a play called The Grandfathers at The National Theatre - it was an extremely special experience. Being a Bristol boy at that age in London doing a play at that theatre was the best feeling in the world and a moment that I knew I was doing what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. 

total look PAUL SMITH
shoes JIMMY CHOO

“I definitely feel like 'masculinity' is evolving into more open and expressive ways, and I think one strong representation of that is in fashion.”

Guy Remmers speaks with Alban E. Smajli
for LE MILE Digital SS25

blazer + beret EMPORIO ARMANI
trousers ANN DEMEULEMEESTER
vest SUNSPEL

coat + trousers ISSEY MIYAKE
shirt DAVID KOMA
trainers ADIDAS X WALES BONNER

jacket + trousers Y-3
shirt BRUNELLO CUCINELLI
boots DAVID KOMA
gloves HANDSOME STOCKHOLM
tie TURNBULL & ASSER

“Theo's journey this season is an absolute rollercoaster. His world flips upside down when he has to decide if love is more important than the institution he was born into.”

Guy Remmers speaks with Alban E. Smajli
for LE MILE Digital SS25

total look VERSACE

total look DANIEL W FLETCHER
trainers ADIDAS x WALES BONNER

photographer ANTONIO EUGENIO
stylist JUSTIN HAMILTON
grooming TRAVIS NUNES
photo assistant GEORGE TAYLOR
styling assistants KATIE SOMAVIA, LORNA LANE
videography VALENTINA VILLA
talent GUY REMMERS

Special thanks to Caroline Fergusson + Grace Yeoman, PR Pinnacle

WANDA LEPHOTO *Fabric As Archive

WANDA LEPHOTO
*Fabric As Archive

written + interview ALBAN E. SMAJLI

Wanda Lephoto builds narratives in fabric. His work is a continuum of history, community, and identity, shaped by memory and lived experience. Fashion carries weight, holds space, and restores what has been lost.

His Johannesburg-based label moves through cultural currents, weaving together ancestral knowledge and contemporary expression. Each piece exists with intention, shaped by deep research and a commitment to craft. Materials tell stories. Silhouettes hold memory.

Threads connect past, present, and future. Recognition follows, but the purpose remains. Lephoto’s approach prioritizes ethical production, local artisanship, and material integrity. He moves with purpose. Each stitch marks a place in time. Each piece speaks beyond the surface. Each collection expands the conversation.

trench coat NTWANA
shirt + pants WANDA LEPHOTO
shoes MAISON MARGIELA

photographer THANDO NXUMALO
stylist PEYTON JOE BASSON
talent and designer WANDA LEPHOTO
photo assistant BONOLO TLHOLOE
stylist assistant AYANDA KANISE

follow designer @wandalephot

“I design for a person I envision—someone who doesn’t yet exist in the ways I’ve seen.”

Wanda Lephoto speaks with Alban E. Smajli
for LE MILE Ephemeral Edition - SS 2025 Nr. 38

total looks WANDA LEPHOTO

Alban E. Smajli
What does fashion allow you to say that words can’t?

Wanda Lephoto
I think fashion allows me to express my love and gratitude toward a people, a culture, and a history in a deep and meaningful way—something words, especially English words, often fail to convey.

South Africa, 2025. What does the landscape of fashion look like to you—raw, evolving, defined, or still untamed?

Oftentimes, it feels as though things are improving, with increasing visibility for designers striving to push boundaries in a complex country like South Africa, where much unlearning still needs to happen. I would say South Africa’s landscape embodies all the words you mentioned—raw, evolving, defined, yet still untamed—due to our complex history, which requires careful navigation. Over the past decade, we’ve seen tremendousgrowth. The next ten years will be pivotal in shaping the future of fashion—not just for our country but for the entire continent.

Your work moves between tradition and now. Do you see yourself as a translator, a disruptor, or something else entirely?

To honor, in the best way I can, those who came before me, fought, and shaped the context in which I now exist is fundamental to what we do. I am because we are—a philosophy rooted in our continent's teachings, emphasizing the human spirit and the essential role of each person in shaping and developing new ideas. This belief is dear to my heart, making the honoring of tradition pivotal to our creative process. Neither translator nor disruptor. I see myself as someone who fosters plurality—bringing together communities, conversations, cultures, and traditions in diverse spaces to create propositions for newness. It’s about shaping a different way of seeing and being, but even more, a different way of believing.

What’s the hardest truth about building a fashion label in Africa that no one talks about?

It’s a lonely feeling. The hardest part, for me, is that when we win, we win together—but when we lose, I lose alone. That can feel isolating. The financial setbacks. The emotional, mental, and spiritual weight of carrying it all alone. The responsibility of dreams—not just your own, but those of so many who rely on you.

Who do you design for—the person who wears your clothes or the culture that shapes them?

I design for a person I envision—someone who doesn’t yet exist in the ways I’ve seen. I design for the culture and community that believes in me—whose stories are often neglected but deserve to be seen and celebrated.

I design for those who shape culture alongside me—who, like me, believe in the individuality of our journeys yet the shared responsibility of dreams. I design for those who are no longer with us, but whose memories and stories live on—as a way of ensuring they are never forgotten.

I design for future generations who will inherit, through spirit, the importance of our collective work in shaping history—understanding that for us, it’s more than just clothing.

total look WANDA LEPHOTO
shoes DR MARTENS

What fuels your process—memory, instinct, resistance?

My process at this point in my design journey is hugely fueled by memory and resistance. I believe in honoring where we come from, because there is a lot of healing that needs to happen in the works we create —works that begin to fill the void of the missing archives we have lost. In the future, I know this will evolve. But for now, this remains the cornerstone of our work—restoring pride and memory of where we come from. The sentiment being: from the dusty concrete, a flower can bloom.

If you stripped everything away—labels, industry, expectations—what remains at the core of what you do?

The stories.

Africa has always dictated global culture, whether the world acknowledges it or not. Where do you see its biggest creative shift happening right now?

Africa is the heartbeat of fashion. Right now, I’m fascinated by the cultural fusion happening with high-low fashion, real/fake fashion, and western/traditional styles. The mixing of colonial dress with traditional dress.

The blending of thrifted dupes from Europe with real high-end fashion—which, in many ways, is a metaphor for how western fashion has become destructive to itself. All of this exists alongside the growing pride in wearing African fashion brands—brands that celebrate craftsmanship and culture through design.

Ephemeral. Fleeting. Unstable. How does that word sit with you? Is fashion ever meant to last?

Fashion is meant to last forever—not just as clothing, but as a feeling, a memory of a time that meant everything to us.

If clothing could dissolve at the end of the day, leaving only its impact, what would yours leave behind?

I think my clothes would leave behind the stories of a people, a group, a community—and, hopefully, a continent. Though history sometimes makes us feel as though we should be ashamed, the stories we carry are far more beautiful than any hardship we have endured.

We have true culture and community. We have true design and philosophy—something beyond mere aesthetics or financial trends, something that defines who we are.