Not Born for War: a fashion editorial for Flanelle Magazine

Every fashion shoot feels a bit like a magic ritual in that the whole team—makeup artist, stylist, model, photographer, assistants—collaborate to create something that didn’t exist before. Containing the synergies of everyone involved, the final product reflects this combined effort, and after eight hours of being in the process of shooting and creating, it feels like the whole team is transformed: an alchemical process, if you will. This applied even more so to this particular shoot “Not Born for War,” which is derived from the Ukrainian proverb “women aren’t born for war,” which we sought turn on its head by selecting male model Esra Mueller (@ Tempo Models) with whom I had the pleasure of working for the second time, trying to state that nobody is born for war.

Hence it was a great pleasure to work with an international team of Ukrainians and non-Ukrainians to generate this fashion editorial for Flanelle Magazine, using custom designs by Ukrainian designers GA.EVA, Limarenko, and MyBird.in.ua. Shot at the quirky Hotel Urania in Vienna, and under the styling vision of stylist Anna Romanko and art director Kara Grin, this fashion story began to exude the elements of a magical incantation, similar to the witches’ ritual that went viral in Ukraine, trying to bring about a speedy liberation from the occupying forces.

Add to this the custom heart designs (often embroidered on wedding dresses to symbolize togetherness and a happy family life) paired with splashes of red makeup expertly implemented by makeup artist Marlene Voss, combined with the mauve and burgundy backdrops of the hotel, and the pieces of this magical incantation began to interweave into a fashion series with a shamanic undertone.

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