A celebration of identity and individual human beauty, this is the first book dedicated to London-born fashion photographer Nadine Ijewere who is responsible for her ground-breaking work in deconstructing the industry’s stereotypes with her stylish portraits that champion the diversity of models. With over 160 photographs, this book is a visual record of her remarkable career that has made her one of the most sought-after fashion photographers today.
At the forefront a history-changing artistic movement, Nadine Ijewere’s photography draws not only on her roots in Nigeria and Jamaica, but also on her own experiences as a young black woman in South East London whose skin colour, hair, and body type were nowhere to be found in the pages of magazines. This vibrant monograph features powerful works from her series of Jamaicans across different generations; photographs of young people defying gender norms on the streets of Lagos; along with editorial work she has created for Vogue, and fashion shoots for Stella McCartney, Dior, Gap, Hermes, and Valentino.
From dazzling colours, dreamlike backgrounds and fierce gazes of beautiful women, this stunning photography book showcases Nadine Ijewere’s signature hallmarks as well as the photographer’s passion for challenging traditional concepts of beauty. Through Ijewere’s unique blend of vibrantly coloured and brilliantly staged pictures, this book journeys through themes of identity and diversity and celebrates the uniqueness of disparate cultures.
Nadine Ijewere fell in love with craft and photography from a young age and studied at the London College of Fashion. Her career has seen her work with the likes of Dior, Hermes, Nina Ricci, Valentino, Vogue, The Wall Street Journal, and Garage Magazine. Her photographs have been featured in the 2016 Tate Britain Generation exhibition, Unseen Amsterdam and Lagos Photo festivals in 2017, and in Antwaun Sargent’s The New Black Vanguard—Photography between Art and Fashion. Recognised for her talent and contribution to the arts, Ijewere was named one of the British Journal of Photography’s Ones to Watch in 2017 and in 2020, she received the ICP Infinity Award which was applied for her first solo exhibition Tallawah.
Nadine Ijewere became the first black woman to shoot the cover of Vogue in the magazine’s 125-year global history, when she photographed Dua Lipa, Binx Walton, and Letitia Wright on the Kentish coast in 2018. In addition to the powerful colour photographs spanning fashion work, editorials, advertisements, and film stills, Nadine Ijewere includes an essay by Dazed’s Executive Editorial Director Lynette Nylander who also contributes to titles including Vogue, Elle, AnOther Magazine, Net-A-Porter amongst others.
Nadine Ijewere comments: “This book is an insight to my journey thus far, it is a book about women. My work has always had underlying themes of identity and diversity, celebrating our differences, reframing what beauty has stereotypically been and creating a space to elevate women of colour.”