So at the tail end of a year where human connection itself has become overwrought, it makes sense that fashion students from the University of Salford should return, for the second time, to Steichen’s seminal piece of work. Below, we talk to a couple of the young image makers behind the project as they explore family, disability, gender identity, and “just getting on with it” for their 2021 edition of
The Family of Man.
RUBEE GRAHAM
Photography Rubee Graham
“My earliest memory of doing something creative was at a stop animation workshop when I was maybe seven. It was so enjoyable because I was in charge of what colours to use, how to design the set, how to create the characters, and how to style what they were wearing. Creating in the last year has had its pros and cons but I think it’s enabled me to unlock myself and think outside the box. You need to these days. The pandemic has proven that you don’t need the four white walls of a studio to create something amazi
Using secondhand clothes and accessories found at Accra’s Kantanamo Market – where more than 30,000 vendors gather to sell off thrifted goods – Kubi creates gender-skewing collections that incorporate cut-out tailoring, patched-together leather pants, asymmetric tops, and pelmet skirts. Signature flourishes of gold are seen throughout the brand’s line-up, in chainmail tops or eyelets hammered into hems, as part of his attempt to inject some fun into men’s fashion in Ghana.
With PALMWINE IceCREAM’s offerings crafted using 70 per cent recycled garments, Kubi joins a host of exciting rising designers making the most of what’s already available. It’s a way of ensuring existing garments live longer in new guises, and the ecosystem is saved from the existing toxic waste dumped into it right now. The secondhand market might be thriving in Ghana, but the enormous amount of clothing sent there from around the world means that not everything can be resold.