Fashion Duo Featured in Vogue

Fashion students Fadzai Kadzatsa and Angela Farrell have been featured in Vogue Italia's online gallery PhotoVogue.

After Fadzai's final collection photoshoot, Fashion Photography student Angela decided to submit the images she had taken to Vogue Italia, and the images were accepted and uploaded onto the website via PhotoVogue.

PhotoVogue provides a platform for professional, student and amateur fashion photographers all over world to have their work published and appraised online. It simultaneously allows designers to be recognised, as their work can reach a global audience.

Fadzai, currently studying Fashion Design, was inspired by the 1920s Harlem Renaissance when creating her designs. Even though the music produced by African Americans during this period was iconic, many of the people living in areas such as Harlem were still destitute.

Fadzai aimed to capture this in her clothing, explaining: "After the abolition of slavery, a lot of African Americans were still living in poverty, even though the music they brought from Africa aided in creating the Jazz Age. I captured this in my collection by getting some of my fabrics from charity shops, I bought curtains and bed sheets to work on."

During her dissertation and final collection research, Fadzai found the life and work of individuals such as Josephine Baker and James Van Der Zee particularly interesting. They each had a profound impact during the Harlem Renaissance, and on Fadzai's project.

She reflects: "The concept for my final collection began whilst I was researching for my dissertation, which I wrote about the relevance of Josephine Baker in the modern age. She was a dancer during this period, and her performances paved the way for many black entertainers today, such as Beyoncé."

"For the collection images, I focused on the photography of James Van Der Zee, an African American photographer during the Harlem Renaissance. I could see the emphasis of family and community clearly in his photographs, he wanted to show his subjects in the best light possible."

Fadzai credits her partnership with Angela as the reason for their success, stating: "The importance of collaboration on our courses led us to create a story with our photographs, a family outing similar to some images I found whilst researching. Being able to find a photographer that understood my collection, and capture it so well, is something I'll be forever grateful for."