Following the moving TED talk, “Embracing otherness, embracing myself” we created a book for actor Thandiwe Newton to commemorate the power, depth and visionary perspective of her talk. At the heart of this unique project is collaboration between our Founder, Chris Fogg, and celebrated photographer Jonathan Oakes. Chris and Johnny have collaborated on many projects together throughout their careers but the creative freedom this project allowed, gave them the opportunity to truly express their combined vision.The challenge was to ensure we understood and articulated her personal brand and artistic ethos, ensuring this was reflected through the verbal and visual narrative of the book.

Another collaborator, who was critical to the success of the project was stylist Hannah Grace. With a project like this the manifestation of the vision is critical to its success and Hannah had that rare ability to not just understand the direction of artistic travel but also enhance it. It wasn’t just Hannah’s eyes for selecting the pieces, but also her artistry and craft in creating some of the key pieces. Our ‘star of the show’ was model Nina Sethi. Nina went beyond her role as a model, taking direction and playing the role as an actress. She brought such depth and integrity to her portrayal of the story. Grooming team, Mark Power on Hair and Tally Bookbinder on Makeup created a series of looks from playful and flamboyant to theatrical and glamorous which perfectly captured the collective vision. Retoucher Ann Mulqueeney carefully crafted the images while printer, Team Impression, created the finished result. 

Not only did the book receive high acclaim from numerous and varied audiences, the photography and art direction won several industry accolades.