Dream Team Editorial
It’s an honour to be able to share beautiful work done by some of New Zealand’s best and brightest creatives. We stumbled across this shoot, that was an accumulation of efforts, and it felt so Saucey. That’s the thing about creating work for the love of it, it’s incomparable, unbeatable, it just beautifully is. We caught up with the three-person dream team, scroll down for the full interview.
Photographer - Apela Bell
What was the shoot direction/inspiration?
The idea actually came to Te Rima and I pre lockdown. It's actually so funny but we were going to shoot the Monday before Jacinda announced we were moving into level 4, so I cancelled the studio and held onto this idea for so long that I just had to do it once we were out. The inspiration definitely came from being surrounded by strong powerful women who are just so unapologetically themselves and know what they want and go for it. When Te Rima told me about Ash I was just honestly in awe and felt like I needed to do something creative with her. It's almost like a love letter to all the amazing black and POC women in my life and I want and need to continue to capture and showcase who inspire me.
What’s something you want to achieve in the remainder of 2020
Definitely doing more photoshoots! My group of friends are the most creative bunch of people I know in Auckland, and are always trying to change the narrative for minority groups, bringing them to the forefront and making their voices known in mainstream media. I want to continue to keep doing this too, I actually have a project coming up with my friend Jaycee Mentoor, which I am excited about but I can't give away too much just yet.
Who inspires you?
My friends and my family, I could easily go into a whole spiel but honestly, it's them.
Stylist - Te Rima Whakatau
What was the shoot direction/inspiration?
We didn't try to think too deeply on the concept for this, first thing being that it was purely just a test shoot to get our creative juices flowing after being in such a low-inspirational place post-COVID. But if I was going to pin-point it down, I would say that we were going for a "Surprise! I'm that bitch" vibe, which me, Apela and Ash had an intrinsic compositional balance. The inspiration for this shoot definitely is a brawn on femininity and the robustness of a woman.
What’s something you want to achieve in the remainder of 2020
I personally don't like to set goals for certain dates because I like to have the freedom to explore different aspects of art. So currently right now, it is styling and I guess for the remainder of 2020, what I would like to achieve is just more and more creating if I am being perfectly honest.
Who inspires you?
Me, as a gay man, my god will always be a womxn. To see a womxn in power gives me power. To see a Black or POC woman in power gives me power. To see a Black or POC trans womxn in power gives me even more power. Not in the way that is diminishing but by the reclamation right of empowerment. Which is and always will be one of my biggest inspirations.
Model - Ash Williams
What was the shoot direction/inspiration?
In terms of the inspiration for the shoot, Te Rima and Apela contacted me and said they wanted to do something sexy, fun and powerful and after that, I was sold! It was my first time doing a shoot so they took charge of the creative direction, but we all had a lot of fun playing with the poses to make them more exciting!
What’s something you want to achieve in the remainder of 2020?
Honestly, after the insane first half of the year we've just had I'm just out here tryna be happy. It's a big focus of mine for the rest of the year. Everything that's happened this year has really put things into perspective for me to focus on putting my energy into things that actually matter and that I love doing. Being creative is a big part of that! At the moment I'm doing a lot of scary, new and exciting things that I hope will continue for the remainder of 2020. This shoot with Te Rima and Apela was one of them. They really opened up a door for me and I can't thank them enough for the fun opportunity. I'm also currently running a space called MEDUSA with four other women. We as a collective wanted a safe place to have conversations, make and hold work around sexual harm and other vulnerable topics. To uphold the space we also rent it out to creatives and others who align with our Kaupapa! All five of us are queer so it was extremely important to provide a place that is inclusive and affordable for our creative friends and everyone in the community.
Who inspires you?
The Black and POC creatives around me are exceptionally inspiring. Seeing work and the things they are up to makes me want to constantly step my pussy up and work harder! My best friends’ Grace Ko and Batanai Mashingaidze are some of the hardest workers I know. They somehow maintain all the work they do, a social life and still look as fine as they do it and I just wanna know HOW. There are so many incredible people and talents here in Auckland, I wish I could list them all because they inspire me on a daily basis, but I would be here all day. Also, I can't forget Rihanna! She is such a boss bitch and a businesswoman. I love what she has done for black women and for fashion! She's constantly evolving and doesn't give fuck which is how I’m tryna be.
Saucey preview: Paloma Wool's fall collection, which Ash is wearing, is coming soon to New Zealand retailers Black Box Boutique and Good As Gold.
Photographed by Apela Bell
Styling Te Rima Whakatau
Model Ash Williams
