Meet Florence Kosky, the model bringing attention to youth suicide

Kosky has appeared in Burberry campaigns and countless editorials (Harper’s Bazaar, L’Officiel, Elle, Teen Vogue, etc.), and she’s spent the past five years filming her first feature film, To Tokyo. And impressively, her directorial debut, The Otherworld, recently won Best British Short at the London Independent Film Awards.

In addition to her creative pursuits, Kosky has been working closely with Papyrus UK, a charity dedicated to the prevention of youth suicides, an issue that she became deeply affected by after the death of two friends. Kosky launched an auction to benefit Papyrus, #DressForLife. It’s filled with designer goods, and sales are open until March 21st. We spoke to her about her charitable pursuits, movies, and how to look like Hannibal Lecter on an airplane.

What sort of work are you doing with Papyrus UK?

I’ve started an auction called “Dress for Life.” We’ve got loads of different donations from great designers, like Chanel, House of Holland, Paul Smith, which is really exciting. I hope that’ll make a big bundle of money for them! [Laughs]

A few years, I actually had two friends who died by suicide. It’s nice to be doing something to make a change, to work for a prevention charity, to hopefully make a difference.

You just made your directorial debut. Can you tell me a bit about The Otherworld?

I grew up in Dorset on the Jurassic Coast, and it’s sort of about exploring the mythology of the area: ancient history, Celts, old Gods. And it’s also about dreams, so it sort of combines those two things. It was awesome to go back to where I grew up and shoot in the amazing landscapes around here. Good to get back to the roots! [Laughs]

How do you compare acting and directing? Is there one you prefer, or do you like to combine them and direct yourself?

I directed myself in The Otherworld, and I don’t know if I’m going to do that again. [Laughs] It’s really hard to concentrate on acting when your brain is everywhere else. It’s really, really great to do both of them, but I think definitely separately. For the directing side of things you have to be thinking about everything at once, whereas acting is a lot more introspective. You’re thinking more about your character’s journey as opposed to the film as a whole, if that makes sense.

And I’m so happy—I have to have a little brag moment now. I found out like two weeks ago that The Otherworld won an award [Best British Short] at the London Independent Film Awards.

Did you study cinema in school?

Sort of. Alongside school, where I was doing a bit of acting and stuff, I was also shooting a feature film called To Tokyo. And that was kind of my cinema education. We were shooting it for like five years. It’s actually just gone into post-production, so hopefully you’ll finally be able to watch it by the end of the year!

Five years?! How did that work?

Err… hair extensions. [Laughs] I actually haven’t aged that much, facially.

Well that’s lucky. I presume it was shooting in Tokyo?

We did shoot in Tokyo, as well as the little villages near Kyoto. We also traveled to South Africa and shot all up and down the western cape. I think it was the most beautiful place I’ve ever been.

How did you balance that with your work as a model?

It’s a kind of a juggling act. It’s basically just trying to do as much as I can on one side without pissing anyone off, and then doing it again. [Laughs] It’s a balancing act, and I sort of don’t have a social life anymore. But it’s really rewarding and I really enjoy all of it. It doesn’t really feel like work.

I’m still trying to figure out what I want to do, you know? Working in all these facets of the media industry really help me figure out what I actually want to do with my life.

What are your favorite movies?

I really like Drive—classic answer. It’s just such a beautiful film. The cinematography’s amazing, the score is amazing, and Ryan Gosling’s incredible in it. It also doesn’t have too much talking in it, which I quite like. But then also recently, I’ve seen this film called Demolition with Jake Gyllenhaal. The opening to that film is so brutal, but so genius. And I think the little kid in it is going to be a huge star in like five years.

But I don’t know. I could talk about film for like five years.

Have you always loved film?

I think I’ve always loved stories. When I was younger it was more about mythology, Greek myths in particular. I’ve loved acting since I was tiny as well. And when I got cast in To Tokyo, the director [Caspar Seale-Jones] showed me all of these films I hadn’t seen before. It really opened up my imagination, and I fell in love with film, particularly. But film is just another way of storytelling.

With acting, if you’re thinking about what you look like, you’re not in the moment. Oh, that’s such a cliché.

Obviously you’re a very successful model. How did you come to it? I think I read something about a booker chasing you around a music festival.

It was my first weekend out with my new friends at my new school when I was like 16, at a music festival in London. And my old booker, Luca, who used to look after me when I was at New Faces, he harassed me around the festival. [Laughs] And I was super embarrassed, because all I wanted to do was be with my new friends.

Come on, what could be cooler than being 16 and getting scouted at a music festival?

I guess, in retrospect. [Laughs] But at the time I was I was super embarrassed.

How do you compare modeling to acting? I feel like in both cases you’re telling a story, making a picture come to life, bringing certain emotions to it.

There are definitely elements of modeling that are like playing a character, and I think especially when you’re in a crazy editorial and you get to move freely, when it’s not just about selling the clothes, there’s definitely that storytelling aspect to it. But I would say the main difference for me is with modeling, it’s all about what you look like, what’s on the outside. You’re portraying an image of that story. But whereas with acting, if you’re thinking about what you look like, you’re not in the moment. Oh, that’s such a cliché. [Laughs] But you’ve got to focus on what’s happening internally, on what’s happening with the other person, and the emotional truth of that connection.

What was it like getting the Burberry campaign?

I think that was probably one of the best moments that I’ve had, modeling-wise. I definitely screamed on the phone to my mum. [Laughs] Shooting with Mario [Testino] was amazing, he and the whole team are so lovely. I work with Burberry still now, and this is super cliché, but I feel like we have a little fashion family. And other people on the campaign, like Ella Richards and the boys from Hidden Charms, they’re still in my friendship circles today and I see them a lot. It was a really nice, solid introduction to a good group of people in fashion.

You work all the time. What do you do for fun?

Fun. Does that exist? [Laughs]

I guess I hang out with my boyfriend, and try to catch up on movies. And soon I’m taking a month off and going to travel in India. I’m really excited, it’s going to a nice adventure!

As someone who frequently flies around the world, do you have any jetlag tips?

Drinking a bottle of water on the flight! Even if you don’t think you need it, you will need it. I also love taking along those face masks that look like Hannibal Lecter, and making people feel really uncomfortable next to me on the flight. [Laughs] Even if you don’t think you’ll need it, you’ll need it.

On a final note, is there anything you think would surprise people about modeling?

Yeah! I think the fact that it’s really physically hard for us. You’re flying around all the time, you’ve got early call times. Especially during Fashion Week when you’re working at 6 A.M. and then you’ve got fittings until 3 A.M. And even just shooting, you’ve stood up in heels that probably don’t fit you for like 12 hours. I don’t feel glamorous. [Laughs] I think a lot of time people think oh you’re just a model, you fly all around the world and get treated like a princess. But it’s actually harder than it looks, and I don’t think girls are given enough credit for the work they put in. People say it’s just luck, but honestly some models I know are the most hardworking people I’ve ever met, and I think they deserve all the success that they get.

Florence's auction for Papyrus UK, #DressForLife, runs online until March 21st.

Fashion

Telfar’s New Pricing Model Redefines Value in Fashion

In upending the idea that value and exclusivity must be coterminous, the brand proposes what they call “a new mathematics for black cultural innovation,” one wherein the people that originate popular culture are not denied a stake in it. And even as it disrupts the rules of the fashion world, Telfar still knows its own limitations as a company; the “WARNING” on its website makes sure to remind us that TELFAR LIVE “is not a replacement for real political struggle,” forgoing the self-aggrandizing tendency to conflate Black business with Black liberation.

TELFAR LIVE is just as much a practical business decision as it is a statement. “If we price our clothes according to how cool they are; less cool people can afford them,” the brand explained. “If less cool people can afford them, we can’t make as many. If we can’t make as many, the clothes will stay expensive. That’s not cool.” As simple as it sounds, this strategy runs counter to the dominant ethos of business and branding in fashion while still ensuring economic growth.

With this price model, Telfar is thoroughly dismissing the capitalist-realist conventions that have confined the brand’s peers and predecessors. From FUBU and Pharell’s Billionaire Boys Club to the late Virgil Abloh’s Off White and Kanye West’s Yeezy, Black designers and Black-owned brands have often historically relied on models of mass hype, individual celebrity, and inaccessible pricing to sustain excitement around their products that could rival recognizable status-symbol luxury brands. Many had feared Telfar would resort to the same methods following its initial success, but TELFAR LIVE is merely a continuation of the brands’ steadfast commitment to keeping luxury accessible to its original audience.

Even if Beyoncé owns a Bushwick Birkin, everyday people will remain Telfar’s muse.

The brand is aware of how its new price model is also an abdication of Black exceptionalism. The tongue-in-cheek “DOUBLE WARNING” adds: “TELFAR LIVE is not for everyone: if you are experiencing symptoms of clout chasing, elite capture, are suffering from black excellence, a seat at the table, party politics, have or will be pregnant with your colonizers' weaponization of beauty, legibility and truth — ask your ancestors first to find out if TELFAR LIVE is right for you.” Even with its originally low price point, Telfar now has the highest resale value of any fashion brand at 195% retail value. But the brand is refusing to exploit this cultural prominence in order to conform to and perpetuate the rules of the game. Telfar has no interest in abandoning its roots or shutting the door behind itself. Even if Beyoncé owns a Bushwick Birkin, everyday people will remain Telfar’s muse.

Fashion

Akila x Keith Haring

March 21, 2023

More than twenty years after his death, Keith Haring remains a legendary symbol of the New York art scene of the 80s. Known for his iconic line work, which continues to inspire street muralists and pop artists alike, Haring’s mission as an artist was always to ensure the public could access his work, regardless of whether they could buy it.

To celebrate his legacy of making great designs available to all, concept-driven eyewear label AKILA created two designs in homage to his distinct style: RADIANT and PARADISE.

In honor of the forthcoming launch, AKILA NY hosted a celebratory affair in Haring’s former stomping grounds on the Lower East Side, where attendees had a chance to look at and try on the two new designs licensed with Artestar , New York, while mingling in the growing AKILA community. The party had a vibe that poured out onto the sidewalk, acting as a reminder of Haring's famous statement: art is for everybody.

Text by Sahir Ahmed
Photos by Travis Bass

RADIANT embodies Haring’s influence with a minimalist look and temple tips shaped after his trademark line work, while PARADISE pays subtle tribute with a classic round frame and a similar finish. Available in multiple Haring-esque colorways, both styles feature an eco-conscious and handmade acetate frame, blue-light blocking nylon lenses with anti-reflective coating, 100% UVA/UVB protection, and a Keith Haring cork leather case & cleaning cloth.

Check out photos from the evening below.

If you're ready to find the right pair for you, head over to AKILA NY on the Lower East Side, @fdgs.la in Downtown LA, or browse online at Akila.la.

Fashion

An Anti-Fashion Manifesto

March 17, 2023

To Olivia Cheng of Dauphinette, the future of fashion is optimistic. Ever since the inception of her New York-based ready-to-wear and cutting-edge accessory brand, she has inspired the masses with looks that fuse innovation and novelty. Often reinventing even the most abstract objects, such as petite porcelain knobs and vintage tchotchkes, Cheng has proven that amidst a world of political upheaval and environmental gloom, it is still possible to present ethically-fabricated collections that inspire a child-like whimsy.

For Dauphinette’s Fall/Winter 2023 Collection, “An Anti-Fashion Manifesto,” Cheng offers audiences a glimpse into the archives of American Sportswear, while simultaneously reconfiguring typical sportswear looks through the dream-like Dauphinette lens. From repurposing dated mohair blankets into quixotic oversized bows to converting American footballs into extravagant spiked accessories, the collection displays a fresh perspective on a traditional way of dress.

Interview by Kayla Curtis-Evans
Photos by Yanran Xiong

Inventive techniques and over 50 percent of the collection being crafted from upcycled materials act as a reminder of the responsibility contemporary creators have to fight against the grain. Audiences arrived at The Django, a romantic Parisian-inspired jazz club, to enter the universe Cheng facilitated with this collection, a place she coined an “optimistic utopia.”

After the show, office spoke to the designer about the collection’s inspiration, American design legend Bonnie Cashin, the artists she collaborated with — Andrea Bergart and Lorena Pipenco — and her favorite looks.

For this collection, you evolved our notions of American sportswear, inspired by the designs of Bonnie Cashin. In what ways do her works inform the collection? What was it like visiting her archive?

Being able to visit the archives inside of Cashin's heir, Stephanie's house, in suburban Minnesota was amazing. We ended up spending so much time together. When you walk into their house, it's nothing ridiculous. It's unassuming. And then you head downstairs and every single aspect of Stephanie's life and her consideration of the Cashin legacy is so deeply thought out. I think Bonnie is always in her heart you can really tell. When you talk to Stephanie, in a lot of ways, you're talking to Bonnie. That's what's really special about her. I love her and her entire family. So we ended up, product-wise, developing a few different styles. Bonnie was really into rifts on different geometric shapes and math in general. So we came up with the parabola skirt. Bonnie would make hers out of leather and line them with faux chinchilla fur, which she called 'make-believe fur.'

I ended up working with TômTex, a company based just a couple blocks from my office and apartment in Brooklyn. They are essentially like a chemistry lab growing leather-like materials out of shrimp shell waste and mushroom food waste. It's a hundred percent biobased and completely biodegradable. And Swarovski gave me a lot of upcycled crystals so we just embellished the look with that. Look 10 included one of the fully upcycled pieces in our collection, but the collection as a whole includes fifty percent upcycled materials.

Why did you decide to collaborate with other artists for this collection and in what ways do their artistic touches manifest in the clothing?

This collection is impossible without those women. I first had this idea to play with American Sportswear and reinterpret that at different levels. I knew about Andrea's work because we had shared a factory in the Garment District three or four years ago. I remember they were always making basketball purses and I thought they were really cool. So I had this thought that I wanted to make purses out of vintage footballs and I sent Andrea an email. She essentially made these footballs using leftover shearling from a project we had worked together on in the past. And then we used all upcycled materials to decorate the bags, from these crazy 40-millimeter-long spikes to little ceramic knobs.

In addition to her, we also worked with Loretta, who is still an MFA student at Parsons. I saw a photo of her wearing these electric blue fur sunglasses and I thought, 'What on earth is that? I need to know more.' So I found her on Instagram — as one does. She ended up being so amazing and turned out the sunglasses so quickly. Being able to have this collaborative network of people from all different backgrounds is really fulfilling. Lorena's from London, but she's also Romanian, working with the Lakes, and I'm Chinese American. Just defining this new concept of American sportswear was really, really exciting for me. And honestly, prior to this past year, I had never really worked on collaborations. I think, ultimately, opening myself up to this world of really incredibly talented people is such a gift.

The collection is titled, “An Anti-Fashion Manifesto” — in what ways does the collection engage with the industry as we know it, while also subverting certain notions of what traditional sportswear should be?

Now that I've been doing this for over five years, my perspective is quite different than when I first started. I think that our approach to sustainability is genuinely very different than anybody else. Mainly in the sense that, there are a lot of designers who are genuinely quite sustainable, though some clearly greenwash. But nobody's using this many upcycled materials and we really like to focus on things that are seen as trash. We constantly have buckets full of 'trash-adjacent' items. This season we were able to clean through all of it and make new things out of the old. I had the most fun making this collection out of any collection I've ever done. And I think that that really comes across in the pursuit of material. We are a small brand, but I do really hope that as we grow that this can always be part of our messaging. We're paving our own path. I think in terms of American culture today, nobody really knows what American sportswear is — most people think it's just a football jersey. But I'm very obsessed with the historical aspects of fashion. I want to talk about those. It's not just important to know what's of the moment and to anticipate it, but I feel like it's more interesting, at least in my opinion, to know where things came from.

What is your favorite look in the collection?

I have a few! I really loved the two beaded coats. I sewed about 90 percent of those coats myself and they took months. I also love the hollow dress. It's this red dress that was tubed. I wanted a dress that looks like challah bread. And then I feel like I really wanted to exercise strength at the end, which is why we put out those all-white 'bridal' looks. So I think I liked the most simple and the most maximal looks.