- #HGWORLD
- #HGCREATORS
- #HGEXPLORE
- #HGVOICES
- #HGSHOP
- CAREERS
- ABOUT US
- CONTACT US
A man in a gown with a burning cigarette between his fingers. I don’t remember the exact day, month or year that I chanced upon Italian fashion photographer, Paolo Roversi’s ethereal image of male model Tanel Bedrossiantz in a gorgeous Jean Paul Gaultier gown. I wasn’t aware of its significance at the time either. What I do know for certain is that it stuck with me. The ruffled, feminine gown was a show-stopping piece from the French designer’s legendary “Barbès” collection and the photograph was dated 1992; an era when terms like ‘gender-bender clothing’ or ‘gender-fluid models’ weren’t a part of every teenager on Instagram’s vocabulary, let alone Vogue. The revered lensman had tread exciting new ground and though I hadn’t acknowledged it till more recently, the image left me yearning to capture that same sentiment in fashion, one that I couldn’t stop thinking about, ever since. Fast-forward to 2017 and a contemporary Indian fashion label’s October campaign filled that void. Founders of Huemn, designers Pranav Mishra and Shyma Shetty unveiled their Spring/Summer ‘18 campaign with a series of photographs, brought to life by Aman Makkar, that are hard to stop thinking about.
‘Humans Were Made To Love’ is an unapologetic wave goodbye to fashion spreads that toe the line. Diverse sizing, female masturbation and non-binary relationships are all gloriously celebrated in this spread, and not just as a one-off either. As the industry warily veers towards token gestures of ‘inclusivity,’ Huemn’s campaign evokes an authenticity that extends from the label’s core philosophy–fashion as a response to the ever-changing socio-economic and political landscape of the country.. “When you’re creating images in the fashion industry, it’s important to say something that will instigate a dialogue,” Pranav says, staunch in his belief that clothes, collections and campaigns should get people thinking. Take, for instance, the Huemn Project which is a capsule collection built on the foundations of artistic collaboration or Huemn Stories, an anthology of powerful stories and portraits from around the world. A contextual approach to fashion is Huemn’s biggest strength and their latest campaign drop plays to it beautifully.
On where the inspiration for this project comes from, Pranav says “the common theme that resonated with all the creators was love - possibly because we felt like it was lacking.” A look back at the year and it’s easy to see where they are coming from. Mob violence and hate crimes spun out of control at a dizzying pace, same-sex relationships were, repeatedly, relegated to the status of abnormal and women continued to fight back against discrimination. It’s been a hard year - one that’s had us questioning humanity at several points - but against the backdrop of this more divisive landscape, Huemn’s spread championed for love. Each of the photographs evoke a sense of compassion, understanding and most importantly, acceptance when it comes to topics that are discussed in hushed whispers, if at all. Speaking to Elle India, Pranav says “If India has to move forward, we have to start treating subjects like intimacy, sex, love and masturbation as a normal part of our life.” A play on the words ‘hue’ and ‘human’, the label believes that it is their responsibility to communicate larger ideas in the most transparent form, to lead the way for gradual change.
Before you scroll on for the rest of the campaign images, here is the powerful copy that inspired each of these photographs from ‘Humans Were Made To Love’, authored by Shyma.
For a moment, let’s pretend we didn’t have these neat little boxes.
Rules of engagement, definition of relationships, boundaries of self.
That when I meet you, I won’t be required to work through niceties and projected
societal norms; and handshakes.
Hate handshakes.
For a moment, let our worlds diminish and leave just you and me, vulnerable like
newborns, baring the beauty in our ugliness; standing on different horizons, soon to
collide.
Will you reach out for me? We could be free… for a moment.
Dismantle every fiber of what we’ve been taught and take a leap of faith.
Collide in a supernova of raw energy and revel in this fierce connection we share.
This flame we try to put lids on, this flame is love.
Full bodied, fearless and all emcompassing- Transformative fucking love.
Let it consume us whole and for a moment, let’s go on this mad adventure, together.
Let me love you.
Humans are made to love.
If you enjoyed this article, we suggest you read:
