Olaf Hussein brought their latest pieces across the ocean—Amsterdam to New York—and opted to search for locals to model for them. It is not every day that you see non-models roaming on the streets posing and being photographed. That particular day, the streets of Harlem and Bronx became their personal backdrop.
These normal, everyday New Yorkers were featured in ØLÅF x LUCKA, a collaboration project between the brand and up-and-coming photographer Lucka Ngo for i-D Netherlands.
Like the Olaf Hussein pieces worn by the street-cast models, Lucka has traveled to New York from Czech Republic, where she was born and raised. Her parents had previously relocated to Central Europe from Vietnam to expand their business and Lucka followed in their footsteps by moving to New York to pursue her own dreams.
In an interview with i-D, Lucka talks about the city affectionately. “In my own neighborhood I’ve bonded with the people from the deli, the diner and the discount store across the street. They make me feel safe, because I know they’ve got my back. I wouldn’t want to live anywhere else. Being able to work with so many different people—all with their own personalities and styles—in such a short amount of time was in and of itself a really beautiful experience. That is one of the most important lessons I’ve learned living here: There are so many people who live completely different lives than you, but it is still possible to level with them if you are open to it.”
Lucka, with Olaf Hussein’s creative director Daniel Sumarna and stylist Christopher Smith, wandered around the neighborhood to look for the people that would catch their attention. And when they finally did, they would approach and ask them to try the clothes on the spot. Some locals hesitated but most were more than happy to pose in front of Lucka’s lens.
The spots chosen were real and vivid. Aside from the styling, the team tried to make everything else as untouched as possible — the series of photographs obtained were very raw and they strikingly captured a blend of fashion and everyday life.
One of our personal favorites, Olaf Hussein is an Amsterdam-based streetwear brand that focuses on simplicity, quality, fit and designing contemporary pieces. The brand was originally meant as a menswear one, but has progressed to designing neutral pieces of different sizes from XS to XL, non-verbally indicating that it’s made for everyone.
Images c/o Olaf Hussein
