Cameroun seems an unlikely source for innovative fashion and beauty that challenges pre-established norms. With a moderate population of 22 million predominantly Christians, Cameroon is often overlooked whenever West African fashion is discussed.
But photographers like William Nsai, working out of Cameroon and Senegal, seeks opportunities to challenge the status-quo through expressive fashion editorials that celebrate all forms of diversity and subversive youth culture. Like many of his peers, Nsai seeks to make sense of Africa through fashion.
A photo posted by William nsai (@williamnsai) on
His latest editorial, The Man Who Wore a Flower Crown is far less elaborate than much of his previous work. Collaborating with Njotu Denzel Joseph and Senegalese makeup artist/creative director, Chocolat Frais Diamond Heart, the team takes on the cultural significance of the flower crown, popularized by the burgeoning festival fashion pushed by festivals like Coachella and Burning Man and expands it to encompass staid notions of masculinity.
Or as Semira Bello puts its, someone is taking the Snapchat flower crown too seriously.
We like the editorial, and Njotu does a stellar job of working his angles and portraying that tipping point between masculine and kitschy. We just wish more consideration had been given to the choice of flower crown; the plastic bougainvillea is very distracting.
