The Dazed Beauty Community is our ever-expanding encyclopaedia of creatives and emerging talent from across the world who are redefining the way we think about beauty. From supermodels to digital artists to makeup prodigies transforming themselves in their bedrooms, these are the beauty influencers of tomorrow who embody everything Dazed Beauty is about. Discover them here.

Florian Joahn is a photographer, born and raised in East Germany, whose arresting photos explore the feminine side of black masculinity. “I am still trying to answer the question of why I actually do it,” says Florian Joahn of his career. “On a personal level I like how photography brings me out of my comfort zone and presents opportunities to discover new grounds. On a social level, the camera gives me a voice to create dialogue between me and the subject of the photo.”

Florian started out by creating fake passports for him and his friends at school which led to an interest in image manipulation. Since then Florian has shot editorials – in his surreal, atmospheric and provocative style – with people such as Luka Sabbat and Dazed’s own Tettey (pictured above), as well as fashion label Ninamounah’s Fall 2018 campaign, and most recently an exhibition on gender identity in Sao Paulo’s LGBTQ+ community with stylist Jean Paul Paula. He also codirected Dazed's recent documentary Mykki Blanco Speaks About Race In Whiteface.

To Florian, beauty is unproduced emotion – "when people are honest with themselves, despite social structures and obligations." 

Tell me a bit about yourself and where you grew up?
Just a small town girl
Livin' in a lonely world
She took the midnight train goin' anywhere

What three beauty products are in your bag right this second?
Nothing – unless lube counts as a beauty product?

What’s your earliest beauty related memory?
Putting on way too much foundation in high school (three shades darker than my skin tone to look tanned) and my dad asking me if boys do that now or if that is a gay thing.

What’s your favourite smell and why?
Untitled 6. The smell of my boyfriend - it makes me feel like I am home.

Which fictional character do you most relate to and why?
Linda from Bobs Burgers – she always wants to stage musical numbers that no one wants to see. I relate to that so much.

Who is your beauty icon and what is your favourite look of all time? 
Beauty icon? So many, though! I tend to admire people who have a symbiotic relationship between their character and their look: Dennis Rodman, Diane Vreeland, Edith Beale, Larry B, Prince and Sylvia Rivera. Favourite Look – Divine wearing the red mermaid dress in Pink Flamingos.

What beauty product would you take with you to the moon? Why?
Again, does lube count a beauty product?

Finish this sentence: the future of beauty looks like.... that scene in Holy Mountain with all the Jesus dolls. Multitude of ideals with no one to follow them.