These photos will expand your idea of beauty

Taken from the winter 2022 issue of Dazed. You can buy a copy of our latest issue here

“Our idea was to question the notion of beauty,” says stylist Alex Carl about the Beautiful Strangers shoot from the Dazed Winter 2022 issue. Photographed by Cho Gi-Seok, the images sought to portray beauty outside of mainstream representation. “To take people who inspire us in their confidence, in their individuality and celebrate each one of them in their own space.” 

For the beauty looks themselves, the team – hair stylist Olivier Schawalder, make-up artist Masae Ito and nail artist Sylvie MacMillan – approached each of the models individually, creating textures and shapes that enhanced their characters and the uniqueness of their faces and bodies. “The casting was really key to how this came together in the end, it was so inspiring to look outside of the realm of what’s quite often presented to us within an industry which then transmits into society,” says Carl.  

“It’s our biggest responsibility really to keep pushing the boundaries of what and who is seen! We as creatives have full control of this and it was an amazing process to challenge this notion.”

Photography CHO GI-SEOK, styling ALEX CARL, hair OLIVIER SCHAWALDER at BRYANT ARTISTS using ORIBE, make-up MASAE ITO at MA+ using M.A.C, nails SYLVIE MACMILLAN at MA+, models NAN and JASROOP at ZEBEDEE, ISLA GASKIN at STORM, OMOWUNMI at PRM, MER and COLIN at PREMIER, NAJA at LE MANAGEMENT, BELLA at MILK, CHIOKO TWINS at BOUNDARY, photographic assistants JISU PARK, NIKITA ONO, GENIE KIM, styling assistants ABBY ADLER, EMILY JONES, TABATHA TURNER, hair assistants DAMIEN LACOUSSADE, TOMMY STAYTON, make-up assistants NAOMI HASHIDA, MARTHA INOUE, nails assistant YUCA MURAKAMI, production assistant TILLY JOHNSTONE, casting BEN GRIMES at DRIVE REPRESENTS