Harry Uzoka was charming, curious, cute and always complimentary. I was scrolling through Instagram when his kind eyes, charismatic smile, baby-smooth skin, and rich complexion first struck me. Put simply, his attractiveness was breathtaking.

Being a fashion stylist, I have friends across different sectors of the industry, but most of my work is with musicians and the world of modelling is quite foreign. Even so, upon leaving my house a week after spotting him on Insta, it became apparent that this beautiful stranger was turning into a fashion name. To my quiet delight I saw his face on various large billboards, advertising high-street brands.

It wasn’t until I was out shopping for work in central London that I finally saw Harry in the flesh. He was up against the side entrance of Topshop’s flagship store, iced out in amethyst crystals and dressed in all black, sporting the Givenchy Rottweiler t-shirt that characterised 2014’s urban street goth look. It was the first time I realised that even humans could glow in the dark. His equally stylish squad, including his inseparable best friend and fellow model Chuck Achike, surrounded him. It was Harry, who left his trendy circle and said “I’ve seen you around, and I think you’re cool, can we hang out?”.

He was endearing. Flattered would be an understatement. We exchanged pleasantries and social media details. Since then, Harry would often express his introspective thoughts about the nature of love, history and metaphysics in my DMs. It was clear to me he was intent on navigating a journey beyond fashion, past the material and into the esoteric.

To the creative black community, Harry was not only a model; he was the living representation of possibility. His former relationship with model Leomie Anderson, captured in many stunning shoots, moved black women in unimaginable ways. Against a backdrop of colourism, to see two dark-skinned, young, successful people from London together in public, and in love is something we’re regrettably unfamiliar with.


This union made the concept of ‘black love’ feel attainable and not merely a Twitter hashtag. Together or not, the pair created the images so many of us were desperate to see as children. “He wasn’t just my ex-boyfriend, he was one of my oldest and dearest friends,” Anderson wrote in a post on Instagram yesterday. Addressing Harry, she went on: “You are proof that you can change your entire life and become a role model, no matter the circumstances.”

For me, these images removed the veil on the mysterious world of editorials. In a lightbulb moment, Harry taught me that I could use them to create images of the world I wished to see.

With that in mind, I enlisted Harry to model for me alongside poet and musician Kojey Radical for Notion Magazine. I titled the shoot “When We Were Kids”, as an ode to when boys could express vulnerability without shame. The beauty of Harry’s vulnerability was in his lack of ego; he was never ashamed to be kind. He was becoming known for international campaigns with Lyle & Scott, Zara, ASOS, and Pull & Bear and I had a grand total of zero to pay, but his response was prompt and he expressed his excitement; telling his top agency that he'd be happy do this without payment, regardless of exposure.

“The beauty of Harry’s vulnerability was in his lack of ego; he was never ashamed to be kind”

This was representative of Harry's nature, always willing to help, without any ego or the bravado you'd expect from someone in his position. Jojo Sonubi, co-creator of ‘Black in the Day’, also remembers Harry’s humility and that “even when I was trying to find my feet as a videographer he tried to connect me with a few of his director friends”. He describes him as “one of the top 10 most blessed people I’ve ever met”. This is one of thousands of similar stories of Harry going out of his way to use his platform to help up and coming young creatives.

He was a professional. He never complained, he was always keen, had great energy, and was helpful. I got home after our shoot to a text from him saying that he had forgotten his wallet in the pockets of an outfit. 
What could have been a quick pick up turned into an impromptu three-day sleepover. We spoke at an intense rate. The topics ranged from modelling, music, (at this point Harry and his fellow model friends Dylan Williams, Jamel Gordon-Lynch, Boyd Alvino, Jeremy Boateng as well as Chuck Achike had formed a rap group called Justanorm) Nigeria, Egyptology, family, relationships, and his interest in spirituality.

Chidera Eggerue (the Slumflower), also remembers his interest in spirituality and his crystals. “His house has always been a space of zen and positivity,” she says. “When I first knew him, he used to always wear a necklace around his neck full of crystals, way before crystals became sensationalised.” In this way, Harry was a rare individual. He had the curiosity of a child, but the soul of an old man. He was spectacular.

He intrigued me with his fixation on the invisible driving forces of life. He showed me documentaries and the textbooks he was getting through. He insisted we watched astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson on Netflix, as well as DVDs he'd brought about ancient Africa.

In short, being with Harry Uzoka was like being with myself. It was peace. There is a difference between those who make you feel lonely, and those who make you feel alone. What Harry did is provide the gift of allowing people to be who they are alone in front of someone else. A reclusive person like me holds this in the highest regard.

Finding out about Harry's death to a senseless knife crime, was like a nightmare I'm still hoping to wake from. I am consumed by sorrow as the reality begins to settle. Like singer-songwriter Jacob Banks tweeted “somebody's son, someone's source of joy” was taken in what appears to be a robbery gone wrong. As close friend to Harry, Lola Coca writes on her heartfelt Instagram post “you seeped love from every pore... I watched you laugh and dance even through your darkest days”. So who could do this? Why could they do this? We only have to scroll through the hashtags of his name to know that Harry Uzoka was so much more than a handsome face.

I was angry, hurt, disappointed and heartbroken. Two men in their late 20s have been arrested on suspicion of his murder. And it begs the wider questions, why does this continue to happen? Who gets to decide that another human life is disposable?

“Harry Uzoka is symbolic of how you can transform your life. How you can use your face to inspire others to be more than their face”

Harry Uzoka is symbolic of how you can transform your life. How you can use your face to inspire others to be more than their face. Against all odds and a tragically short career he impacted everyone who met him with his perpetual positivity and contagious joy. I haven't seen Harry in over a year but the memory of the time we shared is etched into the delicate fibres of my heart. Let’s use this tragedy to be more thankful for life, family and friendship. For at the very least, death can redefine how we live.

We all miss you Harry Uzoka.