Dazed Club wanted to celebrate all the incredible work our community has done this year by including some of our London curators and clubbers in our Winter 2025 edition. DJs and designers, painters and photographers, food artists and fashion people: we encompass many disciplines. Find out more below, and stay posted for more opportunities. 

FAT-LIP, MULTIDISCIPLINARY DJ

Fat-Lïp describes their work as “an ongoing sonic and anthropological excavation and examination,” moving between DJing, saxophone, research and soundscape practice. Their sets are rooted in a love of all forms of music and a fixation on Black identity. Rather than chasing a trend or a sound, they see themselves as tracing lineages – “hearing where we've been and imagining where we could go.”

They’re currently producing the first edition of VEXED as an online and physical zine/archive, and their dream project is to host a multi-national festival dedicated to Black electronic music – a celebration of Black DJs and artists across the diaspora.

Through projects like VEXED on OROKO and their collective HARDFOOD, Fat-Lïp celebrates the textures of Black life across the world, searching for “the genius in the everyday.” Their aim is to spark conversation about what Black identity sounds like now, beyond “pre-scripted harmful ideologies,” and how we carry that forward.

What's your favourite thing in your bag?

My 99p lip gloss from the hair shop.

What's the best thing to do in London?

Leave... and then maybe come back. London is a city made up of people from all over the world, so it’s only natural to return to those places and try to build globally.

AARONY BAILEY, ARTIST

Aarony Bailey is a visual artist who “uses the camera to capture semi-autobiographical narratives surrounding femininity and sexuality,” exploring the complexities of womanhood and the female body. Bailey works across film and photography, from pieces about personal sexual experiences to nightlife images exploring sisterhood and club culture. All of her work is centred around unpacking the femme experience in today’s sociopolitical climate.

The artist is currently working on a short film that dives into “feelings of shame, neglect, and desire within sex,” while also creating photography prints using condom wrappers to showcase pleasure “in a fun and abstract way.” 

What’s your favourite thing in your bag?

It has to be my point-and-shoot film camera! I take her everywhere; my life and my work literally depend on it.

What’s the best thing to do in London?

People watching in London is quite magical. I love observing couples, families, friends, any kind of dynamic really that requires physical affection. The city is so diverse and that shines through in the way people interact with one another; it’s very beautiful.

DANIEL SANTANGELO, ARTIST

Daniel Santangelo is a painter exploring “otherworldly, celestial realities that merge myth, spirituality and contemporary and historical Black culture.” His work draws from his Ethiopian, Eritrean and Italian heritage, reimagining histories through a symbolic and spiritual viewpoint. He’s interested in how painting and image making can be “a space for transformation and making sense of lived experiences.”

While Santangelo is currently focused on building his body of work and creating new images on canvas, he’s also considering projects in fashion and set design, sharing that “I’ve always been drawn to the idea of bringing my work into other creative outlets.” His dream project is to see his work on a film set or shoot, where he can continue to expand his world-building.

What’s your favourite thing in your bag?

Probably my Arabian oud. I love it so much, I keep a stock of it because I can’t go anywhere without some kind of perfume on me; it feels so weird when I forget it. I love smelling good and getting compliments for it, and oud has been my go-to for so long now.

What’s the best thing to do in London?

Finding good food spots, being with your friends going around on lime bikes. Spending a late night with your friends riding around the city and racing is so much fun and scary at the same time.

GRACIE BRACKSTONE, PHOTOGRAPHER AND WRITER

Gracie Brackstone is a photographer, writer, stylist and producer who “documents life and makes work in response to the current climate.” Whether personal or political, her main mediums are photography and writing, which she uses to keep “a journal of the world around me” as she documents the community around her.

“This year has felt a little slow for me, but that’s because the world has become so crazy and my main focus has been protesting and activism and trying to encourage other people,” Brackstone explains. She has been working on several creative projects, including writing scripts for a TV show based on her life, two photobooks, and early-stage talks about a potential documentary series, though she importantly highlights that “art is not cheap and everything needs funding.” Her dream project is for her show to become the UK version of Euphoria, where she can help produce and direct, recreating scenes she has lived through “in the most gorgeous and cinematic sense.”

What’s your favourite thing in your bag?

My laptop – I love her, she’s so cunt, she is covered in so many stickers, one says ‘hot girls hate capitalism’, some are from the Palestine marches, one says ‘defund the police’.

What’s the best thing to do in London?

For me, I feel that in the current climate, the only time I feel fully present and like my time is being well spent, is when I have been at protests and demonstrations. Seeing how quickly groups will mobilise when there has been an adaptation, in the ongoing genocide, it really restores my faith in people.

TÖPIA ADEBAYO, MUSICIAN AND ARTIST

Töpia Adebayo is a singer-songwriter and live performer who blends neo-soul, rock, and spoken word influences. Beyond performing, she is the founder and curator of Töpia’s Homies, a monthly jam night and community space for rising artists across London. Her work is “really about connection, creating moments where music, storytelling, and collaboration meet,” and whether on stage or curating, she strives to build spaces that feel “authentic, fluid, and inspiring.”

Adebayo is currently focused on finally releasing music after ten years as a live performance artist, finding a balance between stage and studio work. Her dream project is to create a live concept album experience – “part gig, part installation, part open jam” – bringing together musicians, poets, and visual artists to perform an album from start to finish in an immersive, collaborative way.

What’s your favourite thing in your bag?

In and on: I’d say my mini Luffy. The most impactful anime series for me is One Piece so I keep a little crochet version of one of the main characters on my bag. It was a gift from my band and my flatmate, so it means a lot. It’s a little reminder of adventure, resilience, and the people who keep me grounded.

What’s the best thing to do in London?

Make music and eat, sometimes at the same time!

JELVI SANTOS, FASHION DESIGNER

Jelvi Santos is “a producer by day and a fashion designer at night.” Driven by curiosity, his work plays with the distinctions between reality and imagination. “I’m always experimenting and pushing boundaries so I can create something new.”

Currently, Santos is developing new designs for the brand ITANSHA and working on releasing a bespoke sound album that expands the brand’s universe, translating “emotion, sound, and frequencies into something tangible.” His dream project is a large-scale immersive installation merging fashion, architecture, and sound to create, “something that feels like walking inside a memory or an abandoned research facility.”

What‘s your favourite thing in your bag?

My power bank, I can’t go anywhere without it. It literally keeps my world running.

What’s the best thing to do in London?

Taking random side quests through the city and letting it surprise you. The best moments always happen when you’re not looking for them

TONIQUE ADACIA SEWELL, ARTIST

Tonique Adacia Sewell is an oil painter and interdisciplinary artist whose work explores the changing nature of materials over time. Drawing on her daily life in London and memories of Jamaica, Sewell often works in series, painting from her own photography.

As a film enthusiast, she enjoys incorporating cinematic elements into her work, “playing with different compositions and camera angles.” She is currently developing her Repair Shop series, which unfolds through different collections of paintings all connected by a central theme. “I’d also love to be a creative in the film industry. I heard they’re making a Sims movie – that would be my dream project, or anything Sims-related. Maybe The Sims 5, if that ever becomes a thing.”

What’s your favourite thing in your bag?

My Glossier Banana Pudding Balm Dotcom and my inhaler – they gave me a hot pink one this time. 

What’s the best thing to do in London?

I love looking at the view from Waterloo Bridge at night – colourful Brutalism. 

BARNEY PAU, FOOD ARTIST AND WRITER

Barney Pau is a food artist and writer who “has fingers in many pies – quite literally.” He creates everything from concept dinners and edible installations to visual artworks, and he’s “constantly dreaming up new ways to make people taste ideas, not just talk about them.” Beyond the studio, they tutor for Gramounce, an online food and art school, and run a London residency exploring queer food, while writing about “the messy, beautiful intersections between art, food, and identity.”

Pau is working on a range of exciting projects, from reimagining perfume scents as edible formats to creating a gallery show on queer domesticity and collaborations with a well-known dating app. He thrives on briefs, explaining that his dream project is “one where I can create an entire experience based on the client’s ideas, curating not just the food, but the space, its setting, and the way in which people interact with it!”

What’s your favourite thing in your bag?

Probably the bag itself... I never carry much more than the essentials, but I’m obsessed with my little purses I put them all in.

What’s the best thing to do in London?

To be honest, I just love catching up with the girls over a pint or a glass of wine. Can’t beat a good pub garden or wine bar terrace on a summer’s eve.

BRANDON, EDITORIAL DESIGNER AND WRITER

Brandon is an editorial designer, writer, and founder of Underworld Magazine, an east London-based, worldwide-facing publication that platforms independent queer artists, writers, and photographers in the UK and beyond.

They are currently working on Underworld 004: WET+WIILD, set for release this December. The previous issue, said to be “bigger, bolder, and bloody filthier than ever,” was celebrated with an edging-themed launch party. Brandon’s dream project is UNDERWORLDWIDE, which involves taking the magazine global and producing issues that explore queer scenes in cities across the world.

What’s your favourite thing in your bag?

Either my antihistamines or my 6000 puff Pineapple ice vape. 

What’s the best thing to do in London?

Squat raves or sunbathing in Hackney marshes, when the weather permits.

WESLEY MANNERS, KNITWEAR DESIGNER

Wesley Cardinal Manners is a fashion designer and multidisciplinary creative who “likes making clothes that make people feel sexy.” Their favourite part of the process comes during fittings, when they can tweak a design until the wearer feels “1000 per cent,” watching someone’s body language shift with confidence.

They’re currently making a wedding dress for one of their oldest friends and have launched Blackney Wick Film Club, a sober film night “born out of the need for sober spaces where people of colour can sit together and enjoy each other's company while watching gorgeous films from Black voices.”

“It would be a dream to have the funding to offer opportunities and properly collaborate with all the wonderful creatives around me,” they explain. One particular project is the play they hope to produce, which would present an opportunity to create something that reaches beyond the fashion world.

What’s your favourite thing in your bag?

I’ve got everything in that bag – I’m like Mary Poppins – but my favourite thing is probably my little sketchbook.

What’s the best thing to do in London?

Leave… and come back!

ALEXANDER EKHOLM, PHOTOGRAPHER AND DIRECTOR

Alexander Ekholm is a photographer and director for whom “conformity is the antagonist.” Their work is driven by a desire to challenge the ways we “passively swallow normality,” rooted in a belief that authenticity is life’s purpose. While photography and directing are their primary creative outlets, Ekholm’s practice pulls from sewing, CGI, and dance – mediums they combine to build worlds where all their interests converge.

They regularly photograph for the club night, playbody (which they describe as “literal heaven on earth”) and work with HOWL, the queer East London rave and sexual wellness platform, recently shooting its campaign for Luis De Javier. Ekholm is also in the early stages of developing a new dance film exploring “nostalgia of the body in a digitalising world.”

Their dream project is to direct a feature film centred on movement and self-discovery, bringing together the talented queers of east London and beyond in “a demonstration of collaborative excellence.”

What’s your favourite thing in your bag?

My wired headphones.

What’s the best thing to do in London?

Go to playbody.

NATALIE VEST-JONES, CREATIVE DIRECTOR

Natalie Vest-Jones is a Creative Director and the founder of Sanxtuary Magazine, a platform celebrating authentic representation in fashion and beauty. Her work often leans into escapism and surrealism to tell stories that feel “limitless” in a world that often isn’t.

Across Sanxtuary Magazine, the annual print and digital space spotlighting BIPOC and queer creatives, she has created editorials with talents such as Baby Tate, Nxdia and Tayce. She describes the publication as “a much-needed space, showing off the talents of the BIPOC and queer community!” With Issue 04 just released, she has also launched Sanxtuary Studio, a creative agency offering direction, production, and branding services for brands that want to move with culture, not perform around it.

Vest-Jones’s dream project is to work with brands that will “allow me to inject intersectionality and authentic representation into their campaigns.” She also shares, “I think it would be so fun to direct projects for artists like Tyler, The Creator, Shygirl, or FKA Twigs.”

What‘s your favourite thing in your bag?

My favourite thing in my bag is probably my hand sanitiser. It smells really good, and it obviously kills germs, so it's really helpful for London life.

What’s the best thing to do in London?

I’m definitely a homebody, but I like the fact that you can never be bored in London.