S.O. and Fanm Djanm's 'Headwrap Diaries' Celebrates Collaboration Among Black Women
In her directorial debut, Paola Mathé, enlists a diverse group of creatives for an ethereal music video that celebrates black women.
Creative director and founder of lifestyle brand Fanm Djanm, Paola Mathéteams up with Nigerian-born, San Antonio-based Hip Hop artist S.O. for thevisual project "Headwrap Diaries," her directorial debut and the first project in what Mathé describes as a new initiative to highlight the work of black creators.
For "Headwrap Diaries," she enlisted a team of black women stylists, designers, make up artists and more to bring the celebratory song to life visually. "I wanted to show all types of beauty and strength," Mathé says. "It was important for me to show different generations, skin tones, and afro hair texture in such a beautiful, natural way." She worked with costume and set designer Al Malonga who dressed models in clothes provided by Rosario Dawson and Abrima Erwiah's sustainable fashion label Studio 189.
The music video features models Diandra Forrest, Tatiana Cooper and Aluoch Catherine, as well as S.O.'s wife Sophia Otukpe—who is the inspiration behind the song—as well as their daughter Sade Rose. "I wanted to write about my experience as a husband of a Black woman who wore headwraps," says S.O. about the creation of the song. "As I started writing it, I realized that the experiences I wrote about in the song were not only my wife's but all women who wear headwraps."
Mathé's vision for the project was to center black women, and allow them to see themselves in an illuminating way. "In a world where black women face both with structural inequalities and a barrage of negative messages about their hair, skin and cultural experience, it is our hope that this digital initiative will leave your audience feeling inspired and empowered to support, encourage and uplift women in their communities."
Watch the music video for "Headwrap Diaries" above, and check out some behind the scenes images from the shoot below.
Photo by Aaron Pegg for Fanm Djanm
Photo by Aaron Pegg for Fanm Djanm
Photo by Aaron Pegg for Fanm Djanm
Photo by Aaron Pegg for Fanm Djanm
Photo by Aaron Pegg for Fanm Djanm
Photo by Aaron Pegg for Fanm Djanm
- BuyBlack: 25 Black-Owned Businesses to Check Out on Black Friday ›
- NYFW: This Is What Studio 189's First Fall Collection Looks Like ... ›
- Studio 189 Brought 'Heritage' to the Runway During NYFW ... ›
- 9 Headwraps and Hats That Will Keep you Cute and Cozy This Winter ›
- This Video Unpacks the Complex History of the Headwrap ... ›