VTeen x LCS: Better Late than Leather by Zuzu Valla

Vanity Teen and the London College of Style (@londoncollegeofstyle) have a shared vision to support the new faces of the industry, from models to stylists, photographers, and more. That’s why the magazine presents a series of four editorials made in collaboration with the college showcasing the talents of its pool of stylists. This special series also featured the participation of photographers Zuzu Valla (@zuzu.valla) and Yoshitaka Kono (@yoshitakakono), who captured the aesthetic vision of the LCS student’s team through their lens.

For this first issue, we present “Better Late Than Leather“, which features the work of stylists Sabita Rai (@sabitarai_), Melania Peluso (@melania_peluso), and Alexandra Deere (@alexandra.eve). Captured under the lens of photographer Zuzu Valla (@zuzu.valla) and starring Patrick Mead (@patrick.mead) at PRM Agency (@prm_agency) the editorial is about the duality of a young guy that has just moved to the heart of London. After a long day spent studying at The British Library he opens his wardrobe, dons some stylish clothes, ready to explore the city that never sleeps. He is somewhat transgressive and likes to walk the fine line between right and wrong. He has TWO personalities in contrast to each other: the ordinary guy that studies during the day and plays by the rules, and the other an extrovert, with a unique take on the world around him and one who is trying to discover himself in this new city where anything is possible.

The styling team commented about the shoot.

“We were inspired by the English actor and singer Olly Alexander his boldness and attitude to self-expression captures the essence of the looks we wanted to generate. In our mood-board we represent an alternative guy who likes to express his real personality through his style, being daring and edgy. In order to achieve that we did an enormous amount of research and found the right designers which made the difference to our photo shoot like Dhenze, Aloise Mahé Stephenson for the outfits and Jolanta Pilinkaite Designs for the accessories.

We managed to tell our story with the contrast in the innocence in Patrick’s facial expression and the character we gave to the outfits completed accessories.

This editorial reflects our style as the styling is so unique just like each of our individual styles. We are bold, dynamic and wanted to express this through the range of colors and silhouettes. As stylists we hope to go beyond what is ordinary and explore the alternative.”

VTeen x London College of Style: Better Late than Leather by Zuzu Valla

Photography: Zuzu Valla (@zuzu.valla) | Art Direction: Rebekah Roy (@rebekahroy_) | Styling: Sabita Rai (@sabitarai_), Melania Peluso (@melania_peluso), AlexandraDeere (@alexandra.eve) | Hair: Tim Furssedonn (@tfurssedonn) | Makeup: Linda Burns (@thelindaburns) | Shoot producer: Melody Rawles (@melodyrawles) | Model: Patrick Mead (@patrick.mead) at PRM Agency (@prm_agency)

Special thanks to the London College of Style.