At the "Hotel" with DaiJohn McLaurin & Asia Rivera
A Q&A with DaiJohn McLaurin & Asia Rivera
Written by: Ashley Johnson
Model & Creative Director: Asia Rivera
Photographer: DaiJohn McLaurin
Makeup & Hairstylist: Anna Cecchi Smith
Ashley Johnson: Tell us about the project! What was the creative process behind it and why is it important to you?
Asia Rivera: The same day we shot these photos we knocked out a couple of other looks since the weather was so nice but this one stood out the most out of all of the sets to us. We were debating where to shoot at after running out of natural light. We both agreed to try out this hotel we’ve stayed at a few times.
I pulled together my outfit after hair and makeup were completed by Anna, we got in the room, planned out some frames and it was over from there. This process was important to us because everything felt so right even though we just winged it on location and this speaks volumes because it doesn’t matter what you have but how you use it. We never really have much to work with but it always feels like we made million-dollar magic.
AJ: Tell us about yourself as a creator. Where are you from? Who do you build for? What are you passionate about?
AR: I’m from New York and DaiJohn is from New Jersey. I do what I do because I want to show other girls and women that even if we grew up insecure and bullied or beaten down by the opinion of others that we can still learn to love our flaws and all that we are. I am very passionate about the work I put in and making sure my 3-year-old daughter knows that her mama followed her dreams and made a way for herself no matter what because we create our own realities and with all of our resources given there is no reason we can’t go after what we want.
DaiJohn McLaurin & Asia Rivera | CRWNMUSE
DaiJohn McLaurin: I do what I do because I love it, it makes me feel good and it helps me impact people in ways I never thought would be possible. I always do my best to evoke emotions in whatever photos I take. I’m most passionate about being able to give back and help in any way possible, whether it be through giving advice or inspiring someone the feeling will never get old. As time passed it became so much more than just taking photos to me.
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AJ: What responsibility (if any) do you feel you have as a creative to sharing images of, or creating alongside or for Black women?
AR: Representation is extremely important. We are literally the culture, we set the trends. Overall as a whole, Black women don’t get the credit they deserve for their contributions to where fashion and the entire creative culture are currently. Give them their spotlight & credit! We both feel obligated to show off these aspects through the art we create by digging into our roots to execute concepts such as our Hotel series.
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