Lorde Inc

London based street casting agency Lorde Inc continues to break the routine of the fashion industry with the models they choose from various parts of the world. Nafisa Kaptownwala, the one behind this extraordinary agency that was established in 2013, answered our questions.

How did your interest in fashion start?

I graduated with a BFA in Art History from Concordia University. I’m not really that interested in fashion, but I’m interested in visual culture. Fashion to me is kind of the easiest access point to participating in visual arts.

How did you come up with the idea of Lorde Inc?

I guess it mostly came out of feeling like a lot of my friends, and people that I graduated from university with, were blowing in the fashion communities and were coming up as fashion photographers and stylists, but weren’t frequently including models of colour. So I started to just feel like, well I want to participate in fashion too, but I feel like there is no space for me, so I’m going to create a space of my own.

Where does the name come from?

Audre Lorde.

What do you look for in a model?

We look out for people that seem to like to having their photo taken and are comfortable in front of a camera.

Considering agencies like yours and models like Chantelle Winnie, it seems like the modeling industry is changing little by little. How do you see the future of it?

Things are changing but in a minimal way. However there were more models of colour on the catwalk in the 90s than there is now. It kind of goes in cycles.

Do you believe in that the Internet can help one change the current fashion industry?

People want to credit the Internet for being so diverse and providing people access to cultures and identities that they wouldn’t be in contact with otherwise. I kind of think that’s bullshit. People on the Internet definitely regurgitate the same hetero-normative capitalist ideas.

Can you please name some of your favorite designers/ brands?

Phlemuns, Vejas, 000Sportwear.us