COUNTESSA

I am a ‘Black British Brave Babe’, in search of new, fun shapes, different styles, something quirky and unusual - a bit like me.

Countessa shares with us her inspiration for the project comes from her childhood where she would play with bratz dolls, while her brother would be a fan of Action Man, and he would enjoy action figures. She took these two worlds and juxtaposed them which in a way translates to a conversation about gender roles and identity. Countessa uses the dolls as a childhood reference but pushes the envelope in order to create something unusual and quite exciting.

‘’This whole project in itself is an oxymoron.’’ - She told us.

‘’When you think of Bratz dolls you think of ‘a sexy fashion forward fierce female’ with lots of feminine energy (someone that’s ready to conquer the world) and these are the foundations of today’s modern day influencer. This is what our modern day social media influencers aspire to be - your stereotypical Kim Kardashians, Jeffree Star.

And when you think of an Action Man you think of someone that’s down for an adventure, that’s urban, that’s cool and edgy, daring, assertive with a disregard for consequence and responsibility, and these are all linked to stereotypical masculine traits.

I decided to play with this and switch up the gender stereotypes but to make it fun, I had the men radiate a lot of feminine energy rather soft but sexy playful using bright pops of colour, and a brave print. And let’s have the women looking a lot more edgy, almost conceptual-adventurous with shape and fabrics.

I had the babes dressed like Action Man and the boys based off Bratz Dolls.''

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