Modeling – Jessica Mahlekisi

The Aya Velase look book for the Summer/Spring 2017 collection is the very first shoot in which I sported an Afro – which I feel was very suiting as the Aya Velase ready to wear women’s wear brand makes fashion that balances a play between a woman’s “power and vulnerability.”

I felt confident yet vulnerable on the day of the shoot, as I was still getting used to having an Afro and I wasn’t certain how the images would come out. I did however feel powerful because here I was, minor insecurity and all, rocking it in front of Simz #YourFavoritePhotographer’s camera. Nikkita Naidoo’s conceptual makeup and the Aya Velase garments made my job feel like child’s play. I felt like a real princess cut out of marble.