WE ARE SUBCULTURE
The PUNK poster child lives on 430 Kings Road, he loiters, adorned in a charity shop leather jacket marbled with spiked hardware, safety pins, studs, and silver chains. In his ears, the sex pistols blare sentiments that reject the corporate apparatus & withdrawing from mainstream ideology. In each recount, the PUNK archetype is angry, white, and male & history will continue to characterise him as angry, white & male.
Creative Director Laura Mazikana and Photographer Rocket Weijers challenge this singular portrayal in their editorial for Astrophe Magazine. They shed light on a crucial yet often overlooked aspect of Punk history: the Afropunks. Contrary to the stereotypical image of punk, Afropunks were not a homogenous group but a diverse range of Black artists navigating a subculture that marginalised them. Their existence mirrors the rejection of conventional norms that punk itself advocates. Hence, the notion that "to be black is to be PUNK" echoes that Black identity, often positioned as an outsider, embodies the very essence of punk’s rebellion.
Gallerying through the editorial, Mazikana and Weijers invite viewers to reimagine 430 Kings Road—a symbolic location of punk’s origin—through the lens of Afropunk. The editorial features model Cassaerea Jesus, who disrupts traditional punk aesthetics with her essence: baroque prints clash with tartans and fishnets, while a two-toned jacket by local Sydney designer Alvi Chung for SPEED and a spiked silver choker by PEIYI challenge the monochromatic norms of punk fashion. The portrayal of Jesus standing amongst diverse copies of herself reflects a spectrum of Afropunk identities, each asserting their individuality.
PUNK offers the individual freedom to express without constriction and rigidity. Mazikana abandoned Fashion’s conformist nature, adhering to no hierarchical order, and transformed Cassaerea into a vision never before seen. Paying homage to their alternative selves, the editorial spurs courage, allowing Mazikana, Weijers, and Jesus to morph themselves into an alternative realm.
To Mazikana, the nature of the shoot never sought to adhere to any precursory tributes or mimic PUNK identities of the past. Instead, she echoes the sentiment of Afropunks, with hair & makeup as free interpretations. Jesus captures the sentiment with her playful defiance— interacting with the Peiyi choker and the Angelica Maria lace knit. In that, the team celebrates the overlooked contributions of Black artists to the genre, underscoring a broader critique of punk’s historical narrative.
Afropunk artists such as Karla Mad Dog, Death, Pure Hell, Bad Brains, and Betty Davis have indelibly shaped the punk genre. Mazikana understands intimately that individual expression and autonomy triumph above all, especially within an industry that encourages black creatives to conform. This editorial is PUNK reimagined, with reverence to Afropunks everywhere. The team wants the viewer to know that to be black is to be PUNK.
Photography Rocket Weijers
Styling + Hair Laura Mazikana
Makeup Shannon Key
Model Cassaerea Jesus (viviensmodelmgmt)
Words Lynn MATHUTHU
Angelica Maria knit, PEI YI choker | Speed Jacket, Stylists own stockings | PEI YI choker, Luca Stucci vest, stylists own earrings | Injury Jacket, Samuel de Raadt, Spiked Vest, Stylists own shirt, boots, earrings | PEI YI choker Injury Dress, Stylists own, stockings, socks, shoes | Injury dress, stylists own socks, and shoes
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