David Rolle, creative director of House of Raphelita, wrote me one day asking if I'd be interested in shooting his new collection, to which I adamantly told him, "Yes!" David and I worked together for some time now, and I actually pushed him to finish his new collection. We met sometime back in 2020, but that year doesn't count, so David told me he would be ready in the first quarter of 2021 with his new collection.
"You think I should get the 66 Steps for the shoot?"
That's what David texted me one day about a possible location, and I replied,
"Why are you even asking me? That location would be epic!"
The 66 Steps or Queens Staircase, as its historically titled, is actually 65 steps that are carved out of solid limestone in the downtown Nassau area. The steps were carved out by some 600 slaves as an escape route from Fort Fincastle, which sits above, back in the 1700s.
So after that history lesson and seeing some of David's pieces, this was going to be the most PERFECT place to photography the new HOR collection. Topped with David telling me he wanted to use signature models in the country and incorporate straw, the goosebumps on my arms became more visible as the concept developed.
On location, David pulled out all the stops, completely reserving the site for his team, the models and my team, complete with catering and preferred parking! We had a makeup background built just for aesthetics, and I chose to go with a 1 light setup for the shoot. Working with 6 professional models had its benefits as well. The girls shifted, posed and walked into these marvellous compositions. The pieces fit each model as if they were made just for her frame and combined with very Avant grade makeup and hairstyles; the photoshoot's designer, David, took on the form of a master composer.
Thank you so much for sticking to the end of my story. You will find images and a BTS video below. Enjoy!
House of Raphelita SS21 GALLERY
SHOOT HIGHLIGHTS (BTS) House of Raphelita SS21
Design House: @raphelita_
Photography: @scharadlphoto
Video: @truevisionFSC
Production assistant: @alyssaholiic
Hair: @metamorphosis_bs
MUA: @kabukipaint
Accessories: @harltaylorbag
Shoes: @shoeluxxe242
Models
Jessica Frances-Thompson
Kejuana Beneby
Shauntae Miller
Tara Miller
Selvanique Wright
Milan Georges