Frank Zhang uses photography to celebrate the worldwide influences that have shaped fashion. Aesthetics from Africa centres Ghanaian model Sonia Barbie Tucker, as Zhang explains: “For a long time, the fashion industry’s perception of beauty was seen through a Eurocentric lens.” In the series, Tucker is adorned in structural, gold jewellery, everything about her suggesting power and confidence.
The artist lends his voice to an increasing number of people in the industry who are calling for greater diversity and celebrating creatives who are working outside of the Eurocentric ideas. In 2022, Vogue published an article entitled “Brands are casting ‘diverse’ models. But they’re still not challenging Eurocentric beauty norms,” whilst the BBC wrote of “how luxury African fashion has wowed Europe’s catwalks.” International exhibition Africa Fashion, meanwhile, visited world-renowned such as V&A, Brooklyn Museum and National Gallery of Victoria, showcasing the influence the continent has had on global trends and celebrating Africa’s huge variety of histories and cultures. Africa’s Fashion Diaspora, meanwhile, is one of the first books to explore the diverse perspectives and significant roles that Black designers have contributed to the creation of international fashion culture. Zhang, and other artists, designers and creatives, are rewriting what it means to be “high fashion.”
Zhang is an artist of many talents. He has a Ph.D. in Physics, working as a nano optics scientist for University of Massachusetts Amherst and National Institute of Standards and Technology. His photography, meanwhile, has gained acclaim with the Fine Art Photography Awards (FAPA), Toyko International Foto Awards (TIFA) and Siena Creative Awards 2022. The sleek and stylish fashion portraits have seen the artist work with brands like Tiffany’s, Harper’s Bazaar, Vogue and Cosmopolitan.
All images courtesy of the artist.
