For “Not in Paris II”, Highsnobiety’s second digital Paris Fashion Week showcase, the dunhill Community gets personal with Editorial Director Chris Morency; discussing life and creativity in the time of Covid, how they came to be who they are today and of course, their affinity and connection with the House.

James Lavelle is an electronic musician, record label owner and curator who founded the Mo’Wax label in 1992, where he released one of electronic music’s most seminal albums – DJ Shadow’s Endtroducing. More recently, in 2014, he directed the Meltdown Festival on London’s Southbank and curated “Daydreaming with Stanley Kubrick” a 2016 exhibition at Somerset House.

Speaking to us for this project, James talks about connecting with Mark Weston on music culture, aesthetics and the importance of working hard at and for your art.

Toni-Blaze Ibekwe is Editor-in-Chief of Wonderland magazine. Originally from South-East London and a strong advocate for diversity and inclusion, she recently co-wrote ‘Loud Black Girls: 20 Black Women Writers Ask: What’s Next? (Slay in Your Lane)’. She is also on the British Fashion Council’s Diversity & Inclusion steering committee.

From her journey to the top job at Wonderland to how creativity was all around her growing up, Toni-Blaze talks influences, patience and the importance of having a vision.

Petter Lundgren is a Creative Consultant based in Stockholm whose style is heavily influenced by 70s to 90s rock music and subcultures. Originally from a small town in Sweden called Vilhelmina, Petter left his construction job to pursue a career in fashion.

He has since consulted and styled for numerous brands, musicians and publications, and is a passionate long-distance runner and former competitive alpine skier. Petter highlights the importance of materials, fabrication and subtle flamboyances in his work and in his personal style.

London poet James Massiah has previously worked with dunhill and Creative Director Mark Weston on several projects, including runway show audio track collaborations, campaigns and DJ sessions. His work explores ideas of sexuality, late night situations and mortality in new and interesting ways – all with the city as his backdrop.

James has performed readings of his work at the Tate Modern, the Courtauld, the Institute of Contemporary Arts and the Houses of Parliament. He has also been profiled in Vogue, Dazed, i-D and GQ, as well as curating events for Boiler Room and hosting the monthly ‘Poætry Show’ on NTS Radio.

Darius Trabalza is a skateboarder and part of the Slam City Skates team, whose content explores and curates his passion, with a personal aesthetic that elevates classic 90s skate subculture style codes.

In his conversation with Highsnobiety, Darius talks about Dad jeans, post-pandemic travel and growing up in Kent dreaming about the Southbank.

Kenta Cobayashi is an artist from Japan whose work is characterised by digital manipulation of images. Based in Tokyo, he has previously worked with dunhill and Creative Director Mark Weston on runway show collaborations and capsule collections.

Using photography and film in abstract ways, Kenta’s work is inspired by the ever-changing urban landscape of Tokyo and the exploration of the Japanese language – in both it’s nuances of meaning and bold, graphic properties.

Sam Trotman is an expert on sub-cultures. His work explores and explains, in compelling, engaging ways, the seeds of inspiration that feed new trends – from luxury Houses and musical artists to gaming and skate culture.

From his time with WGSN, Sam became a sounding board for the industry and now to his dedicated social audience. He explains how all of his experiences within the industry inform how he wants to communicate his stories today.

Photography by Jesse Laitinen, interviews conducted by Chris Morency.
Kenta Cobayashi was photographed by Rakuto Makino.

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