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"Clothes and jewelry have always been very important to me in observance of how people present themselves because that’s empowerment. Everything I do is about self-presentation and empowerment. You know why it’s so important? Because even people who have very little can control how they present themselves to the world. If you have no money, no nothing, you can throw on a scarf, put your hat to the side and walk out in to the street and feel good. It’s style."
The idea of overcoming economic disenfranchisement with an artistic, visual method of self-presentation really takes us back to the idea that fashion is mode of artistic expression. I admire the interviewer for getting this out of Coreen because it connects fashion to a force higher than materialism, which is what it represents more so these days.Besides being a fashion designer, Simpson is more recognized for her work as a freelance fashion and nightlife photographer. Chronicling Harlem's fierce underground fashion communities and nightclubs in the late 70s and 80s, she was able to capture a plethora of styles and characters--both famous and just plain amazing--which will be released this May in her book The Black Cameo. Check out some of the shots from her book below, and read the rest of the interview on the Fader blog.
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