FOR THE SEVENTH INSTALLMENT OF BULLY PROFILES WE FEATURE STYLIST EDEM DOSSOU.
Who are you and where are you from?
My name is Edem Dossou, I'm a stylist and I live in Paris.
What brought you to the Bully world?
The first time I heard about Bully was on Jean Paul Paula's instagram : the amazing ode to Marsha P. Johnson story he styled for you was so inspiring I knew I wanted to be part of your narrative.
Who is someone you admire, and why?
Last year I spent a month in London for Burberry, where I met the British stylist Ib Kamara. His impressive creative process, and the way he is fully committed to his work blew me away.
In your work you address a lot of cultural influence, how do you continue to navigate that in a French / Parisian industry?
The Parisian industry is very elitist and doesn't really care for expression of diversity from French talents. They would more easily support creatives that have been validated across the sea (to avoid being accused of not being inclusive) rather than really include different French experiences or point of views. I feel like the most interesting jobs I do are for non french publications, like you 🙂 I also keep on producing personal projects with talented friends to be 100% independent & honest to my vision.
Is there anywhere you haven’t shot that you would love to shoot in?
Last time I went to Ghana for HighSnobiety, I had the time to glimpse a million elements of west-african culture I would love to incorporate in my work. From there I visited my dad who lives in Benin : to rediscover some aspects of the beninese culture through him inspired me a lot and I would love to go back and explore more about this side of my identity.
Photography by EDEM DOSSOU