At Vex, we stand for more than fashion. We value creators of art in all forms, including beauty, which is why we want to spotlight a new beauty brand on our radar. Isamaya Ffrench is a British makeup artist who has worked with some very famous faces, including Madonna, Rihanna and Bella Hadid, and has worked with some of the biggest brands in beauty, including YSL Beauty and Tom Ford. And now, she has launched her own beauty collection,Isamaya.
The beauty market is oversaturated with no shortage of brands available. But what makes Isamaya and her brand different is her creative approach. She’s not simply a makeup artist; instead, she creates wearable art in a way that is unique and bold. It’s no surprise then that the new brand’s creatives are equally as edgy and differentiated. The first collection, entitledIndustrial, launched in June 2022 with visuals shot by Steven Klein, an American photographer known for working with pop culture figures including Madonna. The result is a visual campaign that is unlike any other beauty launch, with latex at the focus.
Upon visiting Isamaya’s website, a video plays featuring a woman wearing head-to-toe latex, including a catsuit, gloves and hood. There are zippers, piercings, rings, rubber and lots of latex; in fact, beauty isn’t the primary focus of the video. It’s not until the end of the film that the face of the woman, who’s wearing a zippered latex hood, is revealed wearing a full face of the brand’s makeup. It’s a very different approach to promoting a beauty brand and one that was intentional. As Isamaya put it, “Industrial is a hardcore, hard-hitting concept both visually and materially, so obviously it was interesting to approach it with a beauty lens. Think gritty - a raw, underground vibe.”
There are other nods to latex elsewhere in the collection. One of the products is Rubberlash, a “latex lift” mascara, which uses a lift technology to stretch lashes out and up. The product packaging has a similar edge, featuring rings resembling piercings on most of the products. The edgy designs are indicative of Isamaya’s approach to beauty. As she puts it, her intention is to show “there are other ways to do beauty” and she hopes to free people “from the ideals of the mainstream.” We at Vex appreciate this uninhibited approach to embracing edge, and we look forward to seeing what’s next from Isamaya’s beauty collection. We just hope there will be more latex involved!