If anyone embodies the phrase ‘slashie’ it’s Naomi Shimada and Phoebe Colling-James. Not content with simply being a model, or artist, they have developed multi-hyphenate careers that include campaigning for more diversity in the fashion industry, writing books about our complicated relationship with social media, hosting podcasts and DJing.
Born in Japan and raised in Spain, writer, activist and model Shimada left home as a teenager to work as a model, shuttling between New York, London and wherever the next shoot was going to be. For her home when she’s working is wherever she can cook for her friends and find somewhere to dance.
Meanwhile multimedia artist and model Phoebe has recently relocated after living in New York for a period. Home is now in east London, close to Epping Forest where she reconnects with nature whenever her busy schedule allows.
This is why they were the perfect subjects for our campaign for Sorel shoes championing a life lived in motion. Always on the move, collaborating, travelling and reflecting on their surroundings, these are women who need to express themselves through their clothes without sacrificing functionality.
To tell the story of how they juggle their careers, relationships and downtime we followed them for a day with fashion photographers Rosaline Shahnavaz and Dean Chalkley, discovering how they keep sane in a world that doesn’t stop.
Across the pages of The Sunday Times Style and in StylePlay videos we learnt about their careers so far, the issues close to their hearts and the routines that keep them grounded, all the while styled by Jenny Kennedy in Sorel shoes and boots which are designed to combine all-weather functionality with high-fashion styling.
Credits; Creative Director - Sachini Imbuldeniya, Picture Editor and Shoot Producer - Marian Paterson, Photographers - Rosaline Shahnavaz, Styling - Jenny Kenned, HMU - Celia Evans
