In the wake of unforeseen catastrophe, which has seen entire nations unified in their very isolation, can a magazine ever step in as a global connector? Can youth culture metabolise as a force of resilience and upheaval, even beyond the major cities and locations? These are weighted questions, but ones which Dazed editor-in-chief IB Kamara has spent the last number of months wrestling with. Questions which ultimately boil down to one behemoth – what is the purpose of a magazine in 2021?

For our 2021 issue, it was about bringing together the disparate voices of young people from around the world, and unifying them into one rallying cry within the pages of Dazed – a “National Geographic for global youth culture”, as Kamara himself puts it.

Our new cover story “Global Local” embodies this ethos, spotlighting traditional dress alongside Prada, Wales Bonner, Valentino, Alexander McQueen, and Saint Laurent. “We wanted to create something beautiful with a global voice,” Kamara said of the creative direction behind the shoot. In particular, “I wanted to create a cover which stands with the Asian community.”

As shot by Rafael Pavarotti, Kamara adds that he hopes the vibrant, group-led imagery conveys “happiness, beauty, good luck, success, pride, vitality, and good fortune”. The shoot celebrates custom in a way which is rarely seen on the pages of a fashion magazine. Culture, after all, is so much more than tradition and history – it’s people, togetherness, celebration, and optimism. And perhaps it’s these values which, despite global segregation, truly embody a magazine. 

Click through the gallery above to see the shoot for yourself. 

Hair Virginie Moireira at MA Group, make-up Ammy Drammeh at Bryant Artists, talents Adit Priscilla at Premium, Sarah Bonkay at Silent, Ginette Mendes at The Claw, Priscillia Ressem at Girl, Afafe Haidara at IMG, Marieme Kane at Makers, Rabine Flory at Rockmen, François Delacroix at The Claw, Sona Marciel at Makers, Ophelie Him at Mademoiselle, Ludan Zhang at Makers, Jeanne Zheng at Premium, Kaizen Cauret at Studio Paris, Tess Buitenhuis at Viva, Becky Skirrow at The Face, Tya Gohin Gagneux at Women360, Maxence Colautti at Rockmen, Jaouen Nils at 16Men, Abdoul Razak at Rockmen, Julien Masselo at 16Men, Douta Sidibe at The Claw, Lamine Diouf at M MGMT, Laurens Landre at Marylin, Jean-Luc Ndjoli at Success, set design Ibby Njoya, photographer assistants Felix TW, Dani Bastidas, digital operator Paul Allister at Dtouch, stylist assistants Felix Paradza, Mark Mutyambizi, Aroua Ammari, Laura Ly Tran, Ange Héraut, Andra-Amelia Buhai, hair assistants Damien Lacousade, Gaby Pondy Bias, Laurie Nlate, make-up assistants Sun Seo, Emilie Nssoga, Eloise Bourges, Natsuki Onemaya, set design assistant Alice Jacobs, production Brachfeld, Julia Lemaire, casting director Mischa Notcutt, casting assistant Sarah Maria Booth