Style politics and sartorial exuberance
in Harlem, Lagos, Berlin, and beyond.

Elements of Style investigates the role of style, dress, and beauty in the formation of individual identity. From the stunning studio work of Kwame Brathwaite, the Harlem-based photographer who advanced the potent political slogan “Black Is Beautiful,” to Collier Schorr’s representations of the queer community in fashion contexts, to Pieter Hugo’s portraits of young students at a Beijing art school, this issue reveals, across time and geographies, how fashion and style help us to see who we are and who we might become.

Aperture magazine is an essential guide to the art and phenomenon of photography, that combines the smartest writing with beautifully reproduced portfolios. Published quarterly, each issue focuses on a major theme in contemporary photography, serving as a book about its subject, for everyone interested in understanding where photography is heading. With fresh perspectives on the medium by leading writers and thinkers, and beautifully designed and produced, Aperture magazine makes new ideas in photography accessible to the photographer, student, and the culturally curious alike.