Exploring style as an act of self-empowerment

“Who are you”? A question that sounds innocuous enough, but in reality is anything but. The process of exploring personal identity is daunting. Then, expressing what we find on that journey through style takes courage, especially when it means challenging conventional labels. We spoke to five creatives about their unique journeys to using style as a method of authentic self-expression and self-empowerment.

Joakim had a truly international upbringing. He was born in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, but his childhood saw frequent visits to family in Norway. At 10, he moved to Bali, Indonesia, which he describes as a “peaceful and serene space”. Joakim has since traded serenity for city life and is now based in London. Joakim views his modeling work as a chance to morph into different personalities.

Always the big question to start: Who are you?

Joakim: I am somebody who loves. That's what I would say that I do. That's what drives me. I feel like some people are money-driven or goal-driven. I'm love-driven.

How do you express yourself?

Joakim: Through movement. I like to dance, and I like to swim and do yoga. I just like to release that energy from my body. Sometimes I feel the energy trapped or shaking inside of me, and movement releases it. 

Why is expressing yourself important to you?

Joakim: You need to be able to express yourself through your voice and your body. I think it's something you need to do every single day. You're probably expressing yourself every second without even noticing it. If you don't express yourself, I feel like you get trapped. Your energy and your mind get trapped. Using your voice and moving your body releases all that – for me at least.

How would you describe your style?

Joakim: My style is ever-evolving. You cannot put my style in a box. You cannot label it. It's something that is changing with my mood and changing as I change and grow. 

How do you choose what to wear?

Joakim: First, you have to look at the weather, and then, you have to look inwards. When you look in the mirror, what are you feeling? Are you feeling angry or happy? You have to be really honest with yourself if you’re going to feel confident throughout the day. Then you can really feel your body. You're not so disconnected from it anymore. Is there anything else you want to tell the world?

Joakim: If there's one thing I could tell everybody, it’s ‘please love yourself’. Practice looking into the mirror and just loving yourself. It might feel wrong at first, but just fake it until you make it.

She-Lan is a Chinese-French model, creator and entrepreneur, currently living in London, U.K. 

Who are you?

She-Lan: That’s a very big question, and I've been thinking about it a lot. What has worked for me recently is being true to myself. Every time I feel down, or sentimental, or in any way wrong, that little phrase, ‘just stay true to yourself’, brings me back to life each time. 

How do you like to express yourself?

She-Lan: Through fluidity, knowing that I can be anything or anyone I want at any point. And my life can always change. Everything can always change, and I can embrace that change. So, fluidity and change is always at its core. These are the fundamental driving forces of any work that I touch or feel or create.

How would you describe your style?

She-Lan: There's no one word to describe what I wear and how I wear it. In life in general, I do what I do because I've never seen anybody who looks like me or who does what I do. And that's very important to me. Wearing garments that protect me, that shield me, give me not only comfort, but confidence.

What advice would you give to someone who is having difficulty expressing themselves with what they wear? 

She-Lan: I would say: ‘You're valid in every shape and form that you want to take. Start small because change doesn't have to be huge. Change doesn't have to be fast. One step at a time.’ I'm very critical of what I was wearing five years ago. But that's fine. That's a journey. I'm so proud of myself, of the me that I'm presenting right now.

Jordan is a British-born Sierra Leonean triple jumper with aspirations to reach the very top of the sport. Based in London, he also models for a number of sports and fashion brands.

Who are you? 

Jordan: I’m Jordan Aki-Sawyerr. I'm Sierra Leonean, British-born. I’m a triple jumper,  I'm a model, and I’m a sports science student.

How do you like to express yourself? Jordan: I express myself through my vocabulary. Also through my sense of style, be it through clothing, the way my hair is dyed, my eyebrows, my nails – a whole host of things. My sense of expression is integral to my sense of self. I don't think, without all these little extra bits, I would be me.

Why is expressing yourself important?

Jordan: Because we all have vast differences and similarities, but you won't understand that until you see the levels of complexity each person holds. Without expressing myself, I could be perceived as the same as every other bloke on the street, but that doesn't take into account the differences that I hold dear to my heart and that are really important to me. For me, your level of expression is paramount to your identity, so it's really important that you express yourself. And it doesn't need to be the most out there, most extravagant thing. It just needs to be what is close to your heart, what matters to you.

What does the word identity mean to you? 

Jordan: Identity has been a really important word in my personal experience. Growing up in London as a second-generation immigrant, I’ve struggled at times with the sense of identity between my nationality and my cultural background, and how they interact. Identity is a total culmination of every expressible part of myself. I'm starting to come to a place where the term identity doesn't matter to me. The connection to my sense of self is the most important thing. My identity is how I feel, and no one can take that away from me.

Joy is an entrepreneur, creative and model from Swindon, U.K. Having often felt restricted and unable to express their true identity, they create visual art that helps the viewer to experience “the freedom within the darkness.”

Who are you? 

Joy: That's a hard one because many people define who they are based on their career and what they've achieved. But who am I deep down? I don't know yet. I'm still finding myself. I thought I found myself, but I'm still creating a character and still finding things I like or don't like. I think of myself as a creative, an entrepreneur, a business person, and someone who’s just trying to help other people do what they want to do.

How do you like to express yourself?

Joy: I express myself through my look. I try to be as expressive as I can be and not let anybody define me or my personality. Mostly through my tattoos, the clothes, and also through my personality. I try to be very energetic and friendly. I try to be a very caring person.

How would you describe your style? 

Joy: Eclectic. I can wear a suit. I can wear a dress. I can wear gym wear. It's not one thing every single day. I would say eclectic, non-binary. I switch between genders all the time. People don't really know what to pronoun me. Everyone calls me a man or a woman. They're just confused. Non-binary, eclectic, and I would just say a bit crazy. I just wear what I want.

Is it in a way empowering that people can’t easily label you? 

Joy: It's like a superpower. I can choose what I want to present myself as. I don't have to be a woman, or a man, or a certain person. I can present myself as I'm feeling that day, and how I feel changes completely all the time. My identity shape-shifts daily. It's important to me to feel powerful in the clothes that I'm wearing and not to be stuck with one label. I don't really like the word nonbinary. I just like being myself.

Sheerah is a creative and model who describes themselves as a “social mover – not an activist”. They appeared on the cover of British Vogue’s “50 Years of Pride” issue and in the music video for Beyoncé’s “Brown Skin Girl”. Currently based in the West Midlands, U.K., Sheerah is increasingly known for their nuanced and intersectional takes on racism, colorism, queerness, representation, and issues affecting South Asian communities.

We’re starting with a big question. Who are you? 

Sheerah: I am a god. That's my answer! Anyone can be a god. You can find god within yourself. And being a god doesn't necessarily mean that you have an ego, it's that you found peace within yourself and the world around you.

How do you like to express yourself?

Sheerah: A lot of the time it’s through my fashions, adorning what I call ‘this vessel’ with clothing, jewelry, and occasionally makeup, to express what my soul is trying to say to the world.

“Adorning a vessel” is an interesting perspective. Can you tell us a little more detail about that?

Sheerah: I believe we are essentially all just souls, and the physical body helps us experience the outer world. Even when we express ourselves through what we wear, it's actually our soul trying to say what it's feeling. Otherwise, we are just bodies walking around. And I think what we wear, and how we style ourselves, and what we choose to sell ourselves with, it can say a lot about how we are feeling, or thinking, or our ideologies.

How would you describe your style?

Sheerah: My style, just like my taste in music, is very eclectic. Eclectic, eccentric, sexy. Limiting myself in style would mean I don't get to experience not only all the other fashions out there, but also the fashions that I could be creating. I pick things up along the way, and I'm inspired by the world around me, my friends, music, all those things inspire me.

How would you define the difference between fashion and style? 

Sheerah: I think style is more personal. Fashion is a concept. [With fashion] someone puts a concept idea out there, and we take from it if we choose to, and that can become our style. Fashion is meant to be interpreted. Style is the interpretation.

Interviews were conducted on set at the launch shoot for THE ROGER Spin – part performance tennis shoe, part breathable sneaker, part sustainable innovation. It’s a sneaker so versatile that it easily becomes a platform for self-expression. It’s always comfortable and ready to move. But it’s whatever you want it to be. Your spin. Your call. Shop the shoe and find the colorway that works for you.