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@thecut

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@thecut @ramaduwaji is moving in slow motion. At least, that’s how it’s felt since 10 p.m. on June 24, the night that put her on the fast track to becoming one of New York City’s youngest First Ladies — and its first-ever Muslim one. Unlike many candidates’ wives who hit the circuit with their spouses, Duwaji frequently didn’t appear at campaign events and fundraisers. Her reticence to being seen solely as Mrs. Mamdani seems to have raised her profile even further, making her something of a folk hero to unbothered women. She refused all interviews with the press — until now. For our #CutCover story, the 28-year-old artist sits down with @danya.issawi for her first interview since her husband won the Democratic mayoral primary. Read it at the link in bio. Photography and Art Direction by @szilvesztermako Styling by @jessswill Written by @danya.issawi Photo assistants: @yc.dong, @davidgannonphotography, and @vez___ Hair: @panosphair Makeup: @raoulalejandre Manicure: @she.nails.it Styling assistants: @orexolu, @jacknovotny__ Set Design: @lane.vineyard Set Design Assistants: @gabriellefaitharriaga, @germanmrojas, and _campbelltoe Tailor: @lindz_tailor Production: @katyavarzar Photography Management: @babysiyan Production Assistants: @rysalkina and @marioflwrs The Cut, Editor-in-Chief: @lrpeoples The Cut, Photo Director: @nono_elle_ The Cut, Features Editor: @kt_thomps The Cut, Photo Editor: @sofia_mareque The Cut, Fashion Market Editor: @emmaoleck

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Video #15173 · Carousel

Artistic editorial fashion portraitsfrom @thecut

[01]

Overview

A carousel of three editorial photographs for a magazine cover story on artist Rama Duwaji. The images are highly stylized, featuring the subject in different high-fashion outfits within minimalist, art-directed settings, aiming to create a multifaceted profile of her public persona.

[03]

Related videos

[04]

Classification

Format
Concepts
Editorial CarouselCharacter Profile
Elements
Solid Color BackgroundMood LightingThematic Staging

[05]

Hook analysis

What stops the scroll in the first 3 seconds

Verbal hook · 45%

She refused all interviews with the press — until now.

Visual hook · 55%

A series of highly stylized, art-directed portraits with surreal and minimalist compositions. The direct gaze in the first photo, the stark black-and-white architectural framing in the second, and the unexpected prop (a plate of fish on the wall) in the third create strong visual intrigue and pattern interruption.

[06]

Hook template

Steal this for your own video

A series of [visual style] portraits featuring [subject type] in [unexpected compositional element] — each frame designed to make you stop and look twice.

  • — A series of stark black-and-white portraits featuring a retired surgeon in unexpected clinical props — each frame designed to make you stop and look twice.
  • — A series of hyper-minimalist portraits featuring a championship chess player surrounded by a single surreal object — each frame designed to make you stop and look twice.
  • — A series of art-directed portraits featuring a underground ceramicist in architectural negative space — each frame designed to make you stop and look twice.

Themes

  • identity
  • power
  • artistry
  • public image

Techniques

  • studio lighting
  • minimalist composition
  • color theory
  • art direction

Trends

  • editorial carousel
  • minimalist aesthetic

Post caption

@ramaduwaji is moving in slow motion. At least, that’s how it’s felt since 10 p.m. on June 24, the night that put her on the fast track to becoming one of New York City’s youngest First Ladies — and its first-ever Muslim one. Unlike many candidates’ wives who hit the circuit with their spouses, Duwaji frequently didn’t appear at campaign events and fundraisers. Her reticence to being seen solely as Mrs. Mamdani seems to have raised her profile even further, making her something of a folk hero to unbothered women. She refused all interviews with the press — until now. For our #CutCover story, the 28-year-old artist sits down with @danya.issawi for her first interview since her husband won the Democratic mayoral primary. Read it at the link in bio. Photography and Art Direction by @szilvesztermako Styling by @jessswill Written by @danya.issawi Photo assistants: @yc.dong, @davidgannonphotography, and @vez___ Hair: @panosphair Makeup: @raoulalejandre Manicure: @she.nails.it Styling assistants: @orexolu, @jacknovotny__ Set Design: @lane.vineyard Set Design Assistants: @gabriellefaitharriaga, @germanmrojas, and _campbelltoe Tailor: @lindz_tailor Production: @katyavarzar Photography Management: @babysiyan Production Assistants: @rysalkina and @marioflwrs The Cut, Editor-in-Chief: @lrpeoples The Cut, Photo Director: @nono_elle_ The Cut, Features Editor: @kt_thomps The Cut, Photo Editor: @sofia_mareque The Cut, Fashion Market Editor: @emmaoleck

Artistic editorial fashion portraits | Viral Hooks