With their concrete slabs stacked like a giant game of Jenga, the Chatham Towers are surely the most Brutalist buildings in New York, born out of one of the largest slum demolition projects, which radically remodeled the area north of the Brooklyn Bridge. A true social utopia, Brutalism laid the foundations for an essential and functional architecture at the dawn of the 1950s. Through the lens of Frank Perrin, the stripped-down beauty of these buildings provides the backdrop for Louis Vuitton’s 2020 cruise collection, embodied by the iconic Marte Mei.

Did you always dream of becoming a model?

Not at all, nevertheless I’m really grateful that it crossed my path and that I was able to go for it. 

How does the dream compare to the reality of being in the modeling industry?

I think the expectations I had from the industry are different in the sense of the effect modeling has on your private life. It’s more than a job, where you go home and have another life, too. With modeling your daily life intertwines with your job in regard to availability; planning with friends of family is impossible for instance. The way it shapes your life is something I would have never been able to envision beforehand.

Are you more of a dreamer or down to earth?

A dreamer trying to stay grounded, for sure. 

Do you remember a lot of your dreams when you wake up? What is the craziest dream you remember?

Unfortunately, I don’t! I love hearing about other people’s dreams but I rarely wake up remembering a dream. I do sometimes wake up with a strange emotional aftertaste, extremely melancholic or odd, then I suppose I dreamed something intense right before waking up. 

What would your utopian world look like?

With a lot of respect and compassion for the planet we live on and the people and animals we share it with. 

For you, is fashion made to dream or should it be a reflection of reality?

I think fashion is a good platform to dream and set trends for an alternate, and even future, reality. 

How are dreams linked to your art?

Dreams in the sense of hope of a different way of action and approach in the future. I think I create with a dream of influencing people’s mindsets, even if it’s only for an instant.  

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