Ihsan Kemal. A noteworthy name in photography, with a sharp style and an up and coming clothing line ready for it all.
This London based multimedia man is definitely on to something, with his work gracing the cover of major tattoo magazine Skin Deep and a long list of clients including Capcom and Activision to name but a few. PAUSE were lucky enough to get in touch with Kemal and ask a few questions about himself, his work and future plans.
When & How did your interest in photography come about? What in particular made you certain it was something you wanted to do for a living?
“I have always been fascinated by cinematography and photography. I got the opportunity to do photography early on at 6th form and I felt like it was something that I always enjoyed doing, creating something from nothing. I far from do it just as a full time living at the moment though, I am always on and off with it, mainly due to being messed around by a few clients which often makes it a very unstable career path.”
When capturing your images, what are the main thoughts that run through your head? Is there something that you always aim to grasp in your imagery?
“Recently I have been doing a lot of raw white wall images but I want to get away from that and would like to eventually start creating some images by the people that inspire me. Photographers like David LaChapelle who create these fantastic dream like images that are cleverly put together and offer social messages.”
What is Photography to you?
“It is so many different things, I see it as a form of expression or a way to escape the sometimes mundane day to day. You can create pretty much anything you can put your mind to, I find this is what is amazing about photography and cinema.”
How did Born Ready come about? Do you see it as another medium to express your work?
“Born Ready has been something I wanted to do since I was about 18. I wanted to get into clothing and make a lifestyle brand, I feel that my photography and Born Ready happened organically and they both feed off each other. I’ve got to learn how to make videos from starting Born Ready as I wanted a lot of what the company produces content wise to be done by me… for the moment anyway.”
You’re known to collect limited and rare garments. What is your most prized possession? Do these garments/Fashion in general inspire any of your work a great deal?
” I wouldn’t say there is something I have that is my prized possession however there are plenty of garments or sneakers that are pretty rare that I wouldn’t mind having! My inspiration comes from everywhere fashion obviously would be the main one, I come up with a lot of ideas from reading as well.”
Who is Born Ready for? Can you describe it in one word ?
“Influencers.”
What do you have planned for the upcoming year?
“I am looking into making snapbacks which I would like to get out early next year. Also all over prints, cut and sew, themed collections and we are also looking to do our own club night in London. Lots of different things just excited to see where it all leads.”
To see more of Ihsan’s work, visit his website.
By Kacion Mayers
