MaleMadonna is Fashion

Fashion is often defined as a "popular" trend or style, but, fashion is an art lifestyle. What you wear is often how you want to be perceived to the unknown eye. Which is why when we see most famous people in some sort of gimmick outfit, we raise questions.  More than likely that celebrity have a stylist, and was given an outfit to wear with little personal input. So, while audiences are following this trend, unless the stylist is also the designer, there's a chance that the original message in the design can be lost. 

I got the opportunity to catch up with an upcoming model named MaleMadonna, who's had much success in a short time frame, by using his creative fashion sense as a ladder to reach beyond gender stereotypes. No longer will male models be constrained to a style based on their sexuality or sexual identity. As model, MaleMadonna has grown into a brand, distributing his resources to other talents, without being attached to an’ agency. Creativity can be sparked by primitive moments, like a random person asking you if you model. Born as Akwete Osoka, MaleMadonna hasn't let society stamp labels on him. "I live by my own rules," says Akwete. As a free agent, MaleMadonna has set the standards for where he wants to take the brand, or more importantly, where the brand takes him. Akwete Osoka is provided with the opportunity to redefine the image of the "average" model, not limited to one section of the industry. You may catch him walking the runway in a Daniel Patrick shirt, Balmain jeans, and a Mike Amiri jacket.

MaleMadonna started as a persona Osoka created to express himself, but developed into a body of work and raw talent, not influenced by a fashion designer, but rather perpetuated by the LBGTQ community. In 2014, Osoka lived in Atlanta with an older brother who allowed him to embrace his style, while living a separate lifestyle. Within a year, MaleMadonna has begun working with several brands, accomplishing what takes most agencies and models years of development. One brand being Cooper 9, a high-end men's street fashion brand located in the heart of Hollywood, on Melrose Avenue. They began shooting with MaleMadonna in March 2017 and have already confirmed working with him again for the 2018-2019 season. Although working with Cooper 9 has been a blast for Osoka, he plans to also gain recognition from brands like; Daniel Patrick, Rick Owens and Mike Amiri.

What I find interesting with fashion is physically watching the clothes reinvent themselves throughout history. Since the dawn of time appearance have been a factor in developing our society. The clothes wore in each time gives us a depiction of the mood of the era. For example; Ancient Egypt often consider as "the golden ages," a time of wealth and transformation in the society, was filled with vibrant colors and jewels. The fall of the Western Empire also known as the "Dark Ages," exemplifies more dark clothing. Ironically the U.S. is addressed as the "West," and fashion today have become a bit darker than styles of the early 1920s, but that's just a self-observation. If you look at some pieces of clothing, throughout the history of fashion you can see styles go in and out, and even understand why certain items are timeless. Like all the other arts; music, writing, drawing, photography etc... Fashion is an expression, a statement describing who you are. Whether you're modeling clothes, or creating the design, you're presenting a piece of yourself to whomever is watching. Brands like MaleMadonna are more than names thriving from attention, but a passion for a way of life. Fashion doesn't have to be a trend, because before the clothes were "trendy" it was still fashion.

Interview Transcript

Q1. How did you begin modeling?

A. Really it was something I fell into, I'd been wanting to get out of playing basketball for a while because I felt it was not giving me the proper platform to display my creativity and individuality. When I was coming into our gym to get ready for a game I was approached by a Modeling Agent he asked if I ever thought about modeling (keep in mind that I was getting into fashion heavily after moving back from ATL so I had a different glow) he told me that I had the look and that I should pursue it I took it into consideration. literally the very next day I did my own shoot for the brand EPTM it wasn't a collab but I posted them on my social media accounts and they acknowledged it and gave me really good feedback, after that I just started to run with it and it felt amazing I felt happy and so on.          

Q2. Who influences your style?

A. No one really influenced my style, it derives solely from my creativity and my willingness to break as many boundaries as possible. I feel if you are influenced by ones then a good portion of your art is not original, I'm all about originality even if it's been done prior the original thought grew in my mind I did not study anyone or anything to help me create something. I'm not saying you can't be guided by one’s art but a lot of individuals duplicate that art tweak it a little then claim it as there's that is something I can't agree with.

Q3. Who are some designers that you would like to work with?

A. Ultimately, I would want to work with every designer there is (laughing) they all offer something different to this art we call fashion, but if I had to pick a top 5 I'll go with Rick Owens, Mike Amiri, Daniel Patrick, Raf Simons, and Virgil Abloh.

Q4. Who are the designers that you're currently working with?

A. I'm working with a few brands but I don't want to prematurely announce them until the work is completely finalized and ready for viewers perceptions, and of course to keep the people on their toes of what MM is up to (laughing)

Q5. Are you represented by an agency?

6. If not. What agency would you like to become a part of?

A. I am not represented by any agency, but if the right one comes along I will reconsider. I find great happiness in being independent, I grew up around a very business minded father, he always preached to me to own my own don't let no one benefit off you and to this point I can say I've stay true to that.

Q7. What's your favorite color?

A. Black and Pink black because it's so powerful and Pink because it's so delicate.

Q8. Do you have a favorite outfit or "go to outfit?"

A. I do not. What kind of question is this (laughing) I dress to dress. I know a lot of people have the tendency to dress how they feel I dress to show how oddly my brain works (laughing)

Q9. What's the goal for your name/brand?

A. The main goal for MM is to become a one stop shop for any and every brand there is. We don't want any brand to have to outsource beyond our reach. As a company, we understand it's hard for a brand to find a model, make-up artist, hair stylist, blogger etc we as a company bring all of that forward where all the brand must do is book with us and the rest we handle they can continue designing their clothing while we market and create the content. We'll offer a lot more than models but the whole package. We want to change the way the model and the brand interact with each-other. There's always that one Individual that comes along and change the way things are normally done why not it be us.

Q10. Do you plan on being involved in the creative process of fashion?

A. Eventually speaking from my brand we will be releasing a MaleMadonna clothing line and I will be the one creating the clothing so yes if that answers your question.

Q11. What makes you stand out as a model?

A. Well me as an individual I'm not afraid to try anything new I built my brand around me destroying boundaries unexplored by the average man. oh, and my HAIR (laughing)

Q12. Would you do a collaborative shoot another model?13. If so, who?

A. Most definitely especially if that model is willing to go beyond the norm I'm all for it. doesn't matter who or what if we are in it to create something that hasn't been created let's go for it. 

Q14. What do you identify as?

A. This is such a frequently asked question. I only identify as Akwete Osoka and nothing else I don't allow society to box me in putting a category above my head. I live by my own rules society is always trying to put us in groups to separate us we are all human so if I had to identify as something it'll be human along with the rest of the human beings that populate this earth.

Q15. Where are you from?

A. I'm from Berkeley California The Bay area.

Q16. What advice do you have for another upcoming model?

A. I'm still up and coming myself but from my own personal journey is to build yourself a platform that only you can access to give you leverage when dealing with brands and agencies if not they'll use you, and take a good amount of your money.

Q17. Where do you see yourself in the next 3-5 years?

A. Man as much as I want to answer this I really know I can't from my 24 years of living things never go as planned they're are mountains you know you must climb then there are even more mountains that you don't know you should climb yet so I just work hard every day to make my today better than yesterday.

Q18. When did you first realize that you wanted to model and was into fashion?

A. I knew after my first shoot I had so much fun and felt at ease it was a breath of fresh air, from playing basketball for so many years hiding my creative talent to uphold a facade of an inspiring basketball player. The world finally got the chance to see the real Akwete Osoka and I was all smile (laughing). I've always had a nact for fashion since I was young but it was very bland just high fashion name brands that was very subtle, it was when I moved to ATL where I let my creative ability interact with my sense of fashion. I lived with my older brother who is a part of the LGBTQ community which is part of the reason MM was born I wanted to express myself in the same way they did but didn't want to be look at as a member of that society so I set out to do just that.

Q19. Who's your favorite brand?

A. Man this is a hard one but I had to pick one I'd have to say Rick Owens because his art is unexplainable and I believe that if anything can be defined then it has finished it's time on planet earth and Rick Owens fashion cannot be defined.

Q20. Who was your first shoot with?

A. My first shoot was with a good friend I had met on a long walk he had took my picture without me knowing walked me down and showed me the image we connected and after the agent had told me I had the look to be a model I sent him an email and we got to work. 

Q21. What's the thing you love the most about modeling?

A. This is a hard one because honestly, I love everything about I guess for me it's the ending process to see myself on a billboard in a magazine etc. that's just such a blissful thing it keeps me working harder and harder to feel that feeling and telling a story in pictures that's something that'll never get old because it's something still and wordless so if you can connect with an individual through a picture that's a feeling that'll never get old.

Q22. If you could describe your life with one item in fashion what would it be?

A. BRACELETS. I live to wear bracelets never will you ever see me without a bracelet on. 

Q23. How do you like working with brands such as Cooper 9?

A.  Cooper 9 is a steadily growing brand RJ (who is the creative director and owner) is an amazing guy. We met literally one I was on Melrose waking randomly after a networking event wasn't what I expected, I randomly walked past his store I liked a pair of jeans he had up in his store so I decided to go in and inquire about them we got to talking and about I think a week later we ended collaborating for our first project. I'm excited to see what the future has in store for us as for the rest well you know the answer only time will tell.

Q24. Do you have any upcoming releases that your fans would want to keep an eye out for?

A. Well I don't like to put out dates until I finish the project but I just released an app "MaleMadonna" go download. I have a video series I'm working on and my brand/company is just growing every day, we have some crazy collabs coming to the world with some big-name brands. We're also working on a MM clothing line yes, I said it (laughing) things take time but we are working everyday we're in it to change the game. In every industry, there is always that one individual that come and throw a twist on the game and MaleMadonna is that individual. 

Follow on IG: @MaleMadonna