ODDA Conversations

It has been a steep learning curve for Derek Blasberg at YouTube. But he hit the ground running. In the little over two years since the fashion insider took on the brand new role of Head of Fashion and Beauty at YouTube he has launched the YouTube Fashion vertical on the site, connected big-name luxury brands with big-name YouTube creators and he gave Naomi Campbell a global platform to be, well, Naomi Campbell. A classically trained journalist who has written for all of the top fashion publications, from Style.com and Interview to Vanity Fair and Harper’s Bazaar, Blasberg has fully embraced the new narrative of his career, where instead of recounting peoples stories he is empowering them to tell them themselves.

Dance is something that runs through Toke Broni Strandby’s veins. On top of being immersed in contemporary dance on stage, having worked with Candoco Dance Company, among others, the Danish dance artist is also an educator and a teacher — he graduated from The Northern School of Contemporary Dance (NSCD) in Leeds. A man of many talents, the Dane has also explored the world of fashion through walking for shows as well as being cast for magazines in the past.

Our thoughts are very much reflective of our state of mind and their clarity attaches itself to such state. Some people are night owls, whereas others fare better in the mornings. Here, the Chinese dance artist, Kehua Li, takes us on a journey through her mind in the late hours and reflects on what implored her to study English while in Paris, how she took to the task back in China, and how her improvement in a short space of time blew people away

It’s frequently stated that the journey is far more important than the destination. In Jamal Uhlmann’s life that has certainly been the case. Prior to finding his feet as the dancer he is now, the Berlin native guides us through his time as an ice skater to how an application to ballet school changed his trajectory, which subsequently led him to discover contemporary dance, allowing him to move in a completely different way.

Jacob Jonas, the founder of the Los Angeles-based dance company, Jacob Jonas The Company, guides us through his ideas of form, movement and the dynamics between the dancer and their potential. He explores the dichotomy and tension between the dancer’s inner self and the outside world, focusing on personal growth and essence of dance, culminating in the simple, yet powerful phrase  — “Let’s let them dance.”

Barrier breakers, Miss Fame and Pat Boguslawski are not letting anyone define who they are and what they can do. Miss Fame, whose real name is Kurtis Dam-Mikkelsen, turned his time on the reality show“RuPaul’s Drag Race” into a stepping stone for an ex- pansive career that includes everything from modeling and music to television host and makeup artist, using his fame to advocate for the LGBTQIA+ community and present to the world another vision of beauty. 

In conversation with Jessica Michault

While Pride month has come to an end, its origins and the celebration of diverse bodies, despite their sexual identity, race, ethnicity, and gender, have remained the same. After all, the Stonewall Inn on Christopher Street in New York’s Greenwich Village was one of the most diverse establishments in the area. Such diversity has carried across to modern-day New York and is reflected fully in the cast of nine queer New Yorkers, filmed by two French filmmakers Julie Réali and Lesly Lynch for ODDA Magazine. The focus of the beautiful film revolves around love, self-acceptance, and freedom — themes that are as universal as they are unique to each and every one of us.

DJ, designer, creative director, illustrator, influencer, and model Patrick Mason doesn’t like being put in a box or being defined by just one thing. So when ODDA asked him to talk about what Pride month meant to him, as a gay man, he bristled for a moment. But then he took an expansive view on the topic of pride and examined all the many things he is proud of, things he has accomplished, and the accomplishments of others. Patrick looks forward to the day when Pride month is no longer needed and that the queer community can be celebrated year-round. But most of all he is just proud to be a human being, making it successfully through another day.

DJ, designer, creative director, illustrator, influencer, and model Patrick Mason doesn’t like being put in a box or being defined by just one thing. So when ODDA asked him to talk about what Pride month meant to him, as a gay man, he bristled for a moment. But then he took an expansive view on the topic of pride and examined all the many things he is proud of, things he has accomplished, and the accomplishments of others. Patrick looks forward to the day when Pride month is no longer needed and that the queer community can be celebrated year-round. But most of all he is just proud to be a human being, making it successfully through another day.

Ernest W. Baker, the co-founder’s Grandfather, and an early Detroit ad man, serves as a muse for the brand's identity. With a sense of nostalgia, an intention is made to reinterpret classic garments that feel as if they were taken from Ernest’s closet.