Celebrate pride with Calvin Klein & The Gang Is Beautiful
Pride is a collection of experiences, a uniting force and a celebration of love. Pride is not a month, but a year-round experience and one Calvin Klein devotedly commits themselves to. This season, Glamcult teamed up with Calvin Klein and The Gang is Beautiful to celebrate pride through the foundations of Love and Family. Wearing the 2022 Calvin Klein Pride collection, TGIB shares their family portraits and exemplifies the power of chosen family alongside the many ways that love can manifest. We spoke with three couples, all united through different experiences of love to talk about what this project, and pride means to them. Meet the founder of The Gang Is Beautiful, Foday, and Amber (also known by her DJ name Amoral)!
Can you tell me a bit about yourself and your craft?
Foday: My name is Foday, and I was born in Sierra Leone. I grew up in Amsterdam and started to get to know a scene that wasn’t well known to me because of my cultural background. Through that, I really got to know myself, and that I’m a bit different than the rest. But I saw the beauty in that and got motivated. I started styling myself and finding clothes that are one of a kind, and combining unusual things. I thought to myself: I wanna try it out on other people. That inspired me to start a brand called The Gang Is Beautiful, collecting interesting individuals that aren’t seen as the norm by society. I wanted to give those individuals a platform. Started innocent by collecting them, doing some shoots… and now we’re here! At Calvin Klein!
What does beautiful mean to you?
Foday: Beauty can be anything. What defines a Basquiat painting, is it beauty or a kids’ drawing? I think it’s just a perspective. At the end of the day everything is just beautiful.
What about you Amber, can you tell me about yourself?
Amber: My name is Amber, I’m from the countryside, and I’m currently living in Amsterdam. I’m also a DJ.
How did you find this creative practice?
Amber: I was inspired by my mom, she always goes to all kinds of trance parties and dance festivals, which helped me find my taste in techno. I was never pushing to become a famous DJ or to make money even. I just started to mix and play with it, and that turned out to be a very cute journey.
What does your community look like?
Amber: it’s actually a bunch of all-round creatives, photographers, DJs, producers, art directors.. and that brings a lot of inspiration. You can learn a lot from each other!
Foday: One of a kind, the uniqueness is what’s beautiful about those people.
What does family mean to you?
Amber: Family is actually a stable base that you can rely on. I don’t need big presents or material stuff to feel loved. Family for me means you don’t always have to ask for them, they’re just there for you. And we take care of each other, for example if someone isn’t looking good because we didn’t sleep for a whole weekend, then I like my friends to say, “Hey, are you taking care of yourself? What can we do to help?” I think that’s really strong in our community.
Foday: Family isn’t blood related, it can be community, work, friends… some things you don’t find on google. You gotta learn to really love yourself. The sky is the limit!
