We Are Human is an imprint of hope that takes the form of a limited-edition shoe and a campaign cast of exceptional individuals. A deeply personal project for NEOUS founder Vanissa Antonious a first generation Egyptian who was raised in Australia, making small steps towards collective consciousness-raising for social and racial justice.
We Are Human strives to unite us as individuals and celebrates our shared experience because pain and joy knows no sides, no borders, no colour. In her pivotal essay ‘Age, Race, Class and Sex: Redefining Difference’, Audre Lorde writes differences have been misnamed and misused in the service of separation and confusion. It is time to reclaim difference—as the beating heart of humanity. Drawing on the distinctive design ethic of NEOUS and our broader belief in nurturing difference, the project takes the shape of a limited edition PHINIA flat with a back tag that reads We Are Human. Exclusive to NEOUS, 100% proceeds will go to Blueprint for All (formerly the Stephen Lawrence Charitable Trust).
We envision a future of difference and belonging through a cast of talented individuals who refuse to be defined solely by culture, race, age or gender. Enam Asiama, Alfred Bramsen, Jason Kwan, Nan, Benny Lewis, Alex Guo, Patricia and Naomi and Andrew Denny are as fluid in their work as they are in life; a constellation of new faces who are disrupting fashion, art and activism. The campaign was shot by fashion and documentary photographer, Jermaine Francis with art direction and typography designed by Johanna Bonnevier. We are united by the words of Lorde who urges us ‘to sharpen self-definition by exposing the self in work and struggle together with those whom we define as different from ourselves, although sharing the same goals.’
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