We bumped into our neighbour Camila multiple times on our staircase, we chatted a bit, we got to know her spontaneity and authenticity and, curious to know her a bit better, we invited her over for dinner. There we found out that Colombians and Italians have much more in common that one could think and we laid the foundations for a honest friendship.

“Viva la Calavera” (Spanish for “long live the skull”) is one of the projects Camila has put her heart in during the last years. In her own words the skull frees itself from any negative features and is seen as a celebration of life through death. She started displaying her original work, painted and decorated skulls of different sizes, at local design markets and, since the demand proved to be high, she decided to found her own brand and to venture different ways to promote it (skull tattoos, a skull fashion line, diaries, chocolate skulls and collaborations with other brands just to mention a few). The secret behind her success? A good idea, the right “believe in yourself” attitude and some wicked entrepreneur skills.

For this photoshoot, taken in the artsy Hackney Wick (London), I took the challenge to focus more on the brand rather than on the models.

If you want to find out more about Camila’s project: https://www.facebook.com/lacatrinacamilatoro/

https://www.instagram.com/vivalacalavera/

Nikon N55, Petzval 58 Bokeh Control, Kodak Portra 160 (35), 21/08/2016, London.