Omar Khaleel Documents Fashion & Fake Sh*t

At first glance, Fake Sh*t, Omar Khaleel’s extraordinary editorial for Hypebeast, appears to be a pretty straightforward, customarily edgy fashion shoot – a diverse trio of youths in Burberry and Gucci gear strike insouciant poses while giving that slightly challenging, clear-eyed, level gaze to camera.

But look closer and something’s not quite right; the clue’s in the title... how top end are those togs, why is one of the models upside down; the focus on her distorted reflection in a pond? And what is the incongruous English country house location saying? It turns out the models are sporting knock-off labels, posing in the grounds of a stately home signifying a luxury life they are at odds with.

“The focus was to demonstrate the power of celebrity lifestyle culture,” Khaleel explains. “Having aspirations is a good thing, but in this case what people are seeing is mainly fictional and completely out of their price range. Luxury photoshoots create an image of glamour and happiness associated with expensive brands, and with social media, these images are everywhere. People feel they ‘need’ to have these things, even it means faking it, because image is everything – they believe these things will bring them success and happiness. It’s an unrealistic and unhealthy environment.”

Shot from Fake Sh*t

Cerebral but stylish

It would almost seem that Khaleel is striking an anti-fashion pose, yet he says he grew up with as much concern for his self-image as the next streetwise teen. “I wanted to look good and be that guy known for his dress sense and trainers style.” So, although he has always been drawn to fashion, his natural philosophical bent prompts him to explore the ideas surrounding it. “The way people choose to present and identify themselves; how they define their success, is influenced by lots of things – their background and environment, the people they hang out with and the celebrities they like. I try to understand and capture this visually,” he says. “Fashion is one of the most obvious ways a person presents themselves to the world, so can be a brilliant way to challenge fixed ideas and stereotypes. What people wear is like a story, and like most good stories, it is complicated. I just try to unravel it.”

“What people wear is like a story, and like most good stories, it’s complicated. I just try to unravel it.”

The thread of the story

His journey of fashion exploration actually begun soon after he’d embarked on a graphics design course at Birmingham City University: “I soon started to feel limited by the images available, so I started taking my own shots to give me what I wanted visually,” he says. He then switched to visual communications/photography, setting about it with a dedication that was part of his upbringing. “I learnt from my mother, uncle and granddad you must work hard for what you want.” Each week he’d try out a different shoot – film, digital, studio and location – and just six months into his two-year course, his career was kickstarted by a shoot exploring how young men are affected by growing up in deprived areas. It was picked up by online fashion title The Daily Street. Another break was a fashion story for Birmingham-based streetwear brand Dark Circle Clothing. He says his work back then wasn’t that great but “they saw potential in me and I’m grateful.

He is methodical about his approach and always starts off with the concept: “I can be inspired by anything I see or hear, but once an idea enters my head, it quickly develops into a complete story. I know the message I want to put across, the location, the style/styling and the model’s look. It all comes together and then I do some research to develop the project.”

Shot by Khaleel

Philosphophy in fashion

Khaleel was raised solely by his mother and, in his project Momma’s Boy for Highsnobiety, he sensitively examines stereotypes surrounding the mother-son bond. “I know many young men who were brought up by single mothers, or in two-parent families with strong mothers,” he says. “Instead of recognising the positive aspects of these relationships, the phrase ‘momma’s boy’ is often used in a negative way, which can undermine a boy’s relationship with his mother at a very vulnerable time his life.”

Another ‘story’ he’s examined is the British-Arab experience. In Bi-cultural, also for Highsnobiety, he shot between Morocco and the UK, blending Western brands, like Nike and adidas, with traditional Arab dress. He sees his own bi-cultural heritage as something to celebrate: “Like most people with ethnic and racial roots from across the world, both my cultural heritage and the place where I was born have given me a strong sense of identity. Yemenis are very sociable and I feel fortunate that my family has always mixed with people from all cultural and social backgrounds.”

So what’s next for Khaleel? He says he’s up for more commercial work; he has just finished shoots for adidas Originals and K.Swiss and he’s also interested in adding more videography to his portfolio. Whatever the future holds for this inquisitive artist, his own story will doubtless be worth following.