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by Jasmine Benjamin (Photographer), Sophia Dearborn (Consultant), Chioma Nnadi (Foreword by)
A vibrant photographic portrait of Los Angeles' dynamic population by one of the city's foremost stylists
American photographer and costume designer Jasmine Benjamin is a California girl. She represents the ease of Northern California, where she was raised, and the cosmopolitan pace of Hollywood, where she lives, and has brought her ever-creative spirit, considerable talent and infallible eye to music industry titans and anonymous citizens alike. City of Angels features more than 120 portraits of daring, expressive Los Angeles creatives shot in locations across the length and breadth of this vast metropolis. The book features iconic streetwear creators, free spirits from Topanga Canyon, surf and skate kids in Venice Beach, edgy Echo Park hipsters, Los Feliz vintage aficionados, shop girls and guys working at boutiques on Melrose, Chicano punks, K-Town cuties, Hollywood royalty, LGBTQIA+ fashion designers, Laurel Canyon bohemians, Black musicians and artists from South Central and Inglewood as well as from the affluent suburbs of Baldwin Hills and historic Leimert Park.
With photographs exclusively by Benjamin, this book also features a unique illustrated map of Los Angeles by the artist Isaac Escoto, also known as Sickid, adding an additional artistic dimension. City of Angels is both a tribute to and an in-depth exploration of the essence of LA street culture. It celebrates the rich and diverse style scene of Los Angeles, highlighting a blend of celebrities, local figures, and everyday residents who embody the city's authentic spirit and fashion. Notably, approximately 80% of the individuals featured in the book are native Angelenos or hail from the greater California region, offering an intimate, homegrown perspective that enhances the project's authenticity. This body of work perfectly juxtaposes beauty with edginess, glamour with urban rawness.
Jasmine Benjamin has worked as a stylist and sometime creative director for Miguel, Anderson .Paak, Donald Glover, Vince Staples and Chaka Khan, as well as a costume designer for commercials by Nike, the WNBA, Apple Music and Google. Benjamin has been featured in Vogue and Billboard and was named "Top Stylist of 2016" by i-D magazine.
