FKA Twigs Launches Instagram Mag, AVANTgarden

Queer icon FKA Twigs released today an Instagram-exclusive magazine, AVANTgarden, which features a series of powerful slides that can be swiped through like you would a print publication. The first issue--roots, shock, beauty--explores braided hairstyles, which is innately tied to Twigs' cultural background and recalls when she was harassed online in 2014 for being Black.

"I am genuinely shocked and disgusted at the amount of racism that has been infecting my account the past week," she wrote on Twitter. "Racism is unacceptable in the real world, and it's unacceptable online." Now through AVANTgarden, Twigs hopes to spark dialogue about the trauma people of color often experience because of their hair.

Captured in her home with close friends as models, Twigs wanted the imagery to reflect the Black barber shops she'd see growing up in south London. "The posters would always be old, faded and peeling off the wall," she told Dazed. "You'd pick 'number four.' It was inspired by that. It seems quite romantic to me, the way those photos are taken."

The message, however, isn't to "get braids." Twigs told Dazed, " I'm saying embrace your heritage, embrace your hair texture, embrace protective styles. I know I'm going to put my hair away during winter because it's not going to like the cold or the rain. Soon I'll put my hair away and it'll come out in the spring. I own that."

Check out Twigs premier issue of AVANTgarden, below.

AVANTgarden issue 1. ROOTS SHOCK BEAUTY Creative Director: FKA twigs @fkatwigs Editor: Suzannah Pettigrew @suz_p Styling: Matthew Josephs @matthew_josephs Hair: Rio Sreedharan @rio_hair Casting: FKA twigs @fkatwigs and Olivia Kaifa @livokai Photography and post production: R + D @reecendean MUA: Bea Sweet @beasweetbeauty Set Design: Suzannah Pettigrew @suz_p Models: Chanel @chanellygirl / Naomi @_flowerchildx / Olivia @livokai / James @j_magz / Malick @ssandroidx / Kaner @kanerflex / Vanessa @vanessaohenlen / Jourdan @jourdancopeland / Rachelle @rachellehollandxx Logo: Matt de Jong @go_dejong Layout: FKA twigs @fkatwigs / Suzannah Pettigrew @suz_p / Matt de Jong @go_dejong Illustrations: Roxie Warder @roxiepandora

A post shared by FKA twigs (@fkatwigs) on Oct 13, 2017 at 8:12am PDT