HOMECOMING: BACK TO THE DUCHESS
“If you know whence you came, there is really no limit to where you can go.”
— James Baldwin
What does it truly mean to belong to two worlds, yet sometimes feel entirely at home in neither?
For generations of the Black diaspora, identity has existed between two realities. Behind the doors of our homes, Africa lives unapologetically. In the languages spoken by our parents, the aromas rising from our kitchens, the music fi lling our living rooms and the traditions passed down through generations. Yet beyond those doors awaits a Western world that has not always understood, welcomed or celebrated the very cultures that raised us.
HOMECOMING: Back to the Duchess is a celebration of that beautiful contradiction. An exploration of ancestry, migration and return, honouring the roots that remain deeply planted within us, regardless of how far life carries us.
Our food is more than nourishment. A plate of jollof rice is a language of its own — one that crosses borders, sparks familiar conversations and reconnects us to the soil of our ancestors. Every grain carries the warmth of home, the memory of family and the unmistakable pride of a culture that refuses to be forgotten.
Our hair, too, carries history. From braids and cornrows to sculptural natural styles, the very expressions of Black beauty once scrutinised in Western classrooms and workplaces now stand as declarations of dignity, resistance and pride. What others once asked us to conceal, we now wear as our crowns.
Our garments are no diff erent. Bold silhouettes, vibrant colours and fearless designs speak before we ever utter a word. They are expressions of a heritage that was never created to be silent. Through fashion, we reclaim the freedom to be seen, celebrated and understood on our own terms.
And within this celebration lives the Black boy, navigating the complicated journey into manhood. His laughter, anger, vulnerability and triumph are all equally deserving of space. Where Fraternité: Pillars of Us celebrated the strength of brotherhood, HOMECOMING reminds us that our strength also lies in feeling deeply, expressing freely and embracing every part of ourselves.
Told through 13 Black models across London: The Origin and Greece: The Arrival, HOMECOMING refl ects the journey of a people whose identities have travelled across oceans, generations and continents without surrendering their roots.
For we are not simply descendants of where we have been. We are living testimonies of where we come from.
And perhaps the greatest homecoming is not the journey back to a place, but the moment we fi nally recognise ourselves.
“We may encounter many defeats but we must not be defeated.”
— Maya Angelou
OFFICIAL PRODUCTION CREDITS
CREATIVE DIRECTOR, PRODUCER, WORDS - VICTOR OLUSINA (@VICTOROLUSINA)
ASSOCIATE PRODUCER - EMMANUEL AKINKUOLIE (@SIR_EMAN_A)
DIRECTOR’S ASSISTANT, LEGAL - FOYIN OLADAPO (@LIFEOFFOY)
TALENT - VICTORIA MACHAR (@VICTORIAMACHAR) , AKUAC YEL (@AKUACYEL), OMAR NYAME (@OMARNYAME) , TIMAYO SHOWOLE (@TIMAYO.AS) , OMAR WILLIAMS (@O.S_TRADORA) , TIFFANY BABAYEMI (@TIFFANYWHOM) , TANATSWA (@TANATSWAMONEY) , SHACKEAL JOHNSON (@YARDIEFUCKERY) , DEJON NOEL-WILLIAMS (@DEJONNOELWILLIAMS) , AYO ODUKOYA (@AYOMI.AO) , CHRISTOPHER MATTHEWS (@KEYTHOS) , JENNIFER MCKING (@JENNIFERMCKING_) , NICOLE OYE (@NICOTHESTYLIST)
PHOTOGRAPHY - ELISE KLEIS (@ELISEKLEIS)
ADDITIONAL PHOTOGRAPHY - PIERRE SIMON (@BYPIERRESIMON)
PHOTOGRAPHER ASSIST - IGGY (@ITSJUSTIGGY)
RETOUCHER - ANASTASSIYA GREBENYUK (@GREBENYUKANASTASSIYA)
LIGHTING - MINA AKARLI (@MINAS.PHOTOGRAPHY15)
CINEMATOGRAPHER - SHOTBYFACES (@SHOTBYFACES)
DOP - TILLA (@TILLATVOFFICIAL)
VIDEOGRAPHER (BTS) - PIERRE SIMON (@BYPIERRESIMON) , CHLOE ROBB (@SEENBYCHLOE)
WARDROBE - LABRUM (@LABRUMLONDON) , SAGABOI (@SAGABOI.ISLAND) , GRXYSCALE (@GRXYSCALE_) , GRAVALOT (@GRAVALOT) , COALESCENCE JEWELLERY (@COALESCENCE_JEWELLERY)
STYLIST(S) - ANGLEA GAOTE (@TROUBLESOMESTYLE) , DONTAY HINDS (@_01DONTZ)
LEAD HMUA - KAILA SPENCELEY (@KAIKOLLECTIONLDN)
HAIR & MAKEUP - KEHINDE ARIYO (@GLAM_BY_KEN_)
HAIR - MAUREEN RACHAEL (@TRIPLE_M_CONCEPT)
MAKE UP ASSIST - PHOEBE STAMP (@FACESBYPHEEBS)
OFFICIAL LOCATION PARTNER - THE DUCHESS + ARIA HOTELS (@THEDUCHESS_THIRASSIA) (@ARIAHOTELS)
CATERING PARTNER - ZERO7 (@ZERO7RESTAURANT)
PRODUCTION COMPANY - VOLUSINA PRODUCTIONS (@VOLUSINAPRODUCTIONS)
