London-based filmmaker Fenn O’Meally directs a multifaceted narrative of acceptance and liberation for the debut of Byredo’s new contemporary unisex scent, ‘Mixed Emotions.’

Perfume isn’t normally considered a platform for social change, but leave it to Byredo to reinvent the wheel.

What originally began as a video campaign quickly grew into a full-on film project, with the final result standing as a 17-minute cinematic short, titled Tall Are the Roots, that goes beyond simply expressing the philosophies behind the fragrance.

“I wanted to discuss the different sides of emotions, and so how we launch the fragrance and how it is interpreted was a really important part of it,” Gorham says. “To bring that story to life, I immediately thought of a film and then Fenn as someone who could create this. There is such honesty, strength, and fragility in the stories she tells. Tall Are the Roots explores the strength of drawing upon your origins, the very things that make you who you are. It was a collaboration in its truest form and Fenn had total carte blanche to create. How people perceive and interpret that now is open.”

In O’Meally’s hands, the film is an enchanting vehicle that captures the realities of being a young person of colour, and of non-conforming background. Dream-like visuals of dancers moving around the palatial grounds of Syon House, in Middlesex, are interspersed with extracts of interviews with four protagonists – poet/activist Kai-Isaiah Jamal, singer/artist Alewya Demmisse, dancer Deneille Percival, and artist/choreographer Abdourahman Njie – who share their thoughts on life, personal safety, and dealing with struggles. Bookended by Jamal’s narration of a poem, It Knows (Even When You Don’t), which was written for the project, the film is a powerful, unvarnished look at the conviction it takes for some to simply be.

He adds: “The film is a place for the stories to be heard and each of the protagonists in the film captures something we can all relate to – their passions, being seen and not being seen, their fragility and hopefulness – and so the film is in a way a piece of activism, [inviting you] to share experiences and be open and honest. To be yourself.”

Gorham decided to commemorate the launch of Mixed Emotions by commissioning the British director Fenn O’Meally to make a film that would reflect his brand philosophies. The result is a nearly 18-minute cinematic short, Tall Are the Roots, blending the poetry, music, and dance of the activist and poet Kai-Isaiah Jamal, the musician Alewya Demmisse, and the dancer Deneille Percival.

“I think we are literally a generation who speaks so much about being seen, and I wonder how many of us truly feel seen,” Jamal narrates at the start, kicking off a dreamy exploration of dichotomies and disharmonies in four chapters.

So much so that Gorham collaborated with the award-winning self-taught director and journalist Fenn O’Meally on a short film – Tall Are the Roots – to mark its release. Exploring timely themes like fear, loss, and hope, as well as self-esteem, LGBTQIA+ visibility, and existing outside of rigid gender binaries, it stars three exciting and multi-faceted creatives: Deneille Percival, Alewya Demmisse, and Kai-Isaiah Jamal.

Alewya’s art gently takes you through her own brushes with heartbreak, self-discovery, nostalgic memories, and euphoria – all with a dash of melancholy. Having managed to step away from the confines of fear, she hopes that all who engage with her intimate art find a moment of clarity within it.

Poet, performer, model, and trans visibility activist Kai-Isaiah Jamal is here to leave their mark. Their mission to leave the world a better place than they found it informs every piece of art they share. They view their words – and very existence – as an act of resistance against the status quo. It Knows (Even When You Don’t), the piece Kai-Isaiah recites in the short film, was written during a period permeated by darkness and ended up being the cathartic release they needed. In the “beautifully chaotic” piece, they explore the importance of communication, existing outside of society’s rigid gender binaries, their biggest fears, and their hopes for the future. Their work serves as a reminder that, though the world may not currently align with the needs of the marginalised, hope can be found in humanity’s innate ability to evolve.

The fear of a loss of control is all too familiar in this current period of uncertainty. In Tall Are the Roots, we see model and dancer Deneille Percival share their struggles with self-acceptance, reflect on the experience of existing outside of societal norms, and celebrate the escapism offered by movement and dance. Though the world is still being roiled by change, Deneille can see a glimmer of hope in it all. “Without darkness, there wouldn’t be light,” they say. “I’ve gone through darkness and I’ve found my way through that.”

The collaboration sees a cast of some of London’s vital creative voices, including poet and trans visibility activist Kai-Isaiah Jamal (@kaiisaiahjamal), Kelsey Lu (@iamkelseylu), and many more in Tall Are the Roots, a film premiered on Nowness (@nowness) that pays homage to those who embrace their vulnerability and fluid identities in the tumultuous times we live in.

The role of the fashion editor — the career that's been glamorised on TV, in movies, through literature, and, of course, in magazines — is on shaky ground. As the media landscape continues to struggle and shrink, with frequent layoffs and budget cuts becoming the new normal, many editors report being both underpaid and uncertain about their futures.

The integration of print and online staff at publishing houses like Hearst and Condé Nast is partially to blame.

Every great editor I know spends a great deal of their time on the minutiae of their baby’s existence: checking that even the smallest picture helps tell the story, working on cover lines, encouraging contributors who will ally themselves exclusively to their brand. And most important of all, generating unexpected, original, and thought-provoking ideas and pictures.

All editors now also have to extend that attention and clarity of thought to the raft of brand extensions that are part of the current world of magazines—from hosting parties to creating speaking forums, launching ranges of cafés and bars, or producing video in the name of the brand.

The new editors also have to have a vision of how the many parts combine to make a robust whole: how the digital offering is a genuine extension of the values that made the print successful in the first place; how, as in retail where e-commerce and bricks-and-mortar work most effectively when they complement each other, online and print reflect off each other similarly; how live events make the audience feel that they are getting access to the world of the title they admire, rather than something more generic.