FROM SILENCE TO THE COVER: THE VOICE OF IMANI BLAKE

By i-D Magazine | for The Blake Files

In a fashion world that calls for fresh and authentic voices, Imani Blake emerges as a beam of light straight from Salvador, Bahia. Photographed by Clara Santos, a new voice in Brazilian photography, the shoot presents Imani in a look that blends the avant-garde surrealism of Schiaparelli with the deep roots of Afro-Brazilian fashion. With her debut on the cover of i-D Magazine, captured in an editorial titled “The Independence Issue,” Imani is not just a new face; she is a living manifesto of culture, resistance, and reinvention. At 19 years old, this Afro-Brazilian young woman, discovered at the vibrant Afro Fashion Day, takes over social media for the first time with an image that is already setting the networks on fire: a penetrating gaze against a fiery red background, Imani wears a sculptural Schiaparelli creation that defies time, with lines that contour her body as if they were carved by the future. Her fully natural Box Braids complete a look that screams authenticity and power, and the golden adornment over her left eye does not hide; it reveals. It reveals the boldness, the mystery, and the conviction of someone who has come to occupy a space that didn’t even exist until she stepped into it.

This is a debut that resonates.

Clara Santos, the photographer behind the lens, explains: “Imani has a magnetic presence. She doesn’t just pose; she tells a story. This is the kind of model who changes the game.” And the game, indeed, is changing. The choice of Schiaparelli, under the direction of Daniel Roseberry, strengthens this narrative, bringing a touch of haute couture that elevates Imani beyond the ordinary, even in her debut.

This is the power of a debut that doesn’t rely on traditional invitations, but on a direct connection to the digital community.

Imani Blake on the cover of i-D Magazine on 05/01/2025, photographed by Clara Santos, wearing Schiaparelli. #ImaniRising

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: IMANI BLAKE FOR i-D MAGAZINE

i-D: Imani, this is your first public appearance as a model, and already on such a powerful cover. How do you feel?

Imani Blake: It feels like I’ve been preparing for this moment my whole life, even without knowing it. It’s not just about being on the cover. It’s about what this image represents, about what i-D represents. It’s the beginning of a narrative I’ve always wanted to tell, and tell in my own way.

i-D: You don’t have a traditional agency behind you. Can you tell us about Team Blake?

Imani Blake: I believe in vision before structure. I wanted to build something that respects my identity, my origins, and my ambition. Team Blake is that: people who believe in this beginning as much as I do. Professionals who see fashion as language and image as power. Every step is collective, but each step is guided by purpose.

i-D: This first image already carries so much symbolism. What was the intention behind the styling and creative direction?

Imani Blake: I wanted it to look like a portal. As if I were stepping into a scene of my own time, with an aesthetic that blends the ancestral and the futuristic. The golden adornment over the eye represents vision—not just seeing, but seeing with depth. And the dress? It’s armor and art. It’s about presence.

i-D: Imani, you’ve just appeared in the fashion world with such a striking cover. Who is Imani Blake?

Imani Blake: Imani Blake is the sum of many silences and many explosions. I’m a Black woman who decided to turn gaze into language and presence into a manifesto. I’ve always been fascinated by art, aesthetics, and visual power, and now I have the chance to unite all of that into something real, in flesh, image, and concept.

i-D: What brought you here? How was this first step built?

Imani Blake: It was a choice. And many sacrifices. I knew I didn’t want to just “enter” fashion, I wanted to intervene in it. I started by gathering a team that understood this, that respected my time, my vision, my roots. It wasn’t easy, but I needed to build my own system and be the owner of my own story and image.

i-D: Let’s talk about Team Blake. It’s rare to see models debuting with their own structure. Why this decision?

Imani Blake: Because I never wanted to just be an image. I wanted to be direction. Team Blake is my foundation, my laboratory. We think together, create together. It’s like having a creative house on the move. Every choice, every project, every styling… it all goes through this exchange. Fashion needs new ways to manage image, and I’m creating mine.

i-D: The debut editorial is dense, almost mystical. Where did the inspiration come from?

Imani Blake: From the invisible. I wanted this first image to say more than words. The golden piece over the eye, for example, is about spiritual vision, intuitive power. It’s like I’m saying, “I see you, but you’ll learn to see me.” And black, for me, is protection, elegance, and radical presence.

i-D: How has it been dealing with the sudden attention? Does it scare you?

Imani Blake: It doesn’t scare me. It challenges me. Attention is a consequence, but my focus is on building. While people react to what they see, I keep creating what comes next.

i-D: You mentioned your roots. What role does your origin play in this new phase?

Imani Blake: Everything I am was born from that. My skin, my face, my silence, my history. I come from a place where my beauty was always valued, I always feel beautiful when I’m in Salvador, and now I’m here, using that same beauty to open doors. There’s no way to leave that out. It would be like tearing apart my soul.

i-D: Do you imagine yourself as a new reference for girls who look like you?

Imani Blake: I hope to be a spark of inspiration. Not just for being here, but for how I’m here. With autonomy, with voice, with strategy. I want girls to look at me and think, “I can create my own narrative too.” The rest is a consequence.

i-D: What else inspires you in the fashion world?

Imani Blake: The potential for transformation. Fashion can be a tool for identity or a prison of standards. I chose the former. And I want to work with brands, designers, and artists who understand that. Visuals are my territory to speak.

i-D: And what can we expect next?

Imani Blake: I didn’t come here to follow a predictable path. Every move will be thought out, artistic, bold. Runways, campaigns, editorials… But also authorial projects, conversations, provocations. I’m here to expand what being a model can be, and what a narrative like mine can be, coming from where I came from.

i-D: One last question. How would you define Imani Blake in one word?

Imani Blake: Unstoppable.

i-D: What’s your biggest dream within the industry?

Imani Blake: That one day, all women won’t have to justify their presence anymore. That being on the cover, on the runway, in creative command, will be common. But until then, I’ll keep being an exception with purpose.

i-D: Three words that define what’s coming?

Imani Blake: Intensity. Autonomy. Art.

Closing the interview with an announcement that will go down in fashion history, Imani Blake reveals: she has been officially invited by Louis Vuitton to attend the 2025 Met Gala, taking place on the night of May 5th. And the invitation couldn’t be more symbolic.

This year’s theme, "Superfine: Tailoring Black Style," is a tribute to 300 years of Black fashion, dandyism, and cultural influence. Inspired by the book Slaves to Fashion by Monica L. Miller, who also co-curates the exhibition, the Costume Institute’s show celebrates how style and tailoring have historically been used by Black men as forms of resistance, beauty, and political affirmation.

With the dress code “Tailored for You,” guests are encouraged to express their identity through custom-made creations. And if there’s anyone ready to translate this mission with power, elegance, and truth, it’s Imani Blake.

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