A Young Stylist’s Ode to the Tamil Diaspora

“Poitu varen” – meaning ‘I will return’ in Tamil – is what the parents of young stylist Aathirai Valentine said to their homeland of Sri Lanka when they were forced to leave. The Sri Lankan Civil War (1983-2009) rocked the lives of millions, with thousands going missing – soon assumed killed – and causing a mass displacement of the Sri Lankan diaspora. Her parents started anew in Berlin, and later Valentine searched to reconnect with her Tamil roots. Diaspora Survival Tactics, a photo series conceptualised and styled by Valentine is the product of her quest.

“The last time I travelled to Sri Lanka it was with my family and I was pretty young. It was before 2009 when the civil war was at its peak point,” says Valentine. “As a young teenager I couldn’t fully comprehend what was going on at the time, but seeing people never lose their joy or their hope and continuing to show their strength despite the genocide that happened really impacted me.” Selected by Dazed’s fashion director Imruh Asha through Mentoring Matters, a scheme that aims to redress the balance of equality and opportunity within the creative industries, Asha helped galvanise a team for Valentine to realise the project, and the courage to tell her story.

Captured by Jakob Tillman against the urban backdrop of Berlin with hair by Masayuki Yuasa and make-up by Lee Hyangsoon, the photo series sees three Sri Lankan models styled in modernised Tamil clothing, seemingly out of place against their industrial environment. “My moodboard was filled with the few family pictures we had left from Sri Lanka since a lot of them got destroyed during the war,” says Valentine. “Seeing this clash of colours and a wild mix of patterns and textures naturally gave me the idea to deconstruct the traditional looks. I could place hidden elements like the flower garland and mix it with modern silhouettes or go for a rather muted colour palette to merge my different cultural influences.”

As well as being on a personal journey to reconnect with a heritage she feels removed from – and honour the plight of her parents – Valentine hopes to speak to a community underrepresented in her creative field. “My parents were the first people that I showed the images to. It was a beautiful moment. They instantly felt connected to the images and saw all the references and hidden elements that I used from Tamil culture. They were really moved by the fact that I didn’t forget my roots and that I am preserving my heritage.”