Editorial Diaries | Joel Conceição

Joël Conceição came to New York and we used the city as a creative starting point for this editorial. Joël is Portuguese, represented internationally, and his presence in front of the camera feels immediate and instinctive. At the time, he was in New York for agency commitments, and that sense of movement and transition naturally shaped the energy of the shoot.

One of the visual starting points for this story was American Psycho, revisited through a contemporary lens. We wanted to play with that reference without being literal, translating it into something lighter, unexpected, and slightly ironic. The golden mask became a key element, paired with moments where Joël exercises wearing VR goggles, creating a contrast between control, obsession, technology, and performance. The result feels playful but also intentional.

The editorial moves between studio and street, embracing a New York attitude that sits somewhere between discipline and experimentation. Styling leaned into a fashion editorial language, allowing the images to shift between strength and irony, body and character. Everything was built to feel timeless, but rooted in the present.

This story is about reinterpretation. Taking a cultural reference and filtering it through fashion, movement, and the city. Photographed by Ton Gomes in New York City.