On a recent Veteran's Day, Matrix Artistic Educator Todd Kane, a former captain in the U.S. Army, received an email from a friend who served with him in Bosnia. It contained wonderful details of his life, family, career and kind words that filled him with gratitude.

“This gift inspired me to send out a few emails of my own and reflect back on the people and places that made my military service so memorable,” Kane says. “I began to dig through boxes, sort through pictures, and even tried on an old uniform. While sitting on the floor, surrounded by a decade of memories, I decided to create a color collection that would honor this amazing period of my life.”

Kane describes the photoshoot experience as a military operation. The kitchen countertop became his Tactical Operations Center. Camouflage netting of woodland, desert and tundra were hung on the walls to serve as inspiration for the color, cut, texture and styles. Mannequin heads were placed on stands and lined up in formation while color, brushes, bowls and clips were stockpiled for future use.

“The camouflage netting was supposed to serve as a backdrop,” Kane says. “But an equipment malfunction on-set sparked improvisation. Despite attempts to correct the problem—staples, tape, hair pins and lots of expletives—the netting continued to fall.”

In a rush, Kane took down the netting and laid it over the shoulder of the model.

“The photographer snapped a couple of frames to test the lighting and called me over to take a look,” Kane says. “We ripped apart the wardrobe, made some adaptations that took us in a beautiful, unexpected direction. How fi tting that a military-inspired collection would require us to improvise, adapt and overcome an obstacle to achieve our objective. To my fellow veterans and active duty service men and women around the world, thank you for your service.”

CREDITS
Hair: Todd Kane
Photographer:
Christos Sewell
Makeup:
M’jaie Mangus
Fashion stylist:
Sharon Ely Forsmo

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