Comscore

Please upgrade your browser for the best Refinery29 experience. Read more.

Saved! Access Favorites in your account profile. Removed from my favorites
WATCH THE VIDEO
PHOTOGRAPHED BY GEORDY PEARSON.

Meet Fashion's Newest Game Changers

The most gorgeous qualities of the most stunning people we know have nothing to do with eyelash lengths or chin shapes, and everything to do with a sense of adventure, fiery confidence, and willingness to not do things the same ol' way.

This year, we're celebrating exactly that kind of beauty with The New Provocateurs — introducing you to the coolest, most inspiring, rule-bending women in every industry, starting with fashion.

Inspired by the trendsetters at Revlon, we set out to discover what makes the fashion world's bravest really stand out. We tracked down 15 game changers — those designers, retailers, stylists, photographers, and PR powerhouses disrupting the industry's status quo — and shot them wearing their favorite outfits and most daring makeup looks (with a little help from Revlon, of course). Each woman here has a trailblazing story, a unique concept of beauty, and a whole lot of guts. Who knows? Maybe they'll inspire you to provoke some change of your own.

Ysa Perez

BN_Feature1_Horizontal_Ysa
You know, it's funny. A couple of decades ago, not much would have been provocative about young photographer Ysa Pérez's approach to shooting actors, musicians, and models. She gets to know them, feels them out, waits for them to step out of their comfort zones, and...CLICK.

But, these days, slowing down and waiting for things to happen behind the lens is getting rarer and rarer. With a quality, Internet-connected camera in everyone's hand stocked with photo-editing apps and filters that mimic the pros, what's the point of traditional photography? The answer can be found in Pérez's intimate portraits of people like Solange Knowles, Jemima Kirke, Riff Raff, Debbie Harry, Peaches, Violent J, and many, many others for a flurry of publications. Soft, expansive, moving, and sometimes challenging, Pérez's images are pieces of art worth waiting for. After all, what's more provocative than stopping people in their tracks and making them think about what they're seeing?

Revlon_BeautyNation_PullQuote_Ysa

All products by Revlon. ColorStay™ for Combo/Oily Skin Makeup, $12.99; ColorStay ShadowLinks™ Eyeshadow, $2.99; ColorBurst™ Matte Balm, $8.99; ColorBurst™ Lacquer Balm, $8.99; Powder Bronzer, $9.99; Bold Lacquer by Grow Luscious Length + Volume Mascara, $7.99.

BN_Feature1_Vertical_YsaPHOTOGRAPHED BY GEORDY PEARSON.

The biggest risk I've ever taken
"At school, I wanted to learn how to get into Rolling Stone, Spin, magazines like that, but my college was really technical, more focused on studio lighting and things like that. I knew I just needed to get out there and try things for myself and listen less to their version of ‘how to become a photographer.’ So, I took a quarter off school and interned at Nylon magazine. I went to shows and began photographing the music scene, and got known for shooting intimate portraits of certain artists. It was a lot easier to finish school knowing I could ‘make it’ in NYC.”
SilverAd_SuperWoman_1


How I'm changing the game
"Right now, there’s this incessant need of ‘instant imagery.’ But, what I do is a craft. I take time in my work. I capture a feeling. It's something rare and unappreciated these days. I know it’s old-fashioned, but I’m standing by my process, my methods. If I wanted to be another person with a DSLR and a flash shooting pretty girls against a wall, I could do that. But, I want my work to be about quality, not quantity. I want to be hired because I’m good at what I do, not because I have 6,000 Instagram fans."

What I do to amp up my look
“I’m really into eyebrows — I think most girls are, but guys don’t get it yet! I'll darken mine heavily for a night out.”

GetTheLook_Ysa

Wes Gordon Blush Glenplaid Bomber, $2,350, more information at Wes Gordon; Jenni Kayne Satin Bra, $295, available at Shopbop; Piamita Tabitha Trousers, $285, shop a similar style at Farfetch/The Webster; ASOS JAK Flatform Shoes, $64.82, available at ASOS; Khai Khai Running Man Ring, $2,200, shop similar styles at Khai Khai.

Hair by Bethany Brill; Makeup by Ashleigh Ciucci; Styled by Laura Pritchard
Jessie Cohan
>>