Archive submission received in January 2023 - a story created by Aniko and Lily, interviewed by Ella Boucht / Creative Director of HÄN.

 

Ella (HÄN team) : Hi Aniko and Lily, 

Happy New Year! Thank you so much for this special archive submission, very excited to get to launch your story here on the HÄN archive platform.

Let's delve into this photoshoot's backstory, please tell us how your year started?

 

 

Anne-Sophie (Aniko) : It started on January 2nd at the train station, wearing a black cowboy hat. I knew she had a little cowboy kink. It was the first time we met. 

Lily : Saw a cowboy hat running towards me, she grabbed me into her arms and we’d kissed within 30 seconds of meeting each other. 

Ella : Sounds like the perfect start to 2023, or any year to be honest. But continuing - you are based in two different countries right?

 

 

Lily : Yes we happen to be in different countries, Aniko is in Belgium and I’m in the midlands in the UK (sob sob sob).

Ella : Noo, I feel your pain, but I guess long-distance romance has never been an issue for us dykes and queers. Adds that extra spice and excitement to each time you meet again. How did you come about meeting in the first place?

 

 

Aniko : Lily appeared out of nowhere. Angel flung out of space. Lily liked a photo of my work on Instagram so I thanked her and noticing how gorgeous she was I couldn’t resist but to tell her. I swiped right and started to chat with her. 

Lily : It was just by chance online! I wasn’t actively seeking anything out. A page we both follow reposted her work and I was really captured by her art that I went to find her page. I thought her work was so beautiful and intimate. Then she messaged me, she said I was handsome (which I loved) and we started chatting and getting to know each other.

 

 

Ella : What was it that caught your attention?

Aniko: I was mesmerised (gay panic) 

Lily : Her green eyes are my favourite. It’s funny though, when we first started talking I had no idea what Aniko looked like!

 

 

Ella : The energy was just too strong to resist, we love to hear it. How did you end up doing this shoot together?

Lily : There was an immediate connection when we started talking- and so put two romantic impulsive queer women together and you get a 3 day emotional date including a leather photoshoot. 

 

 

Ella : Hot - sounds like a dream honestly. We are all so spoiled to be let into your 3 day long first date. You also decided to include some leather in the shoot, what does leather mean to you?

 

 

Lily : Leather to me means strength, armour, a sense of queer belonging, protection, community. Dyke fashion is deeply personal to the individual but leather jackets are usually a common staple. It makes me think of London lesbians in the 1980’s who would often wear leather jackets as a political statement, rebel dykes. There’s a power that comes when you wear a leather jacket and doc martens. And it’s sexy of course. 

Aniko :  Leather garments, boots, harnesses and so on are characteristics of the subculture of BDSM but also of the punk street fashion culture and evokes queer sex. Its scent is alluring, seductive. Valérie Steele quoted something like “leather is the lipstick for lesbians” and I’ve always loved that.

 

 

 

Lily and Aniko: Thanks so much to Ella for helping us create our queer leather cowboy fantasy <3

Ella: Aww it’s my pleasure, thank you both for sharing your intimate connection with all of us and creating this dreamy cowboy leather shoot. Literally what we all needed to kick off 2023. 

 

 

Credits:

 

NOTHING COMPARES TO U

Photography & curation of the shoot: Aniko (Anne-Sophie Guillet) & Lily M

Text: Ella Boucht

Leather pieces by Ella Boucht

 

16/01/2023