Somewhere We Dance Forever

When it comes to modern-day pioneers in the truest sense of the word, a few names stand out, one of them being Kai Isaiah-Jamal. The British performer, model, activist, and spoken word poet, is celebrated for their advocacy of trans visibility and amplifying underrepresented voices, and they’ve starred in high-profile campaigns with Balenciaga, Burberry, Prada, Stella Mccartney, and Calvin Klein. Crowned as “the voice of the generation” by Virgil Abloh in 2021, Jamal became the first Black trans model ever to walk in Louis Vuitton’s menswear show. Just last year, they made history as the first to be nominated for Model of the Year at the 2023 British Fashion Awards (BFA). A true force of nature, ancestral intuition is what wields them ever forward, says Jamal, who is privy to staying grounded amid their sky high success. Their three most important pillars of industry wisdom? “Choose your battles. Be keen on who you surround yourself with. Don’t give everyone access.” In a brief moment of downtime, Jamal divulges where their career is taking them next. 

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Vivien Lee: Hi Kai.

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Kai-Isaiah Jamal: Hi.

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VL: How’s life in London these days?

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KIJ: Every day is different for me. I’m fortunate to not have too much repetition. If I’m not shooting or travelling, I’m often in the studio. I travel over to SW6 [London’s Fulham district] either by car or train and absorb as much of what is going on around me as possible, trying to find and notice the things most people don’t. If I have spare time, I’ll head to an exhibition or go for a walk with a friend. I’ve found as much joy nestled at home watching a film as I have partying in the club (as long as the music is good). My evenings vary between take-out on the sofa or a fancy step and repeat somewhere—it’s never boring. 

VL: Any favorite award shows so far?

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KIJ: Probably last year’s BFA when I was nominated for Model of the Year. That was really special. We worked on this custom piece with Grace Wales Bonner, and then I had two archival suits. There was one custom sash, which said “somewhere we dance forever,” a lyric from one of the poems I wrote. It was a really fab process.  

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VL: How was last fashion week? What was your take on it?

KIJ: Busy and full of blessings! I feel like this last season my team and I were so cemented in what we wanted to achieve for the month, which also meant we could have fun with it. It was a year of change, internally and externally, for fashion. This past year made the majority of us see a lot of things clearly and demanded certain changes. It’s pushed us collectively into a healthier focus… on standing up for something and speaking up. There’s still a lot of uncertainty around the new year, but I feel more clear of my plan and purpose than ever before. 

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VL: Can you describe one of your favorite moments working with Virgil Abloh?

KIJ: There are quite a lot. I’ve spoken about some earlier ones, but I was reminded of one recently when my iPhone showed me a slideshow of memories I’ve snapped. It was a photo of us hugging outside a cinema in Paris. When Covid-19 changed all the rules and fashion shows took a break, Virgil and his stellar team still created beautiful films and shows. He was the master of building community. After we made Amen Break [2022], in true Virgil style he booked out a theater for friends and collaborators and team to watch it together. Even when the world shut down, he found ways to safely bring us under one roof to share art. In a grey suit with brown and beige checkerboard Louis Vuitton Air Force 1’s (which I still have to pinch myself about), he gave a speech about the fact that we’re only a reflection of who we surround ourselves with and how anything is possible. Then we all watched the film, and during my poem he turned around and threw up some gun fingers with his painted nails—a reference to one of the lines I had written. He made me feel so proud; it was like watching your little inner kid live out all of your dreams, and I just sat back in the seat and smiled the whole time.

VL: Speaking of art, I hear you’re making music now.

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KIJ: Yes. This last year I’ve been working on a body of work, which is going to be presented as an EP. I feel like people have told me that I should make music for ages. For a while, I was so hell bent on wanting to make people read again, but you kind of realize that A, there’s not a lot of money in literature so it’s harder to survive. And B, we live in this social media age where people want infographics and digestible pieces of information. Getting someone to sit and actually read a whole poem can be kind of challenging. So I was like, Okay, maybe bringing this into a musical sphere is how I can still have a poetic lens on what I’m writing and still be really intentional. 

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VL: Can you tell me more about the EP and some of the themes that have come up for you while making it?

KIJ: There’s so much I don’t want to say because I always want the art to speak first, and then I fill in any gaps that may need an answer (or may not). In theory, it’s the same as most of my writing about reflection and nostalgia and teenhood. There’s something about nostalgia that I cannot get enough of. I have a friend that says it’s the feeling that makes him feel the most funny in his stomach. I think I feel the same, but that feeling makes me want to explore it more. For years I have written and shared my thoughts about gender and my transition, and I wanted to give a peephole into my life before that, the complex simplicity of those formative teenage years before we have certain language and nuances—those freedoms you slowly lose growing up. I’m exploring wanting to make something that is a hybrid of the now and then. The main thing that writing this body of work has shown to me is patience. Similarly to the recipe, this year is about the result of hard work, slow but steady and remembering always that you are exactly where you are meant to be—you always have and always will be.

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VL: What are you looking forward to most in this year?

KIJ: For me, 2025 is a year of giving myself and others grace. It’s very important to choose your battles and be keen on who you surround yourself with. I’m looking forward to sharing what I have been working on behind the scenes, to connect with people through my art in a new medium, and to open myself to parts of my craft I have not yet had the chance to fully experience. I’m ready to learn new parts of me. 

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Model KAI ISAIAH-JAMAL at ELITE.
Hair Stylist NAOMI SMITH.
Makeup Artist RUBEN MASOLIVER using BYREDO.
Photo Assistant CARMEN WORETH.
Special Thanks AGENCY 41.