21st-century Buffalo Boys: Intersectional approaches to the complexities of modern masculinity

Abstract

Scottish-born stylist, Ray Petri, founder of the maverick Buffalo Collective, defined the look and feel of radical 1980s fashion magazines such as i-D, The Face and Arena. The Buffalo Boy look pioneered a more sexually ambiguous form of fashion iconography, undermining the putative immutability of normative codes of gender and sexuality and communicating a new image of masculinity. Previous conviction that the Buffalo spirit died with its founder has been upended by a new generation tapping into the Buffalo legacy, notably British-Ghanaian photographer, model-casting agent and publisher, Campbell Addy, and West African stylist, Ibrahim Kamara – both former interns of original Buffalo Collective members. This article explores how Addy and Kamara’s imagery interrogates the fragile relationship between menswear and masculinity, underpinned by intersectional issues of sex, race, faith and identity. Breaking down the construct of hegemonic masculinity, this article compares contemporary works by Addy and Kamara with the output of Buffalo to argue that the Buffalo spirit is evolving in how Addy and Kamara address notions of authenticity, exploit cross-cultural influences and transcend binary oppositions – redefining modern masculinity.