BTS Photographer Keenan Reed
Shoot Photographer Lenne Chai at BA-Reps
Fashion Luca Kingston at The Only Agency
Groomer Nathaniel Dezan at Opus Beauty
Photographer Assistants Nico Vargas and Cristina Martinez
Digitech Dante Velasquez Jr
Fashion Assistant Tori Petrovski
Location Special Thanks Gjelina Hotel Venice Beach
Issue 19 is called “To Be Human,” and for Jordan Gonzalez, that means allowing all versions of himself to not only exist, but breathe deeply. As we get older, it becomes easier to suffocate parts of ourselves—to survive, to please others, to portray an image steeped in our own insecurities. We often let others mould us until we find ourselves calcifying into the version that exists within the narrow confines of external perception, becoming a caricature of ourselves. But you—the whole you—still exists, waiting to ignite.
In our print conversation, Jordan tells us, “When I finally stepped into acting, something clicked so deeply that it startled me. It was this unmistakable feeling of recognising myself in a way I never had before. It felt like someone had quietly turned a light on inside me.” Through each role, creative outlet, and the daily practice of being present, Jordan continues to turn the lights on, one by one, warmth flooding through like the windows of a childhood home you knew inch by inch, even in the dark.
We talk about returning to childlike freedom and identity, and in our shoot, photographed by Lenne Chai, we soaked up every last ounce of fleeting light as blue quenched yellow, yellow to orange, orange to red, red to purple. In what Lenne describes as a race against the sun, she sketched a shot list, saying, “We were very ambitious about what we wanted to achieve during golden hour, so I planned the shots via sketches to stay on track. The resulting photos look just like the sketches, to me, anyway.”
Lenne intentionally chose Muscle Beach as her backdrop; “I wanted to subvert the inherent machismo of Muscle Beach by capturing Jordan doing ‘manly’ activities, like lifting weights and doing sports on the beach, but photographed through a gentle and soft light. It's a celebration of boyhood through a playful, feminine lens,” Lenne shares. With the creative team allowing room to play, and providing a safe space, Jordan “casually flipped himself over the gymnastics rings twice,” to Lenne’s awe, as she let the shoot be guided by the story Jordan naturally told, being openly and wholly himself, on that day.
Buy Issue 19 here to see our shoot and read our full conversation with Jordan.
