night of the week she can be spotted at the popular Miami hotspots. On Wednesday you see her at the Electric Pickle, a local cocktail lounge and music emporium. Again, on Friday you notice her taking pictures at the Vagabond, her favorite local venue.
Pamela Wasabi does not blend into the background.
Pamela’s personal style oozes color. Her dreadlocked hair, while currently a rainbow of colors (blond in front with strips of purple, hot pink and turquoise in the back) changes from pink to red frequently. She is no stranger to blue lipstick and streetwear fashions. Her desire to stand apart from the crowd began in high school, she says.
“We had to wear uniforms: the tall socks, the skirt. I had to express myself through dying my hair or painting my nails. It started as a rebellion, but later I realized it was not just because I was a teenager, I just realized it was my personality.”
But Pamela Wasabi and Miami have more in common than love of a vibrant nightlife. Pamela adores Miami because it is a young, emerging city.
“A lot of people started coming here about 20 years ago – a new generation – looking for a chance to express themselves,” says Pamela. “Like me, I came here from Colombia, where people are more close-minded. Miami is getting a chance to grow as a small culture.”
Pamela documents this growing culture with her camera every night. Traveling from nightclubs to galleries to pubs to concerts, she captures the people and style that make up Miami. Yet, unlike most photographers, she does not concern herself with the perfect picture. For Pamela, the art lies in documenting the raw.
“I care about catching people in the street because I like what they are wearing,” says Pamela. “It’s different than fashion photography.”
Pamela shares her love of raw expression with readers as creator and contributor to Wasabi Fashion Kult, a web-based magazine dedicated to the Miami art and fashion scene that originated in part from her experiences in Paris, France. During a 10-month stay in the city of fashion, Pamela was inspired by those involved in the industry, from the smallest boutique to the biggest designers.
“I realized that culture needed to be documented,” Pamela explains. “It helped me transition into my own magazine. My goal is to create a magazine that will be a textbook on Miami culture.”
Pamela wants to use Wasabi Fashion Kult not only as a means of documenting fashion, but as a method of encouraging readers to embrace their own personal style. She encourages readers to follow their intuition and choose clothing that appeals to them personally. Readers should not be limited to the clothing brands they see advertised, Pamela says.
To achieve this, she has one piece of advice: “Turn off the TV.”
And, to that, we say “Bravo!”
By Nicolet Corliss
Picture by Artraged Photography
Make-up by Natalia Lopez de Quintana
