Tessa Thompson Talks Activism + Action for Porter Edit, Lensed by Shaniqwa Jarvis

Actor and producer Tessa Thompson is styled by Shibon Kennedy in Balmain, Bottega Veneta,  Calle Del Mar, Cushnie, Dodo Bar, Jason Wu, MM6 Maison Margiela, The Great Eros and more. Photographer Shaniqwa Jarvis makes the image capture for Porter Edit August 10, 2020.

In an interview with plenty of emphasis on activism, Tessa Thompson explains her engagement with fashion in Hollywood. With her stylists Wayman Bannerman and Micah McDonald, Thompson balances major names like Chanel, Loewe, Versace, and Valentino with rising talent like Christopher John Robers and Pyer Moss. Lynette Nylander conducts the cover story interview ‘Woman Of Action’.

“I think about fashion the same way I think about the industry, in that I get to work in big commercial spaces and also make smaller, independent films. I like to do that with what I wear, too,” she comments.

It annoys Thompson as it does so many female actors that “There’s this thing in Hollywood, particularly if you’re a woman, that puts so much emphasis on how you look. It’s problematic, as you’ll be asked who you’re wearing before you’re asked about your work.”

Work and Activism are Serious Subjects to Thompson

After the killing of George Floyd, Thompson — alongside actor Kendrick Sampson —  “penned an open letter, co-signed by more than 300 film-industry professionals, that called for Hollywood to divest from the police and invest in the Black community. “

In 2019, she launched the #4PercentChallenge from Time’s Up and the Annenberg Inclusion Initiative, which asks Hollywood figures to commit to working with a female director, especially a director of color, within the next 18 months. Prominent figures like Kerry Washington, Amy Schumer, and Janet Mock signed up.

Thompson is involved with Pass The Mic, and gave her Instagram account to Dr. Helene Gayle, CEO of The Chicago Community Trust, to explain how COVID-19 particularly affects communities of color.

“It’s my LIFE and it’s important that my core VALUES line up with my CREATIVE ecosystem.”

Like BLM co-founder Patrisse Cullors, whose masters degree studies the intersection of art and activism, Thompson embraces the intersection of those two forces in her own life.

“I don’t think any artist necessarily has a responsibility to try being an agent of change,” she considers. “But, for me, it’s always been something that feels compelling. And if there’s a risk in speaking up, it’s always felt worth it. I’m just continuing to try to learn how to show up in those spaces and to pass the mic to folks who know a lot more than me.”

Continue the read-out of Lynette Nylander’s interview of Tessa Thompson and see the fashion credits at Porter Edit.