For The Future Is Black, Ines Vansteenkiste Muylle and Marc Martha joined forces to create a project that reimagines both history and the future. Marc Martha developed a fashion collection, while the collaboration resulted in a photographic series that challenges dominant visions of the future. In books and films, the future is often portrayed as white, highly technological, and disconnected from nature. This project proposes an alternative narrative.
The collection was created by Marc Martha as part of his master’s project at the Antwerp Fashion Academy. He envisions a future in which a Black woman is the sole survivor of a collapsed world. In her search for ways to rebuild, she reconnects with her tribal heritage and ancestral knowledge. Through this process, she forms a deep bond with the organic world around her. The fields, once used and abused, become one with her existence. From dust, her offspring are formed, reflecting her qualities: kind yet strong, energetic yet gentle, youthful yet wise. The photographic series presents the woman together with her two daughters.
The project does not only look toward the future but also actively reframes history. It draws inspiration from the work of photographer Dorothea Lange, who in 1936 created a series for a Depression era government agency to raise awareness and provide aid for struggling farmers. One of her most iconic images depicts Florence Owens Thompson with two of her children. Although marked by hardship, the woman in the photograph conveys resilience and strength. This reinterpretation shifts the focus away from suffering and instead emphasizes dignity and inner power.
In 1936, people of color were predominantly depicted through narratives of social struggle. Laws such as the Jim Crow laws prevented Black communities from openly connecting with their roots, heritage, and relationship to nature. The Future Is Black reimagines history by placing Afro Americans in a context where cultural identity can be fully expressed. Tribal heritage, hairstyles, and pride are celebrated, and fashion becomes a tool for empowerment and self expression. In Marc Martha’s world, these garments are created from reused materials, reinforcing themes of sustainability, renewal, and reconstruction.
Through this project, The Future Is Black reframes both past and future, centering Black identity, strength, and connection to nature as powerful and enduring forces.
Photography assistant: Louis Kerkhof Fashion designer : Marc Martha Creative direction : Marc Martha Art direction : Ines Vansteenkiste-Muylle Make up: Johanna Cool & Dorothy Vandemaele Hair : Rama Kourouma Talents: Coulibaly Nandy (Hakim Model Management), Annie-Jozie & Eliane D’almeida
Seen at: Culture Icon zine Issue 2