We had a little sesh with make-up artist and stylist Ederees Abrahams about his passion for fashion and his confidence

Tell us about your journey of becoming a make-up artist and stylist. 
I left school at 16 to pursue a career in fashion. I started out in a retail store in Long Street called A List. It was one of the top brands that I worked with and I just fell in love with fashion. But my mom actually had a stall on the parade (in Cape Town centre) selling clothing. That is where my inspiration started; my mom was a very stylish woman so she exposed me to current trends. Eventually make-up came once I started working, where I went from being in sales to visualising and merchandising. That’s when I found that beauty and clothing collide.

How did you start experimenting with gender-fluid clothing?
I began dabbling with different clothing in 2011 – I even started drag performing too! In 2013, I started purchasing a lot of make-up and looking at how it affected the way I felt. When wearing make-up I’d feel more feminine, so the outside would be more androgenous and dramatic, or flowy.

Tell us about your business, Beauty Benefits?
I launched the business during lockdown and it was the biggest step I could’ve taken, because I invested my life savings into it. I did work on clients, but it only started really picking up this year, to a point where I was right on the set with AKA and Cassper [Nyovest]. It’s mainly music videos and private clients that I have a great connection with at present. 

Any advice for those wanting to be more experimental, but are perhaps too shy to try? 
Do it! Try it and see if it’s for youand allow the process to happen. You might not like it in the beginning,
but the more you practise and the more love you have for what you are passionate about, I believe you will naturally gravitate towards that and just do it. 

Words by Saadiqah Schroeder
Photography: Courtesy Images