They may not be professional models, but that hasn’t stopped a handful of Bermudians from making a few ripples in British fashion.

Bartender Ryan Gibbons and entertainer Makeem “Haz the Human” Bartley are just two of the men who donned Pharrell Williams’s Billionaire Boys Club line for a spread in i-D magazine.

The opportunity came through British photographer Olivia Rose, who visited the Island in November.

The 30-year-old has strong ties to Bermuda. Her grandmother is Bermudian and her aunts, uncles and cousins live here.

“This was a very organic project,” she said. “It wasn’t something I was paid for. I knew I would be coming to Bermuda so I said, ‘Why not do something really great and get some of the local guys together and take some pictures of them wearing Billionaire Boys Club products?’ I put some clothes in a duffel bag and strapped it to the back of my bike and just rode around the Island doing street castings.

“I found some cute guys; a few I was friends with or acquainted with. It was nice for the guys because they were really into the brand. It’s a youth, urban brand and it resonates with any guy who has an interest in style and fashion who is in that demographic — 17 and upward.”

Music producer Williams founded the urban menswear collection with Japanese fashion icon Nigo in 2005. Their items have been spotted on celebrities such as Jay Z.

Ms Rose prides herself on her ability to capture people in their natural element. Most of her pictures show derelict houses and run-down parts of Hamilton as the backdrop.

“For me it’s not about the techniques or fancy lighting equipment, it’s about the person first,” she said.

“All I need is some sunlight and I can take a good picture. I’m not into studio lighting and Photoshop and all that. I’m not taking your wrinkles out or changing your skin colour, nose or the shape of your face because the way I see it, people are perfect the way they are. The fashion is secondary as well. That’s what fashion brands like about me.”

When she was younger, Ms Rose was determined to study fine arts at Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design in the UK.

As fate would have it she was not accepted; the school offered her a place in its photography programme instead.

“I did three years of fashion photography, which I loved and hated in equal measure,” she said. “Fashion photography meant taking pictures of models with no emotions and you shoot them with a white background in a studio. It was the antithesis of everything I love.

“I love different colours and people and travelling. I like throwing myself into something and learning what a piece is actually about and the fact that I have a camera with me to document those experiences is amazing.”

Her portfolio includes photographs for a French clothing line, Les Benjamins, R&B singer Mary J Blige, rapper Future and British grime artist J-Hus.

The story behind the image is what she focuses on.

“Even if it’s a fashion shoot I try to look at more than just the clothes on the person,” she said. “If I’m shooting Givenchy menswear then I want boys I’ve met from urban parts of London to wear it because that juxtaposition is important.

That’s what causes people to stop and think about the image and what those people are really like in real life.”

In the process she has also learnt a lot about herself and her own unconscious cultural biases.

“Especially hanging around with Bermudians, I’ve learnt how ignorant I am and how many layers of ignorance I have to break down,” she said.

“I can’t ignore the fact that my work looks at race. Most of the young men in my photographs are black or mixed-race and minority ethnic races. I’m a middle-class white woman.

“I’ve learnt to make my intentions really clear in these projects and let them know what I’m trying to do. The connections I have drawn from that are powerful.

“I’ve learnt to look at people and encourage others to look at people with a different lens, with a different eye, not through a stereotypical lens.

“Taking an honest look at a person, that’s what portraits are about. It’s just me and the subject. I’m trying to give them a space where they have a presence that isn’t filtered through layers of misunderstanding and ignorance.”