Iris Chalangeas is the kind of person who makes you question how we can all possibly have the same amount of hours in a day, so packed her portfolio is. The photographer, creative director and model recently started her own casting agency (@irisluzcasting), and has a magazine coming out in September published by Ditto London titled Pc Erotic (@pcerotic).
“The magazine explores technology and sex, and how future technologies will affect our concept of intimacy,” she explains. “We talk about about a tons of subjects, ranging from biohacking to virtual reality to Ai phone sex hotlines.”
The true carpe diem’r loves the internet, and how in particular how it “encourages and embraces self-awareness, and to some extent narcissism.” She believes that before the internet, ‘self-love’ and ‘self-care’ were “terms that merely existed, but weren’t put into practice, for fear of being called self-centred or indulgent”, and cites people like Amber Wagner and Slick Woods as proof that we now live in an age that celebrates people who worship themselves. If she had to give up the internet for a week, she reckons that—aside from a lot of angry work emails and messages from friends—her life would largely be the same.
If Iris could trade lives with someone for a day, it’d be Dolly Parton. During her 24-hours spent being Dolly, she’d go to Dollywood and have a look at all the hidden tattoos the singer has allegedly been covering. Also included on the itinerary would be “dancing around her mansion, wearing her amazing bejewelled outfits and living out my dream as a southern belle.” Can we come, too?
Born and raised in London, the ultimate ~slashie~ is the daughter of a French dad and a Portuguese mom. She lived in London until she was twelve, then lived in Lisbon until she was 18, then in Amsterdam for three years, and has now come full circle, living back in London. Her fave thing about her hometown is that there’s always something to do and somewhere to go, and also that everyone is open to meeting new people. If you were in town, she’d take you to Retro Woman, where you can buy super cheap designer clothes, and then to the rest of Portobello markets in the morning. Then to Zedèls (“the food is trash but the place is divine”) near Piccadilly Circus, then to the arcade near London Bridge!
Her ideal day would begin with her receiving a parcel from Depop, before heading to the gym, some charity shops to hoard more clothes, then a museum with friends, and finally heading back East for some cheap Vietnamese food and a party. She loves eating at any Vietnamese restaurant on Kingsland Road where you can B.Y.O, and also at Taro’s bentos in Soho, or this cute cafe called Toconoco that serves Natto. To shop, she only goes to Retro Woman and The Hammersmith Tk Maxx (where she got Margiela Tabi’s for £100). To drink, she loves a Boba tea from CoCo’s in Soho (“jasmine flavour, soy milk with a little sugar if anyone’s wondering”), or for very cheap, tasty cocktails go to By The Bridge Café in Haggerston.
As a photographer, her favourite subjects are “either people who wear very poorly-made costumes for Comic Con (which [she] explores in [her] Con series), or [her] beautiful friends.” She’s a very curious person, so is taken by everything and anything, and is always open to any new experiences. She’s mostly curious about people and meeting new people, and loves to surround herself with tons of different people from different backgrounds and with different interests. She has zero problems being thrown into a room with tons of people she doesn’t know, and we could probs all learn a lesson or two from her approach to life.
She is the “least spiritual” person she knows, instead believing in rational thinking and listening to what you think is right. She doesn’t “lament on heartbreak too much” and definitely believes that you are in control of your own happiness, “so if you want to be happy, BE HAPPY!”. Her only motto in life is, “Be your own biggest fan”, and the best advice she’s ever been given is that “you build your own dream, and you create the job you seek to achieve.”
Of a morning, she checks Instagram before stretching and preparing her morning brew. If she could only eat one meal for the rest of her life, it’d be Bún thịt nướng—a vietnamese vermicelli bowl topped with grilled pork, spring rolls, peanuts, mint, salad, pickled veggies and fish sauce. Yum. For the rest of 2018, she’s most excited for her magazine to come out (and for the launch party), and for her fave event of the year, the carnival. The best bit about her job is the new people she meets every day from all walks of life, and also the parties, and her least favourite part is chasing invoices for months, even from big companies. TRUE.
Female relationships are important to her, because “they inspire us to face adversity and strive for success and demand what we are rightfully owed.” Yep. To her, ‘cool’ means an independent person who is comfortable with who they are.
“They don’t rely on anyone for validation, as they find it within themselves, and are outspoken about what they feel and think,” she elaborates. “That to me is cool.”
Words: Maddy Woon Photos: Bella Howard Fashion: Abby Bennett Makeup: Porsche Poon
