Jenkins added that although the clumsy announcement was a boon to publicity and the film’s subsequent popularity, he avoids watching clips back from the ceremony. “It didn’t feel special in the moment for me personally… it was actually quite frightening what was happening given everything going on in the world. I thought some very nefarious things were happening.”
While spectators at home had more of a bird’s-eye view over the disruption, for Jenkins, a moment of intense anxiety was only heightened by the fact that he had not seen the golden envelope listing
Moonlight as the Best Picture winner, meaning it was impossible to tell if what was happening was real. “For better or for worse,” the filmmaker says, “that particular moment is going to be the most visible thing that’s ever associated with me”.
Founded by Aria Olson, a 20-year-old Kansas City native, the digital event “seeks to create space for fashion enthusiasts from around the world to share and express their unique creative visions without real world inhibitions”. As such, the HFTwitter Met Gala runs on an open-invite basis, with the aim of “democratising fashion’s most exclusive event”. Posting to the hashtag #HFMetGala2021, guests were summoned to submit their looks under any of five categories – photoset creation, full brand challenge, wardrobe styling, illustration, and an open creative call.
Strange reflections, evolving Identities and something lurking in the shadows of your mind…
Needless to say, HFTwitter’s contributors responded in full force, showcasing the unbridled creativity of a globally engaged fashion community. Bloodied, frayed, and contorted, entries came indebted to the industry’s darkest of spectres, among them Alexander McQueen, Rei Kawakubo, and Rick Owens.
Other issues that cropped up throughout the year-long tenancy – including spending October to November without a working boiler, and having bailiffs show up at the door for unpaid bills – only hardened their resolve. “So much unpleasantness only prompted us further to seek justice,” continues Cole. “We felt we had to hold him to account for how insecure and vulnerable we felt.”
Even after the favourable outcome of the tribunal, Cole and her housemates are still struggling to receive the justice they deserve. “Initially we felt amazing about it, we felt like we’d beaten the systems in place that make it so landlords hold an incredible amount of power over their tenants,” she says. However, they later realised that the Rent Repayment Order (RRO) was unenforceable, which has left them “clueless” about how to enforce the judgement.