Culture. Fashion. Freedom. Nostalgia. Connection. Gratitude. These are just a few of the sentiments that come to Kacey Jeffers’ mind when thinking of his old school uniform–the gratitude, he jokes, stems from no longer having to impatiently iron his shirts on a Sunday night. On the small Caribbean island of Nevis, this Sunday ritual is a collective experience for many Nevisian school children, so much so that the weight of this memory is still felt by the photographer today. As he grew out of his uniform and into adulthood, Jeffers moved to New York to pursue photographic work. However, when his visa expired in 2018, he had to return home. Jeffers recalls, “I was in a state of fear: How would I survive? I had lived away from Nevis for 3 years and returning back was daunting.” Yet, amidst life’s uncertainty, Jeffers found clarity and opportunity in the clean salty air that greeted him upon landing back home. Following his return, Jeffers spent the next year stripping away his creative self, searching for purpose in this specific moment–it was then when the idea for his first monograph Uniform came to fruition. Working with the Nevisian cultural office and educational authorities to conceive the project, Jeffers set off on a tour of 14 different schools. His meditative portraits, comprising of 26 individuals nominated by each school, vividly depict the students’ individuality clothed behind their usual garb. Each photograph unearths a nostalgic gaze, a familiarity which in part derives from the fact that Jeffers was once one of these school children. However, Jeffers notes that there is something more to be recognized beyond the beauty. Here, his purpose is clear; Uniform speaks to “every Nevisian child and to all children of the African diaspora” to tell them that they can tell their own story–Uniform is their proof. Take a look below for our interview with Jeffers and a preview of Uniform which can be purchased here!

- Alexa Fahlman

Ado from the series Uniform © Kacey Jeffers

Alixandria from the series Uniform © Kacey Jeffers

Aniya from the series Uniform © Kacey Jeffers

How have you been coping with your day to day caught between a pandemic and political turmoil? Do you feel as though your creativity has been affected by the world's current circumstances?

K: I left New York in March. I was on the last flight out to Nevis, the next week our borders were closed. They are slated to reopen Oct 31st, so I’m free to travel. I had plans to return to Nevis to do a book launch and other events surrounding Uniform. But due to Covid, I left NY earlier with the knowing that these events would have to be postponed.

There’s a saying, “ When America sneezes, we (the islands) catch the flu” How appropriate is that?! Even though I am away from New York, and we’ve had few cases that have all recovered, I’m still feeling the sting. The combination of Covid-19 and the overflow of racial tensions is draining. I work on focusing my energy on what is of value in these moments: how can I channel my thoughts, feelings into meaningful and impactful projects?

When the pandemic set off, it was quite unnerving especially since a lot of opportunities got cancelled. I surrendered to the ‘it is what it is’ of the situation and quickly became very nimble. Once I’m able to understand the bigger picture–the ‘why’–I’m willing to strap in and roll on through.

I do believe things are always happening for me and not to me.

Antonio from the series Uniform © Kacey Jeffers

Apryll from the series Uniform © Kacey Jeffers

Aquila from the series Uniform © Kacey Jeffers

Could you tell us more about your childhood in Nevis? Are there any places, routines, sounds or smells that trigger your memories?

K: Part of my motivation for doing the book was to better understand who I was as a child, and to get a little bit closer to some concepts of childhood. Growing up I loved learning and reading. Walking through the halls of my old primary school brings back so many memories: feeling seen in grade 3, the first time I heard the word lingerie was in grade 4 on a spelling test ( I spelt it incorrectly! ), a classmate getting punished for using a calculator in grade 2, playing rounders (a game similar to baseball but instead of bats we use our hands) and so on. I’ve lived near to the beach my whole life, so the smell of the salty ocean air gives me a sense of home, hope even. As does food. Even in New York, smelling certain foods always triggers that sense of home.

Chassidy from the series Uniform © Kacey Jeffers

Dylan from the series Uniform © Kacey Jeffers

Jahlique from the series Uniform © Kacey Jeffers

What initially compelled you to return home to photograph Nevisian students?

K: I left New York for Nevis in 2018 because my work visa expired. I was in a state of fear: how would I survive? I had lived away from Nevis for 3 years and it was daunting ,that is, the concept of ‘going back’ to Nevis. As I was working my way through that fear, the uncertainty of my career (how would I continue? Do I even want to continue doing photography?) really forced me to think of my life on a deeper level and I gradually wanted to strip myself of the things that lay at my foundation as a human being that no longer served the highest version of myself. Day by day, I worked on chipping away a little piece of that. I started to think of who I wanted to be as a creative person, the stories I wanted to tell and my purpose. Eventually the idea for Uniform came to me. It felt like a project that only I could tell in this specific moment, one that felt true to me as an artist, and something that had the capacity to connect people from all walks of life. The idea of doing it really sustained me for the year I spent here, and now, taking Uniform to the next level motivates me even more!

Junice from the series Uniform © Kacey Jeffers

Kijaunte from the series Uniform © Kacey Jeffers

Could you take us through your creative process for "Uniform”?

K: I conceived the idea in October 2018 and I didn’t get the go ahead until May/June of 2019. From the get go it was meant to be a book. Through all that time, I felt into the project’s impact and how I wanted the project to feel. I met with the principals of the schools and told them about the project. I asked them to present students who were not always in the spotlight. It was exciting to go to the school and not know what the locations would be or who the students were (for the most part.) I loved walking into the situation blindly with only my internal sense of what the project would feel like to guide me. So over the course of two weeks towards the end of the 2019 school year, I went around the island to 14 schools and photographed kids whose ages ranged from 10 ( grade 5) to 18 (sixth form college.) I spent roughly 1 hour at each school doing the photographs as well as interviewing each student.

Roberto from the series Uniform © Kacey Jeffers

Shanelly from the series Uniform © Kacey Jeffers

Tejanah from the series Uniform © Kacey Jeffers

Your work represents a generation of Nevisian schoolchildren–all of whom are visually striking individuals. Can you speak more on the importance of representation? How might you have been affected by seeing a representation of yourself during your youth?

K: Now more than ever representation and visibility are important: who is in front of the lens and who is behind it. I always tell this story of going to school in the 90s: we would be outside playing and then a tourist would literally stop by and start taking pictures of us. We would run and hide. It was a common held belief that if tourists, who for a long time were synonymous with being white, took our picture we would end up in magazines naked, or worse. A lot of that couldn’t be disparaged especially when you would see magazines like National Geographic’s depiction of people who looked like us. Culturally, especially to a young child, that creates a disconnect. I ask the question, 'why not me?' a lot. Perhaps if I wasn't going through this famine of visibility and representation I wouldn’t be in the position to want to see that void filled.

I think what made this project special is that I am from here, and this story is as much mine as it is theirs. There is a familiarity, trust and authenticity that lives within, and evolves from that.

Every Nevisian child and children of the African diaspora, can tell their own story, Uniform is proof.

Zoe from the series Uniform © Kacey Jeffers

Thaine from the series Uniform © Kacey Jeffers

Tishaunte from the series Uniform © Kacey Jeffers