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The Story Behind A. Human, the Brand That Did Kim Kardashian and Chrissy Teigen's Body Modifications


Last week, Kim Kardashian West made headlines for a series of selfies she posted on Instagram. That alone isn’t newsworthy—Kim posted selfies? The sky is blue?—but these were…bizarre.

In the videos, Kim wears a choker implant that appears to be under her skin. Oh, and it glows.

Naturally, these selfies were met with a mixture of awe, revulsion, and intrigue. People began speculating about the how and the why. Is this permanent? Will it become A Thing?

Then, Chrissy Teigen and Tan France jumped on the bandwagon, showing off their own skin implants on social media.

As they say, three makes a trend.

The celebrities all name-checked A. Human, a mysterious company nobody had heard of before, in their posts. This led many, myself included, to ask: What is A. Human?

I did some digging and the short version is that it’s a new exhibit produced by Society of Spectacle, a live entertainment storytelling brand founded by publicist and longtime Kardashian associate Simon Huck (which explains Kim’s early participation). A. Human bills itself as a “fashion brand from the future,” but, essentially, it’s a tongue-in-cheek art installation that asks, “What is the future of self expression? If you could change your body as easily as you change your clothing, would you?”

PHOTO: Nicholas Hunt

Simon Huck and Jonathan Cheban at the opening of A. Human in New York.

Still, I had a lot of questions. How did this exhibit come to be? Are they actually offering body modifications? If so, how much does that cost? Have the celebrity trifecta of Kim, Chrissy, and Tan made this cool?

So I went straight to the source: Huck. Below, some answers.

What is A. Human?

According to Huck, A. Human is “a futuristic fashion brand” that “displays body modifications” instead of clothing.

Huh?

When I ask Huck to elaborate, he says: “I would call A. Human a one-hour Disney World thrill ride for adults that takes place in a futuristic retail store environment.”

OK, but what does that mean?

TL;DR, it’s an Instagram-friendly art installation—kind of like the Museum of Ice Cream or Color Factory.

How can I go?

Right now, A.Human is only in NYC from September 5 to 30. The entry fee is $40, and tickets are available online.

What do those celebrity body modification selfies have to do with A. Human?

Huck says he presented these “friends of the A. Human brand” with the installation’s concept, and they were all on board to have fun and promote it with selfies. While he wouldn’t reveal how they created each look, he concedes that the celebrities were involved in the design process for their body modifications.

“From the early sketches down to the actual development of each piece, Kim was very specific with her implanted choker,” Huck says. “We worked together to design that and then of course have that LED technology, which synched to her heart.” Of course.

Can I get a modification like Kim’s at the exhibit?

Nope. There are live models wearing (?) different body modifications on display, which are cool, but the installation is more about the ‘gram opportunities. In fact, the staff actively volunteers to take photos of you with the installations, like this not-at-all-terrifying one of me below:

Wait, “live models”?

Yes, there are actual humans with the modifications there, literally in display cases. (It feels a little like Ripley’s Believe It or Not, But Make It Fashion or a Chic Coney Island Circus Sideshow.) For example:

A. Human Launch Event Hosted By Simon Huck

PHOTO: Nicholas Hunt

A. Human Launch Event Hosted By Simon Huck

PHOTO: Nicholas Hunt

But it’s a “fashion brand”? So can you actually buy something to wear?

There’s a $40 T-shirt of a heart you can customize, available at the flagship exhibit and online.

I don’t live in NYC. Will A. Human go on the road?

“We are debating whether A. Human travels to other cities. … We had offers in London and Hong Kong,” Huck tells me. “We are excited by the interest, but we haven’t made any decisions yet.”

Will there be more exhibits like this?

A. Human is the first exhibit from Society of Spectacle, which Huck describes as “a live storytelling brand that takes on thought-provoking concepts.” He told me they have several of these “concepts” in the hopper, but nothing he’s able to share just yet.

Just tell me: Should I visit A. Human?

Depends. Are you low on content?

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