If you’ve ever been curious about dabbling in amateur photography, now’s your chance. Saint Laurent has partnered with creative photography agency Lomography on two limited-edition Simple Use Film Cameras. Each camera features a retro print — a checkerboard style comes preloaded with black-and-white film and a star-print model is loaded with color negative film, but obviously each can be reloaded with any type of compatible film.
These days, analog photos just hit differently when everyone else is digital manipulating their own pics beyond recognition. Now’s a good time to pick up a camera and focus on composition and natural lighting. After all, no matter what else is going on, spring is right around the corner.
The Saint Laurent x Lomography Simple Use Film Cameras are available at the Saint Laurent Rive Droite stores in Paris and Los Angeles now.
The queen of capturing female sensuality, photographer Ellen von Unwerth is celebrating a new exhibition at New York’s Fotografiska in the Flatiron District. “Devotion! 30 Years of Photographing Women” is the photographer’s love letter to women through seven expressions: Play, Gender, Drama, Love, Power, Passion, and Lust. The German photographer, who has done campaigns for just about every fashion house from Dior to Chanel, loves to experiment with archetypes and stereotypes to stir emotions and create an intense commotion. The exhibit features von Unwerth’s best shots, including those of Claudia Schiffer, part of the original supermodel crew, to today’s starlets. She chose to celebrate the exhibit on January 18th on the 4th anniversary of the Women’s March. And in a good fashion characteristic of the photographer, the party dragged late into the night with dancing, burlesque, and tons of unexpected surprises.
“Devotion! 30 Years of Photographing Women” runs through March 29 at 281 Park Ave South, NY 10010.
Peter Lindbergh, the internationally esteemed German fashion photographer, died earlier this week on September 3. He was 74 years old.
Lindbergh is known for his work in the ’90s, shooting some of the biggest supermodels of the time, including Kate Moss, Linda Evangelista, and Naomi Campbell — his cover shoot for the January 1990 issue of Vogue is said to be the catalyst for the Age of the Supermodel which dominated the decade. He was known for his candid approach to photography and his strong aversion to retouching. His work will surely continue to echo and influence fashion photography for generations to come.
Rick Owens has emerged as one of the most compelling designers since launching his eponymous label in Los Angeles in the early ’90s. I’m pretty sure he’s the reason most Parsons students are committed to the all-black uniform. Come September, fans of the critically beloved designer can get their hands on a definitive book chronicling his career thanks to Rizzoli. Featuring photographs by Danielle Levitt and designed by Owens himself, Rick Owens is the ultimate guide to the cult designer with over 200 pages recounting his journey from avant-garde outsider to goth royalty. So make sure to add this to your coffee table collection when it comes out later this fall.
When SUMO was published in 1999, the expansive photography book by Helmut Newton almost instantly sold out of its initial 10,000-copy run. The now distinguished copy number one, which was signed by over 100 celebrities featured in the volume, made history as the most expensive book published in the 20th century when it sold for 360 thousand euros. Few photographers
Two decades later, the coveted monograph is being re-issued in XL format (10.5 x 14.7 inches). Featuring 464 of the late acclaimed photographer’s portraits and images, the book also comes with a booklet that chronicles the making of SUMO. Newton, whose portrait work and editorial collaborations with designers like Thierry Mugler made him one of the most renowned and influential photographers of the century, remains a powerful figure in the current design landscape and this celebratory tome should only extend his legacy.
Helmut Newton. SUMO. 20th Anniversary will be released in August by Taschen. Check out some images of the book in the gallery above.
It’s within this devilish double entendre that Swedish fashion house Lazoschmidl announced the zine that would accompany “Playdate,” their equally-as-devilish Spring 2019 collection that included “wet dream” inscriptions in rhinestone and more than one crocheted crotch. It was just the latest erotic idea to flow from the minds of designers Josef Lazo and Andreas Schmidl and into their design studio—the latest treat for enraptured fans of the brand whose first solo runway show was a mere two years ago this month.
Firmly established amongst the ranks of rising queer fashion designers like Charles Jeffrey Loverboy, Palomo Spain, and Ludovic de Saint Sernin, the Swedes have become known on and off the runway for their queer, campy excess. Alongside each collection, Lazo and Schmidl have released one-off zines called Unpublished Material. Within the glossy pages, they’ve paid homage to everything from NSYNC to sex tourism. For their latest iteration, the duo invited six creatives to interpret the themes of the Spring ’19 collection for, yes, the biggest package ever.
Image: Doug Inglish.
While past issues have ranged from 30-50 pages of material shot by a single photographer, Unpublished Material #8 clocked in at a meaty 84 pages thanks to an eclectic mix of work from Doug Inglish, Paul Mpagi Sepuya, Bruce LaBruce, Jasmin Storch, Alexandre Chagnon, and Max Marsden. The result—an erotic, romantic patchwork of drawings, texts, and images—paints a worthy portrait of Lazoschmidl’s world while preserving the counterculture spirit that drew many of the contributors to the medium during their youth.
For photographer Doug Inglish, it may have been the “confident, sexy, and fetishistic” Spring ’19 collection that sparked his interest, but it was the history of radical zine-making that sealed the deal. Kicking off the zine, his portraits of queer model Benjamin Selleck outfitted in the brand’s signature underwear and dressed up in boots and a sailor cap effectively recreated the beefcake aesthetic of yesteryear—serving as an ode to Inglish’s closeted adolescent exploration of Colt Studios’ leather calendars and vintage physique magazines. “They were the part of me that no one knew about and they were beautiful. I was obsessed,” he recalled of these early zines. More than just a tool to hone his creative style, they taught him important lessons about self-empowerment and societal critique.
Image: Doug Inglish.
It was also within this art form that fellow photographer Paul Mpagi Sepuya found inspiration long before he contributed to Lazoschmidl’s fanzine. His self-published SHOOT series from 2005 to 2008 was one of the first projects he released and allowed him to ingrain himself within the queer publishing culture of that time. “The way we make opportunities to collaborate, cross-pollinate and form friendships is a beautiful thing,” he said of the format. For Unpublished Material #8, Sepuya’s series of intimate self-portraits in the brand’s peach emoji-inspired briefs brought a raw eroticism to the pages—a perhaps unintentional antidote to the white gaze that lurks behind many images of black queer men. For Sepuya, the topic of photographic gaze is one he’s explored throughout his work and, when the topic is broached while discussing his contribution to the zine, led to an effectively pragmatic explanation that “a black gaze has the freedom to fetishize whatever enters into its field of vision.”
As matter-of-fact as the photographer’s answer is, it also serves to sum up what Lazoschmidl tapped into with Unpublished Material #8. By straying from a unified, singular vision and putting their campy, queer ethos into the hands of six creatives, the zinebecame a physical testament to Lazoschmidl’s universal acclaim and with it, as Inglish so aptly explained, it opened the door to a stronger, sexier future:
“One can be fragile, effeminate, strong, and sexy all at once. We do not need to be tough to be sexy and vice versa, we are free to have it all—as it should have always been.”
Raf Simons has released its newest campaign for its haunting Spring/Summer ’19 collection. The latest image series (shot by Willy Vanderperre and styled by Olivier Rizzo) maintains the designer’s split-image format, combining intimate shots of models donning the clothes with close-up abstract #detail images. The result is a tender presentation of the latest offering from the designer. Check out the full campaign below.
Photography: Willy Vanderperre Styling: Olivier Rizzo Hair: Anthony Turner Make-up: Lynsey Alexander Casting Director: Ashley Brokaw Models: Luca Lemaire, Maoro Bultheel, David Van Brusselt
The first in a series of creative documentation projects, Balenciaga is releasing a specially crafted book, titled Balenciaga: Winter 18. In rare form, photographers Johnny Dufort and Pierre-Ange Carlotti worked together to re-create and share the essence seen at the Winter ’18 show, under the creative direction of Demna Gvasalia and publisher Rizzoli.
Neon colors are incorporated into each image by modifying the CMYK color, and the result creates a visually stunning experience. The book is finished with swiss binding and sharp beveled edges, while a repeated graffiti motif is printed on the cover. The overall result is a captivating BTS look at one of the year’s most talked about fashion presentations.
“With this show in particular, even backstage looked like a story,” Gvasalia shared in a statement. “I realized that every show I do from now on for Balenciaga is cinematographic… I’d like to accompany with some memorabilia, something that actually puts you into that show and the process behind it.” The tome provides an exclusive look at the show but, more importantly, serves as a true artifact in itself.
Balenciaga’s Fall 2018 book will start going on sale online tomorrow. Take a look at some images below.
Before Mira Nachman‘s solo-exhibit at MADE Hotel in Nomad closes tomorrow, there are a few (16 to be exact) pieces to be seen and an entirely new concept of awareness and consciousness to take away through her signature photography.
Images: Courtesy of the artist
Titled “Strip,” her latest exhibit invites the viewer to engage with the work on a philosophical level. The Israeli artist herself found her artistic path deep into her corporate financial career — she first showed her work under an alias. As she further accepted her own talents, Nachman finally presented her first solo show in New York last year. Now Nachman wants her viewer to experience a similar revelation, a sort of process of symbolic awakening to recognize the simplicity and job in one’s existence. Her photography works underline just that: a mysterious space of possibility, beauty, and seeming familiarity.
MADE Hotel celebrates the closing reception of the artist (tonight) Tues Nov 6th 6:30 – 8:30. See more of Mira Nachman’s work on her website MiraNachman.com.
Ahead of the rainy season, Gucci has built its own magnificent ark for its whimsical Cruise ’19 collection. The concept is centered around a fictional community where animals and humans coexist peacefully. Shot by Glen Luchford with art direction by Christopher Simmonds, the campaign is a vivid and surreal look of high fashion in a rural setting, complete with farm life. Check out some of the images below.
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CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Alessandro Michele ART DIRECTOR: Christopher Simmonds PHOTOGRAPHER/DIRECTOR: Glen Luchford HAIR STYLIST: Paul Hanlon MAKE-UP ARTIST: Yadim Carranza
Known for his unique vision that focuses on simple creations with deeply emotive qualities, Craig Green revealed a collection of images of his large-scale body-sculptures erected in abandoned buildings for his Spring/Summer ’18 campaign.
Resembling Transformers, each model is a general human outline with mechanical units, wooden rods, and transparent color fabric. Placed side by side are photographic duos of the the sculpture in it’s original form and the same sculpture burning. The photos are the only remnants of the pieces and even those can be destroyed. Green explores the importance of embracing the process of creation, the materials, but also accepting that the creations are not permanent. Check out the campaign below.
Here’s the thing about designer sunglasses — they’re beautifully crafted (expensive), made of the finest materials available for eyewear (expensive), and carry some sort of heavy weight fashion name printed on their sides (I’m sure you can guess where we’re going with this one). But like a fragile flower head plucked off its shrub, or an overtly emotionally-present date, it’s difficult to really interact with them for fear of complete destruction. Resulting in an inevitable cold war of wanting to wear your designer sunglasses because you paid a fortune for them, but not wanting to wear them and destroy them because, well, you paid a fortune for them (and taxes these days, right!). Thankfully Jack Spade, a brand known for its functionally stylish messenger bags and totes, has mastered the sunglass. Their new Spring/Summer 2014 collection is devoted to men from all walks of life and to prove it, they teamed up with photographer Jeremy Sachs-Michaels.
Image: Jack Spade.
In a campaign The Vendor Project, Jack Spade turned to 16 New York City food vendors to model the brand’s latest frames. The portraits reflect the city’s reliance on these men (because let’s face it Central Park would shut DOWN if the hot dogs disappeared) and passion each vendor has for his job. Visit a Jack Spade retail location throughout the month of April to see these images for yourself, and shop the sunglass collection in-store and online now.
