The way in which a fashion label presents itself to the world can be just as important as the garments it makes. Before a customer gets anywhere near the clothes, chances are they’ll have some impression of the brand’s broader image, and that means a designer’s work must be backed up with a strong and distinctive advertising campaign to generate a dedicated audience.
Nacho Figueras and his family "Romance" for Ralph Lauren | Photograph by Bruce Weber
The Designer/ Photographer Partnerships that Changed the World
Creating a unique and original image that projects wide appeal and an underlying aura of exclusivity, is far from an easy task.. And this is when the world’s top-tier fashion photographers rise above the rest. By capturing the spirit of a brand along with the designer’s vision, they present the clothing in a way that’s both inspiring, enticing, and recognisable over a prolonged period of time.
Let’s look at some of fashion’s most successful collaborations between design houses and the world’s high end photographer’s; exploring how the “magic touch” of the top tier fashion photographers can turn a little-known atelier into an instantly recognisable icon. Examining the influential brands and their photographers that became synonymous with them, the following is a breakdown of how creative execution can develop into a world-famous signature brand image over time.
Today we will take an in-depth look at the collaborative partnership between luxury fashion designer, Ralph Lauren, and the famous photographer, Bruce Weber.
BRUCE WEBER AND RALPH LAUREN
Once described by Interview magazine as presenting “an idealised version of America, one that’s both tantalising close and impossibly romantic,” Weber has created a new standard for high end fashion photography. His diverse body of work spans five decades, starting with his all-American campaigns for Calvin Klein, Ralph Lauren, and Abercrombie and Fitch in the 80s and 90s, which made him a household name. As prolific as he is diverse, Weber has graced the cover of high-end magazines world-wide, shooting everything from travel photography to fashion campaigns for luxury fashion brands such as Versace and Louis Vuitton. He is also passionate about portraiture and documentary photography photographing personalities from David Bowie, Kate Moss, and Jane Goodall.
Bruce Weber was born and raised just outside Pittsburgh, in the farming and coal-mining town of Greensburg, PA. His love affair with the camera started early-Bruce would often spend Sunday afternoons doing art projects and making 8mm films in the backyard.
In 1966, after a couple of years studying art at Denison College in Ohio, Weber transferred to New York University to study acting. His first apartment was a fifth-floor walkup between Little Italy and Chinatown-freezing in the winter, blazing in the summer. It was there that Bruce built his first small darkroom and started taking headshot portraits for actors and actresses and models like Bethann Hardison who were just starting out.
In many ways, this proved to be great training for his future as a fashion and portrait photographer. Bruce talked endlessly with each person about what they wanted their headshot to express, and how to communicate that feeling through the clothes they would wear and the lighting he would use.
THE EARLY DAYS
Citing his early mentors to be artistic greats such as Diane Arbus, and Bea Feitler, the renowned art director of Harper’s Bazaar, Weber was soon mixing in the right circles to launch his photography career.
Arbus instructed Bruce to enrol in classes with her old teacher, Lisette Model. Model was one of several people who encouraged him early in his career to express his emotions through his photos. In an interview with the UK Telegraph, he said, “I think that most photographers are basically pretty shy... Model’s classes gave me a lot of courage to go out and speak the truth about my feelings, about what I saw and what I wanted to see.”
At one time, Weber showed Bea Feitler some portraits, and she asked if he liked what he’d shot. Not really, he had to admit. She said, “Do your pictures. I don’t want to you to do what you thought I’d like. I want you to do what you have in your head and your heart."
WRITTEN BY CHITTI LARDI
EDITED BY REBECCA ANDREIS
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