Today I came across the work of French fashion designer - turned photographer Hedi Slimane...and I fell in love. I have always adored black and white photography, I love how it can portray such emotion and depth in such a simplistic and striking way. It can make even the dullest image look perfect and cinematic, it can make something dirty and messy look smooth, striking and beautiful, and the way it can use light in such a dramatic way, is truly unbeatable.
Hedi Slimane focuses on fashion photography and portraiture, with a particular interest in music photography; not surprising given at one stage Slimane was immersed in this world, even dressing some of the young trendy rock and indie musicians.
In 1997 he was appointed the Collections and Art Director at the house of Yves Saint Laurent, and during his time there, YSL Rive Gauche Homme was relaunched. In 1999 Slimane left YSL and was invited to create his own label within the Gucci Group, and he also found himself invited to join the Prada Group to design for the Jil Sander label. But Hedi Slimane was a man that knew what he wanted and instead of either of these amazing offers, he chose to work at the mighty Christian Dior. He became the creative designer for men's clothing and in 2000, designed the line of Dior Homme. In 2002 the Council of Fashion Designers of America named him the International Designer of the Year in New York.
Slimane is highly acclaimed in the fashion world, having transformed menswear with a brand new silhouette during his time at fashion giant Dior. He produced short cut jackets, with square, narrow shoulders, teaming them with skinny trousers, the likes of which hadn't been seen in menswear before. His super-tight tailoring was always exquisitely made and it was undeniable that they were created with rock stars in mind. This fresh new style was met with masses of praise and standing ovations at the catwalks. It wasn't long until everyone from Versace to Topman referenced Dior Homme and Slimane in their own collections. Slimane cast his shows picking boys off the street, with no previous modelling experience. A fresh and unconventional approach to casting, he favoured thin, tall, androgynous-looking teenage boys, many from London. Slimane explained he wanted, "The clothes to be about the boys"and told how, "They even had their own name embroidered in the clothes. It was really always a tribute to them."
By the mid-90s the traditional, chiselled, toned, Adonis like version of male beauty was turned upside down by Slimane's lean, waif-like look. This trend could be found everywhere, almost with the rule of 'the odder-looking the better'. It was such a massive hit that Rootstein, the world's largest mannequin company made a dummy with a 35" chest and 27" waist - 12 inches smaller than the average British man.
Slimane's innovative, rock 'n'roll styling of suits, tuxedos and jeans was first influenced, then adopted by the indie music scene of the day: Franz Ferdinand, Razorlight, and arguably most importantly; Pete Doherty. Slimane happily embraced the scene and attended gigs as often as he could. He even helped support little-known bands, which in turn no-doubt inspired him further, by getting them to soundtrack his shows. Apparently he turned up to a Dirty Pretty Things show with free clothes and then proceeded to photograph all of their gear; from guitars and amps to the clothes and shoes.
In July 2007, despite attempts to convince him to stay (Dior's parent compony, LVMH offered to finance Slimane's own signature line) Slimane left the house of Dior. He stated on his website that he did not want to sell his name, give up control of his own brand, or lose his creative freedom.
'Instead he designs collections in his head. "I listen to a track and I have the whole show after one song. I think about the characters, the allure, the walk, the proportion, the hair – it just makes sense from one song." When he does return to fashion his aesthetic is unlikely to have changed much. "I'm always suspicious of people who change too many times," he says. I've always been very repetitive. Which was a problem, because with seasons people always want, 'OK, what's new?' But the truth is, nothing is new." - guardian.co.uk
The precise aesthetics that are the signature of Slimane's work apparently arose from such inspirations as Russian avant-garde, Alexander Rodchenko, David Bowie and Mick Jagger! For him stagewear became synonymous with menswear. "It was the only connection I knew with men's representation, even masculinity. David Bowie, for me, was the butchest guy in town. Jagger was like a truck driver." His mother is an Italian seamstress, which no doubt also left a lasting impression on Slimane, who used to fall asleep on swatches of fabric as he watched her work when he was little. Slimane described how she used to try and dress him in clothes that she had made, "She made flared jeans with the matching denim jacket! Sleeveless. All denim! Already, at that time, I was, like: 'I don't think so.' I would have thrown them back in her face! It's heartbreaking now." It was from then that he began to design clothes for himself, and at the same time his passion for photography began to grow and take hold. He took an evening photography class and found himself staring in the windows along Boulevard Beaumarchais, Paris's famous camera street.
It was the shoot Slimane did in August 2011 with Frances Bean Cobain (the mysterious and stunning daughter of Kurt Cobain and Courtney Love) that pointed me on to Hedi Slimane in the first place. I couldn't get over how effortlessly beautiful she looked and the stunning compositions and use of light. It was such a romantic, intense and introspective shoot, I was blown away and just had to research more of Slimane's work. Frances looks beautiful, wearing little makeup and a lot of
jewelry, staring down the camera. The dreamy look, tousled messy hair, piercing eyes, intriguing tattoos and delicate shoulders mixed with Slimane's incredible talent make these photos unforgettable.
"Fashion = music + youth + sex.
This is what my menswear and my style were always about."
- Hedi Slimane
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