The Olsens, Marc Jacobs, Alexander Wang & More for the CFDA Journal 2012
The nominees for the award are shot in New York by Craig McDean.
The CFDA Awards will be held this Monday, and every year the council produces a journal to hand out to guests at the presentation. A fashion photographer collaborates on each edition and shoots the nominees and their designs, and this year Craig McDean photographed the nominees in the surrounds of Manhattan and Brooklyn.
Called A New York Portfolio, 2012's journal includes Phillip Lim shooting hoops, Marc Jacobs getting inked, Mary Kate (in New York) skyping Ashley (in LA), models walking next to dirty dumpsters, and Garance Doré and Scott Schuman riding a double decker bus in Times Square.
For the last five years, Trey Laird has been in charge of the publication's art direction, and The Cut spoke with him about this year's journal. He explains that Craig was inspired by a black-and-white Duane Michals book circa 70s. "That New York street photography that captured the grit of the city and the people in it was a big inspiration for him," Trey says.
The studio was abandoned altogether in favour of the streets. "These [designers] aren’t celebrities. They’re known people, in many cases, but they’re not actors or anything, and being photographed can be intimidating for them. There’s also something intimidating about doing it in a big photo studio. You’re standing in front of all these lights." The end result was "spontaneous and loose," and the photos are an intimate and interesting look at the designers.
Trey also spoke about shooting some of the nominees:
The Olsen Twins:
"That was a real challenge, because Ashley got stuck in LA and couldn't get back, and we really had to go to print, and I was really running out of time. Mary Kate was here [in New York]... I really had to get creative with that one... You've never really seen that picture of the two sisters Skyping face-to-face. They do it many times a week."
Marc Jacobs:
"He was a trooper, and he liked the idea. He’s obviously spent plenty of time there [at Scott Campbell’s tattoo studio], so it’s a place he’s comfortable."
Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez:
"[They] have a great sense of humour. They don't take themselves too seriously... They're such real guys. There's no pretense about them — and yes, they do ride the subway!"
Phillip Lim:
"Phillip's was funny. Phillip's was more abstract, but I loved doing something that wasn't so posed."
Simon Spurr:
"With Simon Spurr, we had him in a diner. He ordered ham and eggs."
Head to The Cut to read the interview in full, and see a selection of the images in the gallery above sourced from The Cut, WWD and GQ.
Ingrid Kesa
