These portraits capture the unsung heroes of editorial fashion - assistants

"A fashion shoot has a very clear hierarchy and it wouldn't have allowed them to be themselves. Instead, they set up some time for these portraits to unfold in a stripped back studio set up where people could come in as they are, unrehearsed and covered with all kinds of kit from their time on sets and shoots."

"Assistants was first and foremost about capturing a candid observation of the things these unsung figures do for the fashion world day-to-day, documenting the quiet craft involved in styling that's so often hidden behind the bravado of the final photoshoot. This comes through best in Lola's detailed close ups of shoe covers, clips on tool belts and lifts stacked with suitcases of clothes."

"With a view of the photobook as more of a gallery than a design object, Virginie was keen for there not to be any graphic performance, so their approach to the form of the publication was simple and restrained, inspired by traditional Japanese books where clarity and quietness allow the images to speak for themselves."

A photography project captures styling assistants in their authentic state within a minimal studio environment rather than on busy fashion shoots. The creators recognized that on-set documentation would compromise the assistants' comfort due to fashion's hierarchical structure. Instead, subjects arrived unrehearsed, wearing their work gear and tools, allowing genuine expression and gesture to emerge naturally. The project emphasizes the quiet, often-invisible labor of styling professionals through detailed close-ups of equipment, tool belts, and clothing racks. The resulting photobook employs deliberately restrained design principles inspired by Japanese publishing traditions, prioritizing clarity and simplicity so the images communicate their own narrative without graphic embellishment.

Read at Itsnicethat