In antithesis to the archetypal post-New Year-boozing-continuation (Us? New Years abstinence? Never!) we, instead, got our cultural heads on and went along to the brilliant Fashion and Textile Museum with the aim of learning something. To be specific: listen to a panel discussion on the role of the photographer in a fashion and lifestyle brand. Prada photographer Philip Meech, Laura Ashley biographer Martin Wood and the FTM's curator Dennis Northdruft threw their ideas in the mix.

Martin Wood (author of Laura Ashley) got things rolling; focusing on images that Jane Ashley (daughter of the aforementioned) shot for her mothers iconic brand from the late sixties onwards which worked to transform the Laura Ashley brand and solidify it's aesthetic. The classic imagery of Ashley's Victorian romanticism came to life with Wood's personal insights as well as input from Jane herself. The strength of the images and their power to nostalgically evoke a bygone era was evident in spades and Martin's confirmation that Laura herself was not a designer, but an editor (acutely aware of trends before they exploded, what would or would not be popular) explained how such an iconic aesthetic came alive with exceptionally executed photography.

Prada photographer Philip Meech (whose work is actually on display at FTM) held court next, with and altogether different perspective. With Laura Ashley it was the photography which worked to expand the brands influence, but Meech stepped into a brand that was already globally successful. His work as a reportage photojournalist was eyeballed by Prada and subsequently hijacked to convert backstage documentary imagery into fashion photographs in their own right. Meech's interests were inspiring and lay somewhat removed from silly fashion nonsense and the Prada fashion house: the capturing of stolen moments, the calm within the chaos and glimpses of humanity working to create amazing fashion images.

Meech's work is featured on Prada's 'fantasy look books' sent to approximately 100,000 people each season, separate to the main campaigns. His imagery brings a fresh and perhaps subversive subversive perspective to such an iconic brand via his distinctly non-fashion approach.

On hand to polarize the differences between the two examples was FTM curator Dennis Nothdruft who expertly underscored the breadth of photography's influence within the industry whilst emphasising the different approaches from launching a brand to revitalizing it.

Nothdruft has also curated 'Catwalk to Cover'; an exhibition documenting the many faces of fashion, which also features some of Philip Meeche's work. It runs until February 25th at the Fashion and Textiles Museum, 83 Bermondsey Street, SE1

Posted on January 16, 2012 at 3:35:56 by Alice Nyong