The Rise of the American Mega Brands – CLICK – The History of Fashion Photography

The 1990’s also saw the rise of the American mega brand phenomenon, with Calvin Klein, Ralph Lauren, Donna Karan.

Great photographs can elicit thoughts, feelings, and emotions when words simply will not suffice. Throughout history, there have been many important people in the field of photography who have used their cameras to catch a single moment in time to tell a story. In this special feature film documentary we examine some of the people and forces that helped pave the way for the great photographers of today, each of whom now challenge the image and fashion making world to accept new ideas of beauty and story telling.

The past 100 years has seen many great fashion photographers, but only an influential handful have been creative enough to have altered the course of the profession itself. First there was Edward Steichen, whose pioneering work in the early part of the 20th century essentially created the discipline. Then in the 1970s, Helmut Newton and Guy Bourdin brought their own unique brands of sexuality and surrealism to the art form, helping redefine its purpose and push its artistic limits.

But the art of a good fashion campaign or editorial isn’t set in stone; fashion photography, like art, has movements defined by its leading talents and the prevailing cultural zeitgeist. To understand them both a little better, and see how we arrived at where we are today, we’ve compiled a look back at some of the most important moments in the history of fashion photography over the past 100 years. An original feature length film documentary.

Produced by Style Planet TV (styleplanettv.com) in association with Fashion Industry Broadcast (fashionindustrybroadcast.com) 2019.

Written and Directed by Paul G Roberts
Edited by Jake Bugeja
Producer Emily Smith
Director of Photography Rami Slayman, Stefan Varvaressos-Abdi
Camera operators Rami Slayman, Jake Bugeja
Sound recordist Rami Slayman
Sound design Jake Bugeja