IS FASHION PHOTOGRAPHY AS WE KNOW IT OFFICIALLY DEAD?

Today Vogue Italia is releasing their January 2020 issue replacing photographs will illustrations to limit their environmental impact.

The seven different covers of Vogue Italia’s January issue come with a disclaimer, “No photo shoot production was required in the making of this issue.”

Emanuele Farneti, Vogue Italia’s editor-in-chief, shared that “there is a significant environmental impact associated with publishing a fashion magazine”

He estimated that Vogue Italia’s September issue- typically Vogue’s biggest of the year- showed how large a fashion magazine’s carbon footprint really is and what was conserved for this month's production: “One hundred and fifty people involved. About twenty flights and a dozen or so train journeys. Forty cars on standby. Sixty international deliveries. Lights switched on for at least ten hours non-stop, partly powered by gasoline-fueled generators. Food waste from the catering services. Plastic to wrap the garments. Electricity to recharge phones, cameras,” he wrote.

At The Selects Gallery, we support the movement towards sustainability. As far as archived fashion photographs, we always thought what a waste it was to leave such beautiful and iconic photographs in archives given the creative talent and budget they require.

We celebrate our gallery’s mission to give second life to archived fashion photographs. Last year, Elle Germany showcased our mission through a magazine feature and celebrated the sustainability approach we were taking. “Instead of leaving unused photographs in the magazine archives, the works of world-class photographers are now available as art prints and are guaranteed to beautify every home in a sustainable way.” Said Fabienne-Michelle Grassl for Elle Germany.

Emanuele Farneti said the January issue was believed to be the first time a Vogue magazine has gone photo-less since photography was invented.

Is it the end of Fashion photography as we know it?

At The Selects Gallery we always thought that given the major changes happening in the media world – fashion photography’s first reason of existence - Fashion photography’s best era is part of the past. There is obviously some Fashion Photographers who still strive and they deserve very much respect given the new landscape. But most photographers admit that their best days are behind.

We also always thought that we would one day be nostalgic of that medium and that art and were concerned that when it happens, the archives and artists would be long gone. We just lost this year a master like Peter Lindbergh, most probably the most famous of all among the general public.

This is why The Selects Gallery was created, as a destination open to everyone to discover, learn and acquire artworks by internationally renowned Fashion Photogarphers.