CLICK TOGETHER

According to art historian Mary Warner Marien, photography was actually invented twice: In 1839, photography was born, used for documentation, academic research, and travel recording; people used it to discover and verify the wonders of the world. The second invention, in a more meaningful sense, occurred when photographers with artistic inclinations decided to use the camera for self-expression and aesthetic exploration, ultimately securing a place in the art world. Fashion photographers are undoubtedly a product of this "second invention."

On the eve of its 10th anniversary, <<T> Chinese Edition launched the "One-Shot Collaboration" photography project, collaborating with Su Hehaosi, a photographer also deeply involved in art, fashion, and expression, to present our exploration of contemporary fashion photography within a century-old Art Deco building on the banks of the Suzhou River.

In the 1920s and 30s, photography officially and completely replaced illustration as the preferred medium for fashion magazines. Soon, fashion photographers realized that their task was not to recreate a certain everyday life, but to showcase a "truth" that people had never seen before. In short, their subjectivity determined what was presented and how it was presented.

However, the relationship between fashion photography and commerce has brought the industry under scrutiny. The tension between service and subjectivity is a dilemma for fashion photographers. A good fashion magazine can provide fashion photographers with the broadest possible creative space and dignified subject matter. This is why the two can collaborate closely, continuously driving the evolution of the entire industry. Explaining fashion through images is difficult, but the diverse range of perspectives transforms this difficulty into possibility. This possibility has led generations of fashion photographers to choose magazines.

Of course, today, social media and luxury brands are, to some extent, replacing the role that fashion media should have played in discovering new talent. However, we also have reason to believe that fashion magazines have the ability to reshape their role, providing platforms and connections. Fashion photography should not be reduced to some kind of "retinal art" as Duchamp described or smooth images that generate high traffic; rather, it should discover beauty in things, showcasing the true spirit of the times: having something to say, and saying it beautifully.

This May, <<T> Chinese edition issued a creative invitation to 20 emerging photographers worldwide, providing resources and asking them to create works on the same theme. The title, "Like the First Time," is straightforward, reflecting their shared lack of experience shooting covers for Chinese fashion magazines, and even fewer experience shooting magazine interiors or handling brand advertising. Encouragingly, most of them chose to start from their own experiences, offering entirely different interpretations of the theme. This is precisely the new perspective we hope to see: not only looking back at the creators themselves, but also examining fashion photography and fashion media.

This is an adventure for us, but one we feel compelled to take. We want to inject new talent and energy into the fashion photography industry, thereby creating excellent works, and ideally, reflecting on ourselves. <<T> Chinese Edition, together with Su Hehaosi, focuses on the works of 20 emerging photographers worldwide, presenting masterpieces of "instant collaboration."

Instant Collaboration