It’s ironic that one of the most interesting elements of a fashion show can sometimes be the characters in attendance. One man fascinated by the personalities of Fashion Week is Japanese photographer Yu Fujiwara, whose snapshots of the action between shows straddle the intersection between street style and documentary photography. This season, he turned his lens to London, a city which he loves for its sense of fun and eclecticism. “People do whatever they like and don’t care what other people think – in a good way of course! They enjoy fashion,” the photographer says.
Fujiwara is also candid about the growing ubiquity of street style photography. Nowadays, attendees dress up in their most outrageous outfits in the hopes of being snapped, making true authenticity difficult to capture. “With womenswear, it feels like the street photographers have a big presence on the scene,” he muses. “It can be uncomfortable for show-goers, but some people like the attention.” For some publications, street style has become just as important as the shows themselves – as Fujiwara puts in, “‘Street’ style has become like another fashion show.”
Despite the furore, the photographer Fujiwara remains devoted to capturing true moments between the madness. His portraits don’t always focus specifically on one individual; like his favourite photograph of the bunch (pictured below), taken outside a bookshop in Soho. “It was a moment of bright sunshine between the clouds, with people just rushing to the next show. I’m just standing there, in the midst of the London Fashion Week madness.”
@8and2
