From Raf to Chanel – we round up the best tribute accounts in the Insta-universe
Thanks to Instagram, Tumblr and Pinterest, the world has become somewhat obsessed with archive fashion imagery. This week alone saw the launch of Vogue Runway’s new and updated Helmut Lang archive, as well as a mysterious (unofficial) Dazed profile posting moments from our history. In light of this, we decided to pull together five of the best Insta-based fashion archives that are guaranteed to enrich your feeds – two are dedicated to designers, two to photographers and one to a forever iconic but sadly out-of-print magazine. Scroll down to see the accounts you need to hit follow on.
THE FACE MAGAZINE
“Celebrating the 35th Anniversary of THE FACE magazine as a tribute to those who made it such a landmark title” is how the magazine’s founder Nick Logan and his son Maxwell describe @the____archive. Started in May 1980, The Face was one of the most agenda-setting youth culture titles until it sadly closed in the same month of 2004. Follow this account for a steady stream of iconic fashion imagery from the likes of Ray Petri and the Buffalo collective, Juergen Teller and David Sims, and fellow photographic greats such as Elaine Constantine, Corinne Day and Derek Ridgers.
RAF SIMONS
Few menswear designers attract the attention, and the fandom, that Raf Simons does. Since 1995, he’s taken inspiration from rebellious youth cultures and maintained his reputation as one of fashion’s ultimate outsider voices. @raf_simons_archives pays homage to the designer’s ongoing influences, posting everything from details of his Peter Saville-designed graphics to his Willy Vanderperre-shot campaigns and looks from his most groundbreaking shows. Follow this account for a daily dose of Raf.
JUERGEN TELLER
Known for his stark, over-exposed and fervently un-photoshopped style, Juergen Teller has maintained his reign as one of the industry’s most feted photographers for over two decades. @juergentellerpage is the most established accounts of this selection (it has over 177,000 followers) and posts images from his archives several times a day. Follow for his campaigns for Céline, Marc Jacobs and Vivienne Westwood, his up-close-and-personal portraits of celebrities and excerpts from his seminal photographic diary Go-sees, as well as images from his recent editorials.
NAN GOLDIN
Acclaimed photographer Nan Goldin is known for her beautiful and subversive images of drag artists, her friends dying of Aids and her travels in Asia. Richly coloured and snapshot-like, her photography has a compelling immediacy. While the photographer is still active (she shot McQ’s SS16 campaign), @nangoldinarchives pays tribute to her incredible body of work. Hit follow for club scenes, drag queens and snogging teens.
CHANEL
After a 90s fashion fix? @chanel_archives have got you covered. With most images are sourced from the height of the supermodel era, this account provides a constant stream of Naomi, Cindy, Linda, Claudia and Christy modelling the house’s latest wears. Expect a lot Chanel’s trademarks: double-C logos, golden chains, strings of pearls and lots of tweed. As well as images, the account posts clips from the house’s runway shows like this one, where Evangelista feigns taking a phone call at AW94.
BONUS: DAZED AND CONFUSED
We don’t know who’s running it, but we’re into it. Barely three days old and the person/people behind @dazedarchives have already posted some images from our back issues, including some editorials (such as the one above) and a 1997 Diesel ad.