In 2016, photographer Fumi Nagasaka released her debut book Untitled Youth, which celebrated the quiet beauty of 25 models. Three years later, she revisited her past inspirations and used them as references for her latest project, as she captured behind-the-scenes shots of boys of Louis Vuitton Men's Resort 2020 lookbook.
The resulting images feel less posed than traditional lookbook pictures and show models both in a portrait style and against unconventional backdrops: in one, a boy is photographed in front of a corner shop, while in another, the photographer's set-up isn't cropped out like it usually would be. Of her unique approach, Nagasaka explained, “all boys were beautiful in their individual character and personality; I wanted to capture that and make each image a little more personal.”
The series marks Nagasaka’s first-ever collaboration with Louis Vuitton. Discussing what she enjoys the most about the French luxury label she said, “I think Virgil’s creativity and visuals bring street culture and youth to the brand.”
Speaking on her favourite image in the shoot, she explained a moment where she photographed one young boy she was unable to communicate with verbally but connected with during the shoot. “He looked lost. I said, 'Hi' and he responded to me in French. I can’t speak French so I tried to communicate with him with hand gestures and simple English. His hair was already shaved into the star shape. I told him I liked his hair and he smiled. Though we had some French speakers on set next to him, he understood my direction. That’s what I really love about photography… understanding each other without words is magical.”
Check out the lookbook in the gallery above.