Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana behind the scenes of the Dolce & Gabbana spring 2013 campaign.
For his part, Krakoff has taken pictures for years—when he’s not busy with his day jobs as executive creative director of Coach and designer of his signature brand. Fighter, a collection of his portraits of Ultimate Fighting Championship contenders, was published in 2008. “I mean, what makes a picture?” asks the designer, who has shot every campaign to date for his Reed Krakoff label. “I only use film. I don’t need monitors or assistants, and I prefer to work alone, but that doesn’t make me a good photographer. Digital photography has leveled the playing field. I’m sure there are people out there who have never taken a picture, but with a digital camera and the right support, their work could be spectacular because they have a vision and an eye. On the other hand, someone may have been a photographer for 30 years and no longer have anything interesting to say.”
What is more, Krakoff argues, being both a designer and a photographer allows him to be more spontaneous. “You don’t have to worry about pleasing someone else or trying to discover what it is they are trying to say,” he says. “For art photographers who do advertising, it’s tricky, because they’re caught between doing what they do and needing to do something else in service of the campaign.”
Still, for the time being, the position of fashion photographer is hardly in jeopardy. “We don’t want to steal anyone’s job,” Dolce swears. “Photographers bring a vision with them.” Lagerfeld, too, is happy to heap praise on at least some of the main players: “Of course, there are very good photographers,” he concedes. Alas, his all-time favorites—Helmut Newton, Richard Avedon, and Irving Penn—are all deceased. “I like Steven Meisel, because he’s really into fashion—and Mario Testino, too,” he adds. “I like Bruce Weber’s very personal style. Mert and Marcus do great things. But if you have your own vision, and you want to see your clothes presented in a certain way, why not make your own pictures?”
