Photographer Focus: Willy Vanderperre

A large part of what we find interesting and thought provoking in fashion can be attributed to editorial photography and we've done a couple of editorial spotlights now and then on this blog, but we wanted to expand that interest into something a bit deeper and focus on some of our favorite photographers.  (Our tumblr is basically an editorial graveyard.) For this inaugural post, we're featuring a photographer whose work inspires us endlessly, Willy Vanderperre. Hailing from Belgium, he studied at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp. His theatrical Caravaggio-esque use of lighting and dramatic, emotional take on color and the body. is what mainly draws us to his work. While his images are often—but not always—minimal, there's a stark statement-making style about them. Always strong, even when quiet. It also helps that his frequent collaborators are  some of our favorites in the fashion industry: designer Raf Simons, stylists Olivier Rizzo and Panos Yiapanis,  makeup artist Peter Phillips, and models Natasha Poly, Mariacarla Boscono and Clement Chabernaud. His  photographs' gritty intimate drama appears in major fashion publications such as Self Service, i-D, L'Uomo Vogue, Arena Homme Plus, V, among others and has captured the campaigns of Jil Sander, Prada, and Dior Homme. ■

More
WILLY VANDERPERRE @ MANAGEMENT + ARTISTS
THREAD ON THEFASHIONSPOT W/ INTERVIEW
MORE FAVORITE IMAGES FROM OUR TUMBLR

COLLAGE BY IRIS / TEXT BY DANIEL Click on credits below for full editorial/source

Iris' Favorites | TOP ROW
1. COS Stores | Advertising / FW 2008
2. The Dream Academy | Arena Homme + / SS 2010
3. Jil Sander | Campaign / FW 2008
4. Rhapsody In Camel | Vogue China / Oct 2010
5. Jil Sander | Campaign / SS 2007

Daniel's Favorites | BOTTOM ROW
1. Sin | i-D / Dec 2004
2. Faux Semblants | Vogue Hommes Japan / AW 2010
3. Heroes Guest Edited by Raf Simons | i-D / Feb 2001
4. Always Now | Arena Homme + / SA 2008
5. Making A Scene | W / Mar 2011