FW: PHOTOGRAPHERS POV

British-Pakistani photographer Noorunisa has lensed the fitted-out arrivals of London, Paris, Milan and New York, as well as fashion’s increasingly influential Copenhagen circuit. Outside Marni in Paris, she has caught Usher without his usual security circle, Erykah Badu in full flamboyant flight, and footballer Achraf Hakimi. But the people with invitations are only half the story.

“A crazy increase in people standing outside of shows who aren’t actually attending,” is one of fashion month’s biggest shifts, she says. There are aspiring influencers, celebrity fans, and bewildered tourists. “Fans come with signs, balloons, and ladders. Trying to do your job around all of that is seriously taxing.” The circus has become sentient. “People are so aware of how they’re perceived, who the photographers are, and who we shoot for,” says Noorunisa. “I’ve heard of people asking to know which photographers to look out for or befriend just so they can have a chance of being published somewhere.” (Other times, you’ll find yourself stonewalled by a gaggle of models outside a Victoria Beckham show.)

“In the beginning, street style felt much more accidental,” agrees Acielle, a Belgium-based photographer; if Vogue is your Fashion Month nucleus, it’s Acielle’s visuals you’re poring over. “People were simply going to shows, and photographers started noticing the interesting characters around them.” On the first morning of a Big Four fashion week, Acielle’s inner monologue is less ‘Who is that?’ than logistical whirring. “My first thought is: Where is the light? You’re watching clothes, people, movement, light, backgrounds, and the energy of the crowd all at once.”

Paris remains her “gold standard,” precisely because it “balances highfashion polish with eccentric personal style.” But in an age of algorithmic fashion and trends consuming trends, polish isn’t enough. “I’ve always enjoyed photographing those moments when fashion is still experimental and slightly undefined. I don’t really look for trends. I’m more interested in surprises.” Sometimes, though, you’re watching a trend transmutate in front of you. Dublin born, Stockholmbased creator and writer Verona Farrell, better known as @secondhandhuns, remembers clocking people wearing flip-flops in Copenhagen in 2020, “for the first time outside of the context of the beach.” She had only just started shooting street style. “I felt like I was acting as a messenger of the trend—the Danes are so creative in how they style functional clothing.”