Street style has been the topic of hot debate in the last few months. It seems in the past year or so, it has catapulted from being categorized as ‘niche content’ into the forefront of the fashion industry. Fourth and Main is a brand and webshop that also producing editorial content that’s opinionated and personal. Contributor and frequent street style photographer Francis Davison shares her candid personal experiences from the front lines of fashion week culture. In the feature she speaks on the camaraderie and competition between street style photographers and reflects on the evolving role of street style in fashion.
Street style is a micro-industry that exists on the peripheries of fashion; loathed for its invasive voyeurism by the same people who crave its attention – and hate themselves for craving it. Within the street style ‘community’ there is a complex set of politics and cliques. Every six months the same ever-expanding group of photographers assemble: clients are swapped and stolen, elbows are jostled and equipment is envied and disdained in equal measure. Spending four weeks travelling and working together creates the atmosphere of an overblown school trip. The only thing we have in common is that we all really want ‘that’ shot of Russian editor Miroslava Duma, and we all hate the paparazzi.
There is a hierarchy which creates an unspoken set of rules about who I can and can’t talk to (I rank low, my camera isn’t taken seriously and barely anyone bothers to ask who I’m shooting for); if I tried to make small talk with any big names I’d be greeted with blank stares and few words. That said, for these weeks of the year the streets of Paris, Milan, London and New York become our workplace and most here are contending with jetlag, demanding editors and hundreds of images to sift through and edit each night until the small hours. I don’t blame them too harshly for wanting to keep their heads down.
I recommend you check out the entire feature HERE.
