Grunge! British Fashion Photography of the 1990s

Are the 1990s history? Well, for today’s episode of the B&H Photography Podcast, we look back to that decade when a new aesthetic in fashion photography was born in England, and later spread to the United States and the world; a transformative style whose influence is apparent almost thirty years after its birth. First appearing in small but influential magazines such as The Face, I-D, and Blitz, and growing from a reactionary youth culture, this raw style reflected a new aesthetic, one that rejected the glam, the supermodel, and the highly stylized photos of the 1980s in favor of eclectic clothing, “regular- looking models,” a low-tech, straightforward photographic style, and a lot of “frickin’ attitude.”

For this episode, we welcome fashion photographer Michael Sanders, who is a regular contributor to Italian Elle and who shot for many of the ’90s “style bibles” mentioned above. Sanders came of age in this era and discusses the social and economic factors that lead to this new aesthetic, the cyclical nature of fashion, and the overly simplistic idea of heroin-chic. He also provides a sense of the technologies that made this movement a reality, the gear most commonly used, and the assignment process and shooting-styles embraced. Finally, Sanders offers firsthand insight into the community of photographers, stylists, and models who are associated with this movement, including David Sims, Corinne Day, Kate Moss, Melanie Ward, and the important photographer and bridge figure, Nick Knight.

Join us for this interesting look back to the birth of a style and photographic movement that is still reverberating.

Guest: Michael Sanders

Photograph: ©Michael Sanders

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