Brief
To photograph the first fashion campaign for Savile Row‘s first female Master Tailor Kathryn Sargent for her eponymous tailoring brand. Kathryn spent fifteen years at Gieves & Hawkes of No.1 Savile Row where she rose to the position of Head Cutter before founding her brand in 2012. Kathryn was keen to promote her skills and appeal both to male and female customers.
Situation
Having taken the event photography at Gieves & Hawkes when Kathryn Sargent was promoted to the position of Head Cutter it was an honour to take her first campaign images for her brand. Most tailoring photography shows the bespoke items being hand crafted. While this is a suitable way to express the skills involved in the creation of the clothes such images appeal to a niche audience as they do not show a finished item. The aim of the shoot was to photograph her looks in a contemporary setting to reach a new audience and to express Kathryn’s female touch in the craft of traditional Savile Row tailoring.
Campaign
The shoot location was a private residence in London’s W5 postcode available for rent for photography and filming. The large open kitchen was perfect for a rest area while the house contained various rooms and features perfect for photography for a luxury brand. There is rarely enough time on a shoot and this was no exception. While the original shot list had been approximately a dozen or so looks and images the total for the day was closer to twenty. One large location offering plenty of options, along with preparation by Kathryn Sargent’s team combined with professional models who could turn it on in front of the camera meant the day progressed smoothly.
Conclusion
When hiring a location there can be a tendency to try and utilise every room on offer; this is often a mistake. If a single room of a location works and gives flexibility, time can be lost trying to shoehorn other areas into a day. In this instance the main room was used for almost a third of the total images. I must give a mention to my favourite image of the day of the models wearing evening wear on a green velvet sofa. This was the last look and location of the day by which stage there was little time left. The green painted room and the velvet sofa and dinner jacket, worn by the male model, worried me because as a material velvet absorbs light and I was concerned as to how best to light the scene. Luckily one flash with large umbrella modifier worked a treat. Lastly if you think there is a hint of a Kooples’ style imagery, you would not be wrong.
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