This shoot appears in VMAN 47 now available for purchase. 

For VMAN 47, stylist and VMAN Fashion Director, Gro Curtis and photographer Fanny Latour-Lambert collaborated to bring us a photoshoot that is emblematic of the times we’re currently living through. Sourcing inspiration from this year’s Fall/Winter menswear collections, Curtis noticed a trend that helped him bring this idea to life: “Many of the Fall/Winter menswear collections were about embellishment; decoration that goes beyond trends. I always believed that it’s such an important part of human DNA: to decorate oneself when facing challenging times.”

As we exit the worst of the pandemic that has ravaged the world for the past year, Curtis and Latour-Lambert worked together to create a shoot that defies all expectations set during the tumult and chaos of the last year and a half. “We took inspiration from the color palette of the painter George Henrik Breitner to bring together the set elements,” says Latour-Lambert of the inspiration for their creative vision.

To Curtis, this shoot is “almost an act of rebellion.” It is defiant and triumphant and hopeful: “We spent a year in sweatshirts, scared about our future, but what we realized is that we have to find a way to stand up and fight. These clothes are not about opulence or burying your head in the sand; they are simply about celebrating life and fighting for our future,” he told us.

The shoot is a powerful tribute to the resilience and power of royalty, calling back to the romance of renaissance paintings.”We made the poses very static to reference the posing style of old paintings,” said Latour-Lambert, in reference to the way they’ve decided to interpret the clothing and the models’ character. “The mood board was suggested by Gro [Curtis] and is revolving around renaissance paintings mixed with medieval elements,” said Latour-Lambert.

The portfolio is a regal tribute to the future. It takes elements that call back to the grandeur of renaissance portraiture and infuses them with modern-day menswear trends––an important fusion of the past and present to give audiences hope for the future. “When you look at the portraits of knights and warriors, they always pose proudly in grandiose armor, very often with magnificent jewelry,” said Curtis, “Even though our inspiration came from renaissance paintings, this story is not about the romantic past. It’s about the future.”

Check out the images from this powerful shoot, available in print in VMAN 47, in the slideshow below.