“When I die I want to go to Vogue”

David Bailey

This shoot was special. It ended up in British Vogue (Spring|Summer 2018 collection) which was a trip. I was also working with Sabina (Motasem) which was a cool bonus as she’s a dear friend as well as being an incredibly talented fashion designer.

If there was ever somebody who deserved to ride a wave in fashion it is most definitely Sabina - tenacious and courageous and determined in knowing what she wants to achieve, and what’s more a real inspiration to me personally.

Sabina has gone on to win a whole bunch of awards over the years in the industry as a fashion designer, most recently the Best Contemporary Global Bridal Designer for 2020.

Her support of me personally has always been unconditional and she was instrumental in getting me several of my earlier gigs.

My stills on the day were to accompany a promotional video for Motasem so I had to work between takes which can be a little challenging when you’re often used to steering the ship so to speak.

Still, a challenge is good for the soul and besides; a little constraint can inform creativity and it also made for a more editorial feel to the set which I like. As you’ll see there are fewer out-and-out portraits than I would usually shoot.

The shoot took place at Bethnal Green Town Hall, which is a grand old Edwardian art deco building that somehow avoided the bombing that blitzed the East End during the war.

It’s now a hotel often used for weddings (I’ve shot a bunch there) and a stack of movies have been filmed there over the years including Atonement and Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels.

There’s an odd out of time and place feel to the interior, timeless and to be frank a little peculiar. All a bit Lewis Carroll. Or Queens Gambit. Lots of pointless symmetry with puzzles and paintbrushes hanging from walls and other such nonsense.

I threw in a few of the prep shots to juice up the editorial feel.

Here are the clicks. gx