Nick Knight | Haute Death | one small seed

Since his first foray into fashion photography, Nick Knight has ignited the industry with his re-conceptualisation of beauty. His bold looks and daring techniques have shaped him as one of the pioneers of modern photography. Knight’s entrance into the photography world has seen him flash through the editorials of Vogue, Dazed & Confused, W Magazine, i-D, and Visionaire, and his works have been commissioned by some of design’s most extravagant names including Christian Dior, Alexander McQueen, Calvin Klein, Levi Strauss, and Yves Saint Laurent. Knight photographs fashion in theatrical displays of fantasy. Haute Death is a roll of imagery that combines high fashion with the nightmarish dream-scape of dark fairytales and the opulence of Parisian sophistication.

Image: © Nick Knight

Appearing in the pages of W Magazine, Haute Death is a whimsical homage to the shadowy, sinister illustrations of children’s literature. Using his trademark exploration into contrasts, Knight juxtaposes the delicate beauty of model Karlie Kloss into the eerie sketch of a Brothers Grimm fairytale. The result is an avante garde photo-shoot that mixes fashion and children’s fantasy. Kloss was styled by Edward Enninful into the couture designs of Dior, Givenchy, Chanel, and Iris Van Herpen to name a few. Haute Death is another example of Knight’s continuing challenge against the conventions of beauty and the re-imagining of fashion.

It is very tricky now to really, honestly call yourself a photographer because a lot of what I do doesn’t adhere to the rules of photography. For example, with the introduction of digital technology and the more frequent use of that in the creation of the image, you are really not following the rules of photography any more.