Caught

At .Cent we asked a young photographer Abi Perkins to collaborate with us during London Fashion Week. The general idea was not just to take images from the catwalks but to capture ‘moments’ that sum up a lot of the feel of the experience. Find out what Abi had to say and also her unique images below in Caught.

KWK by KAY KWOK

I have always been interested in fashion and photography. When I was about 15, I started shooting analogue images, i.e still using film. Since late 2021, I have been documenting the queer techno scene of London.

Istituto Marangoni Graduate Show

I started working at events, and I realized in my photography the main focus was the experimental fashion that was happening around me. It was the moments, but mostly the outfits that caught my eye.

Paul Costello Show

Near may 2022 I decided to get in touch with .Cent Magazine to ask if I could shoot and document fashion week as their photographer. They agreed and I have been collaborating with them since.

Paolo Carzana Show

The main focus of my current practice is fashion documentation. Fashion Week being one of the main professional events of the year in the fashion industry I’ve always wanted to document through photography what was unfolding behind the scenes as well as on the runways.

Mark Fast Show

This season at the shows was for me a nice first time to understand how everything worked, what I liked to shoot, and with which cameras felt good to work within situations as odd, busy, and mad as a catwalk show.

KWK by KAY KWOK Show

Quite an experimental time you could say, but I am quite excited for next season as I now have more experience and a better idea of what I want.

EFTYCHIA Show

I tried to not go with too many expectations, as I wanted to make my own experience of Fashion Week, but I expected it to be quite hectic and overall exciting, experimental, and fun.

EFTYCHIA Show

But I was surprised by how much rushing there was, from one presentation to another, but it made the experience very exciting.

Also what was amazing and not so often seen is the backstage area. For example at the Paul and Joe show watching the craft of makeup artists apply the Paul and Joe Beaute to the models was wonderful to capture

EFTYCHIA Show

What ultimately made the experience of London Fashion Week as good as it was, was the fact I had a lot of creative liberty toward the style of photographs I wanted to create.

KWK by KAY KWOK Show

Also, I got to see the front of house and behind the stage so I got to see the final versions that the journalists saw but also the hub-bub of backstage and the work that goes on to make a show happen.

Bora Aksu Show, right Daniel W Fletcher

There is also a sense of intimacy once you are inside watching a catwalk show. “I am very grateful to be in this space to witness designers’ new collections.

Istituto Marangoni Graduate Show

Also, the idea of being part of the work some creative has spent six months putting together, where all the eyes in the room focus on only the show makes for a sensitive situation.

KWK by KAY KWOK Show

I think catwalk shows are so important, as they are the moment for designers to showcase their work to the public and the industry. They are exciting and forecast upcoming trends.

Left Paolo Carzana, right KWK by KAY KWOK Show

I think they are fundamentally inspiring if you have an interest in fashion but also they are an interesting way to view key social changes.

Paul Costello Show

These shows and fashion week as a whole, are rare occasions to come together and truly celebrate fashion with like-minded creatives.

EFTYCHIA Show

I do really enjoy shooting editorial but there will always be a soft spot in my heart for documentary, as it shows in a certain amount of intimacy what is currently happening in the world.

Paul Costello Show

Opening your eyes to scenes or events through strong images.

Poster Girl Show

This experience was so inspiring. Documenting fashion is what I am truly passionate about, so being able to do it for multiple days at fashion week was the chance to be in an environment where I could be creatively free and constantly inspired.

Paolo Carzana Show

I really appreciated the open-mindedness with which the garments were welcomed in the public eye. The whole experience was very inspiring, being in spaces where people appreciated free creativity and were open to new ideas.