Campaign Influences- Robbie Spencer

ROBBIE SPENCER

Styling is an aspect I want to concentrate on within my FMP. Resonating with an androgynous market and non-conformist tastes, the work of Robbie Spencer was something I was excited to revise. I wished to explore how he executed rebellious qualities and notions of nostalgia within an editorial format, and how I can learn from this to communicate to an audience.

Styling goes beyond the boundaries of sourcing and putting garments onto a model. It engages powerful storytelling techniques- how can layering this or how can adding this compliment the narrative we are intending to show? As the former creative director of DAZED and Senior Fashion Editor of AnOther Magazine, Robbie Spencer’s work has demonstrated more visionary and edgier appeal, combining innovation and unorthodox styling with emerging talent and an art background to establish images which push the envelopes of fashion and inspires to provoke surprise. His styling engages a youthful enthusiasm, thus communicating greatly to current generations. It often resorts back to the DNA of subcultures and the idea of defying social norms, areas which I aspire to replicate in my upcoming work. Figure 1 is a styling shoot he produced for DAZED magazine, labelled Gutter Punks. For me this image has a conceptual essence, revitalising the punk era through tartan patterns, studded accessories, and deconstructed clothing, whilst remaining quite minimal in photography.

Figure 1: Robbie Spencer Gutter Punks styling shoot Photograph by Casper Sejerson

In an exclusive interview, Spencer iterates the uncertainty of the future of print “I believe the only way to secure a future is to continue to inspire the industry and our readers through visual language” (Spencer, 2013). Going forward, I must consider how I communicate my imagery meticulously in order to attract the attention of younger consumers. If I am to engage with other brands or creatives, how will we story-tell a strong narrative through styling?