G: Tell us about what do you do? What did inspire you to start?
I make fashion films… but slightly differently!
We take models, designers, make-up artists, hair stylists & a whole entourage of photographers & videographers out onto the street & we catwalk wherever we feel like catwalking, until we feel like stopping…or until they throw us out!!
I got the idea when I was in Italy in 2012 shooting Milan Fashion week & was waiting to go & shoot the Fendi Featuring Karl Lagerfeld show…those Milan streets are pretty wide but all you could see was a sea of heads disappearing down to the end of the street – I just thought it would have been the world’s greatest fashion show if the models had walked out onto that street through those crowds.
That mental image is something I strive to create everytime we go out & with the vibe of the films, we really want the viewer to feel as though they’re being dragged along on the ride with us.
G: What were your most successful projects/exhibitions so far or what projects did you enjoy the most so far?
With the last 2 Live Fashion’s (V & VI), we’ve been getting some pretty large crowds, especially with Live Fashion V. At one point I remember climbing up the statue in Piccadilly Circus & filming down on a huge crowd of people all screaming & waving their arms on command – I think that was one of the reasons Live Fashion V was nominated in the Sony Production Awards – there’s an insane adrenalin rush that you get with those kind of crowd sizes & the energy that they throw out really helps capture the sense of excitement from the day.
Live Fashion VI (the latest release) had an incredibly spontaneous team, a lot of whom I’d worked with before & as usual it was very collaborative. The main rule for the day is that ‘The Best Idea Wins’ so we ended up Catwalking between the queuing traffic at Piccadilly Circus, Catwalking on top of a London Tour Bus & finally walking Catwalking through the Leicester Square Burger King to the dazed bewilderment of the staff & customers.
Live Fashion II was also a fantastic experience, being the first time a Live Street Catwalk had been done in Paris during Paris Fashion Week. At one point you can see me shooting in the middle of the Champs Elysees by the Arc de Triomphe, dwarfed by the scale of the 5 or 6 lanes of traffic coming from behind me & from the left but I was totally oblivious to the danger at the time. That thing of disappearing into the viewfinder is so true – it’s like you just exist in the frame trying to check everything in the shot, like a kind of Alice in Wonderland scenario…dangerous but true!!
There’s another totally spontaneous moment later in Live Fashion II where a Parisian breakdancer steps into the frame, bursts through the girls & starts spinning on his head with the Eiffel Tower in the background – I was just filming it open mouthed trying not to lose the focus because I knew we only had one take to get it!
Having said all that, I think the overall success of the series so far has been down to the collaborative magic that comes from working with great people. The best I could have done by myself would have been a fraction of what we’ve managed to achieve by all working together. I always have a road map of where I think we should go, from pre-production, but am constantly amazed by how the shooting day takes on a life of it’s own. Like I said before, ‘The Best Idea Wins’ & if anyone suggests a better idea than I’d originally conceived then we’re going to shoot that instead. When you give people that kind of freedom they constantly inspire you with completely new ideas or refinements you may have totally missed. I’m sometimes unsure whether they’re following me or I’m following them!
G: Tell us a bit more about your current project?
Funnily enough Live Fashion VII is happening on Sunday 18th May around your part of Town. We’re starting at 1pm at 164 Brick Lane (in front of HEBA) & we’ll be around the streets in the area popping across to Liverpool Street Station & venturing into Spitalfields Market. I’ve done more upfront PR for this one than for any of the others & it looks like we’re going to draw some huge crowds in Brick Lane for the 1pm start. We’ve got 2 incredible designers for this one, both based in the area so it seemed like the obvious place to shoot it.
I’ve also just been listening to the amazing track we’re going to be using for Live Fashion VII. It’s from an insanely talented band called ‘The Pyramid Ship’, whose tracks have featured on the last 4 Live Fashion Films we’ve shot & it’s perfect for what we’re about to shoot on Sunday. ‘Sound’ is such an important part of this process & I’m really indebted to the guys for letting me use their music. Charlie Morton consistently lays down an incredible groove & John Hogg’s vocal is simply world class…& I say that with no overstatement!
G: How would you describe the art scene in Shoreditch/East London? Why is it unique?
It seems like it’s thriving & constantly generating new work. I always notice how much new street art there is whenever I’m walking around the area – there have been some great topical pieces that have popped up on Hanbury Street, Redchurch Street & Bacon Street recently that have put a smile on my face. I don’t think there is anywhere else in London that you feel so much of an art vibe from just walking around the streets.
G: Who/what are your favourite Artists/Businesses in the area?
Meihui Liu & Natacha Marro. Meihui makes incredible vintage fabric pieces under the label ‘Victim Fashion Street’ & has showcased all over the world & Natacha creates amazing shoes & boots for Lady Gaga, Daphne Guinness, Scarlett Johansson etc…
They both totally stand out to me in terms of creative talent, even in an area like Shoreditch, which is not exactly lacking in creative minds!!
G: What are your future plans?
I want to get sponsorship for the series so I can take it more into Europe, over to America & eventually worldwide. The thought of shooting ‘Live Fashion’ on a global scale really gets the adrenaline pumping & since nobody else is doing anything like this at the moment, it’s kind of up to us to plot our own course…& I much prefer making the rules up as we go!
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Website: http://danharleyphotography.com/
