MICHAEL PHILOUZE

“As long as humans have a desire to express themselves, fashion will have a purpose. The fashion will change, but the psychology behind it will remain the same,” Michael Philouze says. It was the mystery and arts and crafts of the fashion world that made Philouze dream about becoming a fashion editor. When he was young, it was a smaller industry with just a few people creating the intriguing content of fashion magazines and the fantasy worlds realised in collections and fashion shows. Now there are more people working in the industry and more clothes. The way fashion is consumed has also changed. Philouze says, “The new generation of fashion consumers is more interested in transparency, and through social media getting to know the process and the real people behind the magnified beauty on the fashion page. As a stylist your job is still to create desire, but the way to achieve it is different today.” He continues, “When working with fashion and styling you want to create beauty, something impactful that stirs the viewer’s emotions.” Now the menswear editor of American Vogue, and a contr ibutor to many international Vogue editions, Philouze creates fashion stories of subtle and effective beauty revealing the personalities of the characters portrayed. During his 20 years in the industry, Philouze has worked with L’Uomo Vogue on many stories, first as a fashion assistant and then as a regular contributor to the publication. Here, together with photographer Daniel Sannwald, he profiles the hip-hop star Travis Scott. Via understated looks, Philouze lets the mood and mindset of the rapper set the tone of the shoot. As he says: “By keeping the styling minimal, Scott’s personality and his emotions at that moment remain the focus.” The way we dress has for a long time been dictated by social class and gender. However, Philouze says, “elegance is defined not by a specific garment or style, but by your true self, which you can enhance and communicate through clothing.Today both women and men have the freedom to dress to feel beautiful and seductive in their own unique way.”