A stylised and eerie hotel shoot art directed by Leta Sobierajski

Designer and art director Leta Sobierajski has collaborated with photographer Meredith Jenks and stylist Courtney Cho to tell a sinister story within the constraints of a fashion shoot. “Our heroine enters a hotel room… after relaxing over a bath and some room service, things start to get a little strange. [She] realises that she may not be the only person staying in this room,” Leta explains. 

Shot in a “seedy motel” in Queens, New York, the trio’s goal was to “offset our model’s beauty by placing her in a less than desirable location,” says Leta. “We wanted to use the location to convey the idea that it was a very temporary stay.” 

While the narrative isn’t always crystal clear in the series, the artificially cinematic feeling throughout is consistent and works well. The project started as an experiment and became a chance for the creatives to “put our talents together to come up with a projects that none of us had done before.” The series is distantly similar to Aleksandra Kingo’s Wes Anderson-inspired fashion shoots we featured last year, but the focus for Never Alone is also on the physical space, not just the subject. “Upon scouting, we fell in love with the emerald green bedspreads, the deep jacuzzis and the air conditioners blew the floral curtains in a ghostly manner,” explains the art director.

The sleazy luxury and lavish palette is a culmination of three aesthetics brought by each of the trio. Leta’s art direction is characteristically “bold, poppy and often overwhelmingly colourful”, Meredith’s photography is “crisp bright, sharp and energetic” and Courtney’s styling, has a "rich, textural and detailed” approach.