Understated art direction and monochromatic simplicity in Faustine Steinmetz's debut campaign

Fashion designer Faustine Steinmetz has teamed up with photographer Arnaud Lajeunie and art director Aude Debout for her debut campaign. Clean, minimal art direction meets pared-down styling allowing the distinctive clothing designs to dominate, while full page close-ups and profile headshots emphasise the expressions and identities of the women wearing them.

Arnaud says: “Faustine was very focused on the clothes. We had to develop an image. The idea is like an archive, like in a laboratory, it’s a code.”

As seen in his previous work, Arnaud’s ability to capture the understated grandeur of both people and objects comes together beautifully for Faustine Steinmetz. The juxtaposition of black and white photography alongside colour shots of heavily textured pieces draws on the contrasting themes of monochromatic simplicity and flamboyant decadence in equal measure.

Having worked together previously on the erotic magazine L’imparfaite, Arnaud’s photographs are framed by Aude’s minimalist art direction. No stranger to designing stunning publications, the Rietveld Acadmie alumna’s signature grid style prevails throughout the project.