Photographers who have influenced the street style fashion and shaped trends
Who are the street style fashion photographers that revolutionized trendsetting from the early 1900s to nowadays, capturing society and fashion in a spontaneous way?
It's not about telling a story or documenting an event, but capturing an instant that freezes a face, an image, or a look. Street style photographers just do that, creating a true encyclopedia of fashion through shots that show details, matches, and hairstyles. Fashion, as a tangible sign of time, is the common thread in their work, capturing candid moments that don't require staged poses or orchestrated situations. This could be seen as an authentic reportage of society, its customs, and its culture.
The birth of street style fashion photography
The initiators of the fashion street style movement were the Seeberger brothers—Jules, Henri, and Louis—who, armed with their early and imposing cameras, took to the streets of Paris to photograph passersby. There were no typical portrait poses of the era, no perfect lighting; rather, a genuine and independent method of photography emerged, conducted outside of traditional studio settings. This was the 1920s, and the three brothers roamed the city's streets, cafes, and other social spots to capture the French bourgeoisie. Thus, street style photography was born, becoming the most important and natural form of documenting lifestyle and fashion. Perhaps it's not coincidental, given that Paris is considered the capital of glamour, with its fabrics and ateliers.
The blogging revolution, The Sartorialist, and the legion of street style photographers
This methodology gained significance in the post-war period, particularly in understanding the youth subcultures emerging in metropolitan neighborhoods—an essential source of inspiration for creating new collections for many. A journalistic endeavor focused on culture and society gained recognition from The New York Times: in the 1970s, Bill Cunningham initiated the column 'On the Street.' Riding his bike, the reporter navigated the streets of New York capturing the daily lives of the American upper class, spanning shopping, lunches, and evenings. He was the American counterpart to the Seeberger brothers.
However, it was in the 2000s, with the digital revolution, that fashion street style photography became a fundamental testimony of contemporary fashion trends. While esteemed international runways showcased their proposals, the immediacy of new style needs emerged through street style shots, shared through blogs. Scott Schuman, recognizing this potential, spread his photos across the internet with his blog 'The Sartorialist.'
Even though he currently operates in Milan, having moved there with his wife Jenny Walton a few years back, Schuman's work as a street style photographer was born after a year-long break. He was ready to be captivated by the people in the streets of New York. In the early 2000s, armed with his camera, he wandered and captured women and men who, in his view, possessed a distinct sense of glamour—a genuine reaction to what he saw and the daily life passing before his lens. His perspective and taste were particularly appreciated by a generation tired of having fashion imposed from above and wanting instead to create it through their own choices. The Sartorialist was followed by a legion of young photographers who, with their unique perspective, left their mark on fashion street style photography—think of Phil Oh, Acielle Style Du Monde, Yvan Rodic's Facehunter, Ari Seth Cohen's Advanced Style, or Antoine Dealmeida.
This marked the true revolution—the elevation of street style photography as an inspiration source for pret-à-porter fashion. Previously, it was runways that determined lifestyle and now, real life shapes many of the trends we subsequently witness on the catwalks—consider jeans now appearing in Balenciaga haute couture, the streetwear inspiration that propelled brands like Off-White, and fashion shows increasingly choosing the street as their runway, such as Sunnei or Valentino.
Fashion street style photographers in the social media era
The concept remains similar, but the medium has shifted: from traditional cameras to smartphones, thanks to technology. It's more practical and less posed. Authentic fashion street style doesn't involve staged looks or thought-out poses—it's about spontaneous frames. And this resonates with online communities that have migrated from blogs to Instagram, the platform that has elevated photography to the most refined form of communication. Profiles like Sciuraglam, Milanesi a Milano, or Parisiens in Paris emerge—accounts that photograph people on the streets in their authentic daily lives, proving that qualities like glamour, coolness, or elegant demeanor can't be bought; you either have them or you don't.
