Medieval Streetwear
A conceptual editorial shoot combining modern streetwear with medieval elements. This project merges personal style with commercial viability, creating magazine-style shots for a fictional streetwear brand.
I have always been drawn to the medieval and fantastical: swords, dragons, bones, witchcraft and the dark world of video games such as Dark Souls. For this project, I wanted to draw on my personal style and create shots that could appear in a fashion magazine.
The core concept was to merge two opposing worlds: modern clothes with medieval garments and props. For this project, I used a chainmail and a sword.
The initial spark for this project came from a Medieval Fayre I attended recently. The following are some of the shots I took at the fayre that inspired me to use these props for the shoot:
I looked at a few artists who used swords in their photography for inspiration. I was specifically looking for casual meets something extraordinary.
Some of these are shots taken by a Russian photographer I found on Instagram. I mainly looked at how she had her model pose with her sword.
Every good editorial needs a narrative. The storyline for this shoot follows a man who renounces his mundane office life and embarks on an adventure.
We begin the story in the everyday world. This shot is our adventurer wandering off from his workplace:
The mundane is stripped away as our warrior finds a plastic tube for use in battle. It’s not a weapon meant for success, but it’s a humble start.
Our protagonist goes through pain and defeat. Death is imminent, and hope is slowly fading away:
Giving up is not an option. To succeed, you must bleed. Our warrior finds his resolve and rises up, ready to try again.
I wanted to go quite heavy with the editing to give my pictures a strong edge. I opted for grain and warm tones to contrast with the blue jersey.
Overall, I had a lot of fun shooting this. You can now see the final shots of our journey in a gallery view:
Final Results