Stilettos, flashy jewellery and extravagant outfits: Paris Fashion Week asserts its status as a global fashion event. Every year, a frenzy builds in the hours leading up to the shows. The names of celebrities are shouted at the top of people’s lungs, while emerging designers and fashion enthusiasts wait patiently for their moment in the spotlight. Colourful heels, statement earrings and daring necklines: every detail is meticulously considered to perfect a flamboyant look.
Without an invitation, photographer Sonia Reveyaz shifts the perspective on this heavily mediatized event by photographing exclusively on the streets, outside the fashion shows. The pavement becomes a pedestal for emerging designers, aspiring models and haute couture personalities alike. Public space becomes a stage for self-expression, a moment to put oneself on display, and an opportunity to be recognised.
By deliberately cropping out faces and focusing on details, Sonia Reveyaz restores a sense of anonymity to the people she photographs. Who is a model, and who is a spectator? What remains of a public figure when their identity disappears? Fashion photography thus becomes a way of exposing a social and cultural tension: should we look at the outfit or the person wearing it? The photographer questions the power of the image, redirecting our attention to what matters most: clothing and its accessories.
Straddling the worlds of fashion and editorial photography, Sonia Reveyaz documents reality as it unfolds. The street becomes a playground where everyone tries to strike a pose for the camera—or, conversely, to escape it. Photographing the backstage world of Fashion Week offers a way into this unmissable event, revealing its rough edges and its humanity. Balancing fascination with a sharp, perceptive gaze, the photographer captures the explosion of colour and boundless creativity of these looks, reclaiming fashion’s place as a space for self-expression.
