Gnarly

Aries collaborates with reportage photographer David Ledoux and stylist Phoebe Arnold to release Gnarly: the cloth-bound hardback features 118 black and white and color lithographic-printed photographs of Ledoux’s compelling documentation of youth culture, captured in the Basque country in the southwest of France. His images pay testament to what it’s really like to live, surf, and skate on the coast near Biarritz. No posers. Locals only. From 25th May, the two-floor flagship Aries Store will house an exhibition open to the public showcasing a selection of David Ledoux’s photography featured in Gnarly as well as never-before-seen films documenting the creation process of Gnarly.

From 25th May, the two-floor flagship Aries Store will house an exhibition open to the public showcasing a selection of David Ledoux’s photography featured in Gnarly as well as never-before-seen films documenting the creation process of Gnarly.

Phoebe Arnold first came across Ledoux’s photographs on Instagram, falling in love with his effortlessly bona fide approach to photographing the community around him. Meeting people and learning how to capture them in a state of invisibility afforded David an eye that helped him transition into fashion photography, attracting the likes of iconoclastic publications like Dazed and Confused, Vice, and Intersection Magazine. David and Phoebe began discussing this project in the summer of 2020 and eventually came to life when David called Phoebe last August with the news of him moving to Portugal. “It felt like fate,” recalls Arnold. “We met on a surf beach and road-tripped together from Aljezur to Biarritz in his caddy van.”

A book signing with David Ledoux will take place on 25th May and signed copies of Gnarly will be available to purchase exclusively in-store.

“Having the opportunity to make my first book was a dream come true. Aries gave me a carte blanche, which was quite amazing. Phoebe Arnold, whose idea it was to do the project, had the vision of this collaboration which felt quite natural in this surprising and raw reportage/ fashion adventure.” – David Ledoux

Gnarly launches Thursday 25th May, priced at £38 GBP / €45 Euro / $45 USD and will be available to buy from www.aries.com and in-store. The exhibition will run from Thursday 25th May – Monday 5th June at Aries Store, 31 Great Pulteney Street, W1F 9NN, and is open to the public.

Global stockists include Browns, Matches, Slam Jam, One Block Down, Goodhood, and END.

Aries also partners with White Claw to create a capsule collection lensed by David Images. The campaign and collection capture the surf scene and skate culture of Biarritz; an infamous seaside town on France’s southwestern Basque coast. 

About Aries
Aries is a non-gendered, luxury streetwear brand made in Italy, and created in London. Founded by Sofia Prantera of Silas and Holmes fame, Aries was born out of an ongoing love of trash culture, outsider art, graphics, and illustration. The collections reflect its Creative Director’s Central Saint Martin’s background training and fascination with garment dyeing, printing, and a forensic approach to garment construction.

The brand’s cultural output is realized through the release of self-published books, international art shows, exhibitions, experiences, and collaborations which range from the cult and collectible to the esoteric, working with different artists and image makers who are an integral part of the Aries world, community and family.

About David Ledoux
David began as a photojournalist, meeting people and learning how to capture them in a state of invisibility, which afforded him an eye that helped him transition into fashion photography, attracting the likes of iconoclastic publications like Dazed and Confused, Vice, and Intersection Magazine.

Today he lives in the southwest of France, working as an independent photographer and visual artist, continuing to experiment with new forms of photography. Creating staggering images in a computer-free environment through long exposure, David works with an argentic camera, stencils, and colored gelatines, capturing light movement illuminated by torches, neons, and fire.