The sensitive gaze of the Dutch photographer Sarah van Rij transforms the most mundane scenes of everyday life into stories of fleeting moments, revealing a Seoul steeped in nostalgia and mystery. For his part, the American photographer Sean Thomas turns his lens on a vibrant and colorful Texas, both picturesque and authentic, brimming with ranchers, cowboy boots and flamboyant sunsets.

A natural fit for the soul of travel, photography is an evident form of expression for Louis Vuitton. Our editorial process makes sure that the book is granted the status of a medium in its own right, with the singular aim of continually renewing its visual vocabulary in different ways. Fashion Eye is a tailor-made series: each type of paper or binding, each layout, and sometimes even the printing processes used, in keeping with artisanal tradition, serve the title at hand.

For a book is first and foremost the work of an author, a designer and a printer. Title after title, a broad compendium of perspectives emerges, one that shifts with the destinations, including urban panoramas and natural landscapes, scenes of local life, and more contemplative work, with images in color and/or black and white. Each book in the series features an ample selection of large format photographs, accompanied by biographical information and an interview with the photographer or a critical essay. Fashion Eye gives rise to an unprecedented dialogue between emerging talents, seasoned photographers, and fashion photography legends. It confronts contemporary creation with little-known archival treasures to create a collection of invaluable reference works, as much in terms of its approach as its aesthetics.

FASHION EYE SEOUL

Taking in Sarah van Rij’s photographs is akin to watching a lunar eclipse: the chiaroscuro of her black-and-white shots gradually gives way to red tones, by turns calming or strident, in her color work. Reflections, shadows, hidden faces and furtive silhouettes parade through a series of scenes brought together in perfect harmony, with hints of faded beauty. In each image, the gentle essence of the atmosphere captured confronts the palpable excitement of a Seoul in constant motion, with its pedestrians and their gestures. The photographer’s desire to chronicle her impressions of a brief stay is clear. Whether racing down the street, stopping for a coffee, waiting for the subway, or peering through windows, she conveys the delicacy of every moment.

SARAH VAN RIJ

Born in the Netherlands in 1990, Sarah van Rij fell in love with film as a child, before purchasing her first camera at the age of 22. She honed her photography skills while working as creative director for a lifestyle and fashion retailer in Amsterdam. Her first photographic series was published in the Dutch magazine Vrij Nederland. From then on, van Rij began to develop a poetic and mysterious visual language, accentuated by deep shadows and saturated hues, playfully experimenting with perspective and depth of field in a formalistic nod to the otherworldly proportions of surrealism. Alongside her personal work, van Rij brings her vision to commissioned projects for a wide range of fashion and editorial clients. Although she is known for her frequent collaborations with Jacquemus, Hermès and Chanel, her work has also been featured in the pages of prestigious newspapers and magazines, from Vogue Italia and M le magazine du Monde to The New York Times.

FASHION EYE TEXAS

Long fascinated by cowboys and cowgirls, Sean Thomas traveled the length and breadth of Texas to scout out the men and women living the legend of the American frontier, at rodeos, livestock auctions and other events, in regions where cattle and horses reign supreme. Apart from bringing fresh energy to iconic scenes, he also gives us glimpses into less familiar aspects of Texas, especially through images taken in Houston and in Marfa, today’s bastion of American modernism in the minimalist vein. From page to page, Thomas offers a gallery of atypical personalities, with a bevy of Stetson, and an entrée into a very American way of life, set to country music, with John Wayne as its standard bearer.

SEAN THOMAS

Sean Thomas was born in 1977 in Omaha, Nebraska, and spent part of his childhood in the vast open country of the Great Plains. He studied art in his native city and then in Kansas, before moving to New York to work in graphic design and art direction. After about eight years in the music industry, Thomas took the plunge and became a photographer. His inaugural series of photographs, for the magazine i-D in 2008, captured fashions by the young designer Thom Browne. He would later repurpose these shots when creating his first international advertising campaign for the label. Thomas likes to tell stories, whether real or imagined, and enjoys combining fashion and reporting in his commissions for American and British Vogue, Holiday, Self Service, L’Étiquette, Modern Weekly and Vanity Fair, among other publications. Between his frequent trips, all giving rise to extensive portfolios of images, from Central and South America to Cuba, Ethiopia and India, he works for leading brands such as Ralph Lauren, Massimo Dutti, Tommy Hilfiger, H&M, Stella McCartney, Chloé, Michael Kors and Victoria’s Secret.