Culture / People

Revisiting the photographs of Hans Feurer

hans feurer

Hans Feurer, the prolific, esteemed and deeply adored Swiss fashion photographer has passed away aged 84.

Tributes to the late photographer are flowing in, with an outpouring of love from fashion industry stalwarts like Francesca Sorrenti who said, "I loved your vision of sexuality, beauty, color, and most of all the exciting energy all your photography had!"

Feurer rose to prominence in the late 1960s, taking off "like a rocket" when he landed in London aged 22 and began creating campaigns for an advertising agency. Soon after he would be recognised for his sensual photographs of women that experimented with light and shadow in ways previously unseen. He once said: “Photography is light and shadow. Shadow is just as crucial." His colour palette was equally remarkable; glossy and high contrast, vibrating with energy.

To this day his images for the 1974 Pirelli calendar, shot on Seychelles, as well as his 1983 Kenzo campaign in which he captured supermodel Iman on the Spanish island of Lanzarote, are continuously referenced and cited for their role in rewriting the rules of fashion.

He preferred to shoot on location, his name is synonymous with lavish outdoor settings, rich fabric and a bold positioning of the female form. More importantly, his images celebrated women, capturing their strength and femininity, all the while underscoring Feurer's deep admiration for them.

In 2014, Business of Fashion quoted him saying, "I love women. I have a lot of respect for women and find them more interesting than men. The person I am drawn to is intelligent, strong and beautiful. Women are the main reason I became a fashion photographer."

As we reflect of Hans Feurer's storied life and career, we're taking a retrospective look on his most remarkable photographs. Below, find a curated selection of the most iconic Han Feurer photographs, we hope you love them as much as we do.

 

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Images: One, Two