Chaos and creation: The visual language of Franca Sozzani

 
 

DOCSPOTTING.

If “art is what you can get away with”, then this is true of Franca Sozzani’s visual language. Franca was the editor of Vogue Italia who revolutionised fashion imagery through the decades with her “extravagant, experimental, innovative” and highly stylised editorials. She gave the magazine a stylistic prose, turning fashion into journalistic commentary. Her visual narratives pushed the boundaries of what high end fashion was perceived to be allowed to do and she bravely steered the controversy. Franca used imagery to create dreams; dreams you wanted to climb into and dreams you wanted to wake up from.

Her son interviews her while piecing together the story of her life in the self-titled documentary. Her philosophies are modest, yet casually daring, her answers are somewhat restrained; but you get the sense of her maverick spirit. She was a vessel for creativity in the way she relentlessly explored and exposed the rim-edge ideas of the photographers she worked with. Watch the trailer or dive in on Netlix.

Franca’s obituary on Vogue.com is worth a read too. She passed away aged 66 in 2016. *Apologies to the great Naomi for putting a pasty on her nipple (just in case).

 
 
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