MEET PHOTOGRAPHER KAT IRLIN - OUR LATEST CREATIVE COLLABORATOR WHO'S RE-IMAGINING OUR NEW-SEASON COLLECTION THROUGH HER PLAYFUL POP ART LENS
Kat Irlin is a photographer and director based between New York and London whose work always pushes creative boundaries and makes people think when they see one of her images. “I love the shock factor”, she tells us.
Born in St. Petersburg, she spent the first ten years of her professional career working in finance, before deciding to pursue her passion for photography. Her work has appeared in numerous international publications from Vogue and Harpers Bazaar to Numero and Vanity Fair, among others.
Lucky for us, she turned her progressive lens to the icons in our collection and gave them new life. We caught up with her after the shoot to find out more about her life and work.
WHAT’S REALLY INSPIRING YOU RIGHT NOW?
I am always inspired by things around me, especially architecture, seasons, colors and the people I meet. It could be the light that’s falling on the pavement in a particular way or a balloon flopping in the wind - it’s unpredictable.
WE LOVE THE TRIPPY/POP ART DIMENSION TO YOUR WORK ON THIS CAMPAIGN - IS THAT A FAIR ASSESSMENT?
Yes, definitely, having grown up in St Petersburg, Russia, I was always in front of a paining, a beautiful piece of architecture, at a ballet, surrounded by beauty. All of which made me have a very particular eye, I think. So I always try to push my art further to what people haven't necessary seen and combine colors that are unexpected - I love the shock factor.
WHERE DID THE IDEA FOR YOUR COMPOSITIONS COME FROM?It’s hard to say. I think one day I was sitting there and thought - wouldn’t it be cool to add another dimension to a photo – I experimented and ended up with something that made me happy. Once an image makes me happy I trust it will do the same for other people.
WHAT IS IT ABOUT YOUR WORK THAT YOU LOVE?I love being able to come up with something unique and unexpected. There is so much out there now that it’s hard to get people’s attention so I think the key is to shock them - I try to do that as much as I can.
WHERE DO YOU HOPE THESE PIECES END UP? I don’t know but I hope they make people happy and inspire them to buy the products.
OUR FOUNDER LULU IS ALL ABOUT CHAMPIONING FEMALE CREATIVES, WHAT DOES THAT MEAN TO YOU?
I think that’s amazing. While we are slowing moving towards female photographers having a larger footprint its still a very much male dominated industry so I really appreciate the brands that make the effort to further that.
