20 Years Of Mert And Marcus

From their chance first meeting at a party on Hastings pier to their current position as one of the preeminent forces in fashion photography, Mert Alas and Marcus Piggott are marking 20 years in the business with their first retrospective book. We took 10 New York minutes with the pair ahead of their star-studded launch to discuss a choice selection of their greatest hits.

"We have worked a lot with Naomi, she’s a very good friend of ours and we have taken a lot of pictures over our career with her. In general, we are interested in a strong powerful woman but we approach male and female subjects in the exact same way. It’s not about a vision of a woman or a man, it’s more about a story, a character, a roleplay. We have an idea, a story, a dream in our heads to start with and eventually we create the character." Here are some of the highlights to look out for when the book is launched:

Saskia de Brauw in Self Service Magazine, London 2015

"The girls that inspire us are like movie stars. They feel it in front of the camera, they’re waiting to try anything and ultimately just come through in any situation. Saskia de Brauw is definitely one of those girls. She’ll perform, she’ll dance, she’ll give you her utmost and I think that’s the most important thing."

Kate Moss in Vogue Japan, London 2011

"Kate is a dear friend, she is also one of our most photographed muses. She is completely fearless in front of a camera and will try anything, day or night. Her beauty is something incomparable and the mixture of all those elements together gave us one of our best muses."

Mia Rae, Tamy Glauser, Ava McAvoy, Ruth Bell and Grace Bol in W Magazine, New York 2016

"We are known for a sort of cult girl, glossy, big bum and tight clothes but this shot of Mia Rae, Tamy Glauser, Ava McAvoy, Ruth Bell and Grace Bol was about something more androgynous and a homage to all different kinds of girls."

Missy Rayder in Pop Magazine, Ibiza 2005

"Ibiza, where Missy Rayder is shot here, is so close to home and was kind of our playground for many years. It has light, you’re not restricted with weather and don’t need to have permits months or weeks before or know exactly what time of day or where we were going to be. It was a place where you could be free and be naked and run around."