Fashion choreographers: why big firms are looking for movement directors
Even before our freedom of movement was limited by pandemic restrictions, fashion had already begun to take an interest in movement. Over the past few years, choreographers have come to play a key role on the sets of photo shoots and backstage at fashion shows.
One of the pioneers of movement direction in the fashion industry was Tennessee-born Stephen Galloway, who, after nearly two decades as principal dancer with the Frankfurt Ballet, under the direction of William Forsythe , teaches his classic technique to great models from around the world, such as Kate Moss or Anja Rubik. He today he is one of the many choreographers of fashion. Each one has arrived at the sector in a different way and understands the role they play in this world in their own way.
We spoke to eight movement directors to find out what's behind the new beat in fashion.
Saul Nash
The 28-year-old choreographer founded his eponymous fashion label in 2018 after graduating from London's Royal College of Art and debuted at London Men's Fashion Week spring- summer 2020. Apart from being in charge of the movement direction of his shows, he has collaborated with designers like Bianca Saunders or musicians like Neneh Cherry and Shygirl.
What skills does it take to be a successful movement director in fashion?“Clothing is centered around the body, so understanding how to guide or direct it to create a particular emotion or gesture is important. I always imagine the person who will see the image and how it will be reflected in the person wearing the garment. Sometimes movement is such a fundamental part of the concept that the design cannot come to life without it. In other circumstances, the movement is one more gear in the mechanism that materializes the photographer's or director's vision; the public, sometimes, is not even aware that there has been a direction of movement”.
What do you think about the increasing number of movement directors in the fashion industry?“The industry is realizing that movement has the power to take imagery to another level. There is a clear distinction between choreography and movement: the former is a sequence of steps in the context of dance, while movement is not limited to a specific style of dance, it addresses the body in a broader social context.
Sherrie Silver
Instagram content
This content can also be viewed on the site it originates from.
The 26-year-old Rwandan is the brilliant choreographic mind behind Childish Gambino's 2018 Grammy-winning hit This Is America. Since then, she has been in charge of injecting her kinetic energy into campaigns for brands like Nike and Mac Cosmetics, or fashion films for Vogue.
What is the movement direction project within fashion that makes you feel most proud?“Recreate the Beetlejuice movie (Tim Burton, 1988) with Bardia Zeinali for US Vogue, Hadid! Hadid! Hadid!, which highlighted the best looks from New York Fashion Week Spring-Summer 2019. I was so proud of the Hadid family, how they had let themselves go. The result was wonderful”.
What makes your way of approaching the direction of movement unique?“I love exploring cultures from around the world and fusing them together to create something unique, I don't like sticking with one style of dance. I have a couple of rules: the content has to excite you, make you want to move, want to learn something new, or inspire you to make changes in the world. It goes beyond physicality."
Jordan Robson
Instagram content
This content can also be viewed on the site it originates from.
This 26-year-old Briton living in Paris studied at London's prestigious Rambert School of dance. His collaborations with photographer Tim Walker marked the beginning of his career in fashion. Later, he has worked as a movement director with brands such as Prada, Loewe, Maison Margiela, Vivienne Westwood and Versace.
What do you think about the direction of movement becoming so important in the world of fashion?“Fashion is as much about sensation as it is about aesthetics. The power of clothing depends on how it is worn and, in the end, it all comes down to the body and personality of the wearer. It is essential that a movement director learn to adapt to what the brand has asked of her, to work with the clothing or the model, to combine her own ideas with someone else's, but without sacrificing integrity. We have to understand angles, perspectives or lighting, as well as think about how the final result will look”.
What are you working on right now?Just remembered how this time last year someone was doing a really late christmas party at the same time as the val… https://t.co/ig3WKWg4RJ
— Jiapers Sun Feb 16 09:23:16 +0000 2020
“I'm shooting a short film about meditation in motion, an exploration of how we can find it in all forms of movement, from tai chi to qigong, yoga, techno and contemporary dance. A large part of the projects I am working on investigate the relationship between the body and the mind, how it can be used as a tool for transcendence”.
Ryan Chappell
Instagram content
This content can also be viewed on the site it originates from.
The Australian choreographer has worked with Rihanna, Kylie Minogue and Janet Jackson, and has a degree in Fashion History and Design. In addition to having worked with Fendi, Marc Jacobs or Louis Vuitton, two years ago he founded Movement +, a model development program that specializes in the scenic and psychological aspects of the profession.
Why do you think motion direction has taken on such an important role in the fashion industry?“The years before the 2000s are romanticized as the golden age of fashion images, when teams flew to exotic destinations and spent three weeks there to immortalize a 10-page editorial. Now twice as much is expected in just two days, in addition to a video and content for networks, so someone is needed to guide the process and accompany the photographer or photographer”.
Where did the idea for Movement+ come from?“The rise of models discovered on the street, of new faces who have less time to learn the acting skills necessary to be a good model has created a need for movement directors . Models with a long career also take advantage of a good direction of movement, it takes them out of their comfort zone, they discover new parts of themselves to work with”.
Eric Christison
Instagram content
This content can also be viewed on the site it originates from.
The 31-year-old, born in Toronto, trained at the National Ballet School of Canada and the English National Ballet before performing with the Finnish National Ballet and the Zurich Ballet. In 2017 he left the world of classical dance to focus on choreography and movement direction in fashion. Since then, she has worked with Gucci, Nike and Chanel.
Why did you decide to trade the boards for the catwalk?“I have been dancing ballet six days a week for ten years. 90% of those days were more or less the same. As much as I respected and loved it, the repetition was even sinister. On the other hand, in fashion you often change projects; the demand for new ideas forces you to move at a pace that I find most stimulating”.
What skills are key to succeeding in fashion as a movement director?“Apart from being able to dissect, analyze and articulate how the body works, from the skeleton itself to the smile, communication is key. You have to understand and interpret ideas in a practical and efficient way, according to the topic you have been given, while anticipating what the client wants. If something doesn't fit, you have to have alternatives up your sleeve, that's essential”.
MJ Harper
Instagram content
This content can also be viewed on the site it originates from.
Born in Jamaica 33 years ago, raised in Florida and based in Berlin. He trained at the New World School of Arts in Miami before dancing with Ailey II (the little brother of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater) and, later, with the Wayne McGregor Company (later Random Dance). In London he began collaborating with Wales Bonner and has worked with Comme Des Garçons, Random Identities and Saint Laurent, among other firms.
How would you compare the movement in fashion with the one that unfolds in a theater?“In this world, everything is movement. Fashion and theater are the same. The craft of telling stories; the magic; the mythology rooted in the lived experiences of the past, the present and the futures that are projected on the horizon; the facticity and mystery of archaeology. They are things that move me; It makes me very happy to investigate and immerse myself in those worlds”.
What do you think has been the reason that fashion now pays more attention to movement?“Consciousness. I believe we are living in unprecedented times in our history. Therefore, it seems that there is a change in the level of sophistication as part of an evolutionary development that is currently underway. The direction of movement contributes to the neutralization of space, which in turn promotes and encourages the care, safety and well-being of people”.
Holly Blakey
Instagram content
This content can also be viewed on the site it originates from.
Last year, just before the start of the pandemic, Holly Blakey premiered the sequel to her production The Cowpuncher (2018), a critique of the western genre through dance, with costumes by Andreas Kronthaler for Vivienne Westwood. The 33-year-old contemporary dancer, mother of a child, has firms such as Dior, Burberry, Gucci or Art School in her client portfolio.
\What fashion choreography projects have you enjoyed the most lately? “I was in Chopova Lowena's spring-summer 2021 campaign, immortalized by Charlotte Wales, along with dancers and collaborators such as Nandi Bhebhe or Becky Namgauds; we played folk roller-derby players. I have also worked with director Stephen Isaac-Wilson on a film for Ahluwalia, I have loved the process, it has been a genuine and unhurried analysis of ideas”.
Why do you think choreography has gained such an important role in the fashion industry?“Apart from making models more comfortable, perhaps richer nuances can be achieved through choreography when creating images. I would never use the term “movement director” to describe myself. I am a choreographer and I try to convey information through movement. It is tremendously different from theater; here you capture an instant and the objective is to magnify that movement, which gives rise to whoever contemplates it to think beyond the image itself”.
Pat Boguslawski
Instagram content
This content can also be viewed on the site it originates from.
In 2013, this Polish dancer was cast in an Alexander McQueen show; In a rehearsal, he caught the eye of the house's creative director, Sarah Burton, who asked him to teach the rest of the models how to walk. Thus began the career of the 31-year-old movement director, responsible for viral moments like Leon Dame's now-legendary walk, first seen at Maison Margiela's spring-summer 2020 show.
Did you have any idea of the response that Leon Dame's closing for Maison Margiela would have?“Not at all. The day before she hit the runway, I worked with Leon to choreograph the show. I let him explore himself, do something powerful with his gait. Galliano also has his own ideas, of course, but he gives me a lot of creative freedom. When we showed it to him, he gave us an enthusiastic thumbs up.”
What would you like to achieve with your role as movement director?“I've seen a lot of Galliano and McQueen shows from the 1990s and early 2000s, it's clear they let models express their own personality on the runway. That is just the kind of energy, emotion and action that I would like to create. Between the 2000s and the 2010s, everything became more about the product and less about the person; I found it frustrating: everyone moved the same way”.
The challenge of taking choreography to a new dimension
5 PhotosBy Nuria Luis
To see photos
