Photographer, Christine Suarez

You’ve worked in the fashion industry for nearly 20 years, how do you think the fashion industry has changed in recent times?

It’s changed from the perspective of... there is so much more fashion. We went from, you know, two seasons to what seems like endless seasons, endless products, the constant need for not only more products but more imagery, more content, more ways to engage with people, so the whole system is just more and faster.

Have these changes had an impact on the way you work as a photographer or your creative process? You made me think of the recent acceptance statement by Martin Margiela at the Belgian Fashion Awards where he explained that the “overgowing demands of trade” and “the overdose of information on social media” led to his departure from the industry. We’ve seen other designers, publicly or privately implode and burn out from the endless demand to create. Is this something that you can relate to?

It affects us on set that way because brands need so much more, and they are either working on the same budgets or less. They need us to be able to work smarter or work faster and deliver imagery that can span multiple clients and uses, so you have to think about it differently.

Brands have a greater opportunity to encourage political conversation, even if it’s not about a specific candidate. They have an opportunity to have practices that are more reflective of their customer base.

I guess that’s an opportunity in some ways, it doesn’t have to be negative necessarily.

No, I don’t think it’s necessarily negative. You don’t have as much time, or the luxury of time, to really think and dream in the way that we may have five or ten years ago.

I can relate to that. So, I didn’t just want to talk to you about fashion. We’ve known each other a long time, and I’d say that almost equal to your passion for fashion is your passion for politics. Before we get into the political work that you do I’d love to know; do you think fashion is political?

I think that it can be. For example, look at Nike and its relationship with Colin Kaepernick; look at brands that are trying to be more ethically, morally, and environmentally conscious. Brands have a greater opportunity to encourage political conversation, even if it’s not about a specific candidate. They have an opportunity to have practices that are more reflective of their customer base. So, if customers have a particular interest, whether it is the environment, treating employees fairly, or whether equal pay for men and women, companies have the opportunity not only to do those things but also to talk about them.

It feels like companies have an opportunity right now to fill a void in addressing these issues when our government isn’t...

Absolutely, because we can do things privately, that aren’t reflected by our government. I think fashion is political in that way, but I think there is also an opportunity to be a lot more political. There is an opportunity for all the players in fashion, whether that’s an actual brand, whether that’s people who work for fashion companies, whether that’s people who work in magazines… look at Teen Vogue, it’s a great example, using this [time as an] opportunity to talk to young people about political issues that matter to them. There is a great opportunity for influencers... look at stylists like Karla Welch, who is using her platform to engage people. Look at Rihanna, look at Taylor Swift … these are opportunities but there are also a lot of influencers who have disappointed me in terms of their silence. I don’t expect everybody to be as politically engaged as myself or to know every issue or even support a particular candidate, but I think that if you can use your platform simply to remind people to register to vote… it’s huge.

It’s clear you’ve always loved fashion, so have you always been politically active?

Yes, I’ve always been politically active from before I could vote. In high school, I was the president of our environmental group, and just that inspired me to be vocal. The first campaign that I remember being active in was Bill Clinton’s, and I wasn’t even able to vote yet..