Mert & Marcus

Being a dedicated style maven the chances are that the names Mert and Marcus will be familiar to you. Stars of the international fashion scene this photographer duo is responsible for some of the most eye-caching images of the last ten years.

Mert Atlas, from Turkey, and Marcus Piggott, from Wales, first met in 1994. Mert had just given up studying classical piano and cello to become a photographer’s assistant and Marcus was a trained graphic designer working as a fashion photo modeller. Together they decided to team up and take on the world of fashion photography – and, boy, did they take it by storm. They approached Dazed and Confused with a collection of images and promptly made the cover. Since then they have shot for W, Vogue, Numero, Pop, Italian Vogue, US Vogue – the list goes on. And then, of course, there are their ad campaigns. In fact, their job list is a who’s who of luxury fashion and fragrance – Miu Miu, Louis Vuitton, Giorgio Armani (they were responsible for those pictures of David Beckham), Tom Ford, Fendi Yves Saint Laurent and more have employed them to work their magic. Oh, and they’ve even shot the Pirelli calendar.

The pair are known for their super glossy, uber glamorous and atmospheric images. They’re very hands on, getting heavily involved in the hair and make-up process on the shoot to get the right effect, and they’re not afraid of a bit of re-touching. In fact, they have an army of experts to help digitally enhance the images and to create their unique brand of unreal and other-worldy perfection. No wonder everybody loves them.

These days Mert & Marcus have their own studio and digital offices out in Ibiza where stars and models flock to get snapped. They’ve recently shot the hotly anticipated Miu Miu campaign featuring Vanessa Paradis and iconic supermodel Eva Herzigova for Louis Vuitton. They’ve also just hosted their second ever solo exhibition, entitled ‘Tales of the Subconcious’ in Istanbul. Kate Moss even jetted over for the launch party and they all made time to do a little shoot for W while they were over there. Where these two are concerned, it’s a veritable fashion love-in.