Imperfect, Strange, and Finally Worth Looking At: The Editorial Renaissance

For years, the fashion editorial followed a familiar script. Clean studio lighting, controlled compositions, and models positioned with a kind of deliberate detachment. The images were refined to the point of sterility. They communicated status and taste, but rarely personality. Over time, that visual language began to feel less like aspiration and more like repetition.

That formula is starting to loosen.

The editorials gaining attention now carry a clearer sense of authorship. They feel shaped by individuals rather than smoothed out by industry expectations. There is a noticeable shift towards images that hold texture, humour, and a degree of unpredictability. Viewers are responding to work that feels considered but not overworked, stylised but not distant.

Szilveszter Makó’s photography sits firmly within this movement. His background in painting is evident in the way he constructs an image. Composition comes first, then atmosphere, then clothing. He works with natural light, often allowing shadows to fall unevenly across a frame, and avoids the crispness that defines much of contemporary fashion imagery. His sets are frequently handmade, with cardboard, paper, and painted surfaces standing in for more traditional materials. The effect is intentionally visible. Nothing is hidden or disguised too neatly.

In his 2026 editorial with Elle Fanning, that approach is pushed further. The set feels almost stage-like, with flat backdrops and cut-out props that echo early studio photography. There is a slight awkwardness to the proportions, which gives the images their tension. Fanning appears both part of the set and slightly removed from it, as if she has stepped into a constructed world that does not fully behave. The styling leans into exaggerated shapes, with oversized bows, structured coats, and sculptural silhouettes that hold their own against the set design. Colour is handled carefully, often muted, allowing texture and form to take precedence.

A different kind of material sensitivity appears in Ayo Edebiri’s Paper Magazine cover, photographed by Jaša Müller. The decision to produce a hand-painted cover introduces a physical layer that is increasingly rare in editorial work. The surface carries marks, inconsistencies, and a sense of process that cannot be replicated digitally. Müller’s wider practice often involves manipulating prints by hand, distorting and reconstructing them before photographing them again. That approach brings a density to the final image, where it feels like multiple stages of making are present at once.

In the editorial itself, Edebiri is styled with precision but without stiffness. The Chanel pieces hold their structure, but the way they are worn allows for movement and expression. There is a balance between control and ease that keeps the images from feeling overly rehearsed. Her expressions shift subtly across frames, creating a sense of progression rather than repetition.

Photographers such as Renell Medrano and Petra Collins have also played a significant role in shaping this broader shift. Medrano’s work often centres on closeness, both in framing and in subject matter. She frequently photographs in domestic or familiar spaces, where the environment contributes as much to the image as the clothing. Her use of film introduces grain and softness, which changes how skin, fabric, and light are perceived.

Collins approaches image-making through atmosphere and memory. Her use of 35mm film, diffused lighting, and carefully constructed colour palettes creates images that feel suspended in time. There is a focus on interiority, particularly in how her subjects occupy space. They are not presented as distant figures but as individuals with a visible emotional presence.

Across these examples, there is a clear movement away from anonymity. The most engaging editorials now carry a recognisable visual language, one that reflects the decisions and instincts of the person behind the camera. In a culture saturated with fast, interchangeable imagery, that sense of intention stands out.

The fashion editorial has not lost its relevance, but its priorities are shifting. Precision and polish are no longer enough on their own. What holds attention now is a distinct perspective, supported by choices that feel deliberate, tactile, and at times slightly unresolved.

Written by Vanessa Twerefou