PROMO: Fashion Publications from the '80s and '90s
PROMO is an exhibition and a book.
The 2004 exhibition presented a collection of ephemeral publications produced by the key international fashion houses in the ’80s and ’90s, including: Yohji Yamamoto, Comme des Garçons, Versace, Sisley, and Calvin Klein. Many of these publications introduced a new generation of fashion photographers such as Nick Knight, Paolo Roversi, Terry Richardson and Bruce Weber. The concept of targeting clientele through the promotional publication came into vogue in the mid-’80s with catalogues created by art director Marc Ascoli and graphic designer Peter Saville for the Japanese fashion designer Yohji Yamamoto. These were extravagant book objects created by a full production team consisting of: photographer, stylist, make-up artist, art director, and graphic designer.
PROMO the book, published to accompany the exhibition, features essays by Hilton Als on Rei Kawakubo’s Six; Vince Aletti on Bruce Weber’s ephemeral publications; and an interview by Andrew Richardson with the British graphic designer Peter Saville.