Masha Demianova and Stacey Batashova: the duo challenging the conventions of fashion

Cult fashion imagery is hardly ever a simple matter of individual talent — more often, it’s the fruit of a remarkable creative union, a trace of the collaborative energy between creatives which exists on set. The dynamic between fashion photographer and stylist is the best vehicle for that energy: take Rai Petri and Jamie Morgan, Melanie Ward and David Sims, Lotta Volkova and Harley Weir as just a few illustrative examples.

Thankfully, today Moscow has its own power couple challenging the conventions of fashion editorials — photographer Masha Demianova and stylist Stacey Batashova. Together, they have produced shoots for international titles including Dazed, i-D and King Kong Magazine, and cutting-edge Russian brands like Cyrille Gassiline and Abu Blunt.

The combination of Demianova’s dark cinematic vision and Batashova’s incredible sense of clothing as a narrative tool produces remarkable results. Most importantly, in the contemporary overabundance of fashion visuals, their work is instantly recognisable, and has emotional impact which goes well beyond the pages of a fashion magazine.

Text: Anastasiia Fedorova