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| ©Inez van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin |
| Click photo to launch a slideshow with more images from Individuals: Portraits from the Gap Collection. |
Individuals: Portraits from the Gap Collection
Melcher Media/DK Publishing; 256 pages; 250 photographs; paperback, $35; hardcover limited edition, $150
Of the many advertising campaigns that have showcased photography during the past two decades, none -- absolutely none -- has been more photographically distinguished or influential than that of Gap, the chain store that turned the white T-shirt into something chic. The formula for success was relatively simple: Great photographers (Annie Leibovitz, Herb Ritts, Matthew Rolston, Christian Witkin, Regan Cameron, Michel Comte, Inez van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin) make portraits of culturally significant icons (William S. Burroughs, Karl Lagerfeld, Miles Davis, Tom Brady, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Irons). The celebrities appear in Gap clothing, but that was not the point.
The point was that these famous faces stood for something bigger than mere fame. They were not just successful; they embodied creativity and individuality. Somehow, the campaign convinced consumers that wearing mass-marketed, inexpensive garments like blue jeans and white button-down shirts could be a transforming experience. It is just that easy to be an individual today.
This exquisitely produced collection of images from the campaign, designed by Trey Laird, shows the importance of the artist as redemptive icon. Far more important, from the standpoint of this magazine, is how many photographers are used as portrait subjects: Here, for once, the photographer was elevated in status to the level of pop star.
If all that isn't enough, the book comes with a CD of songs featured in Gap television ads. Plus, all proceeds from the book go to (PRODUCT) RED, an initiative founded by Bono and Bobby Shriver to fight HIV/AIDS in Africa.
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