Mert and Marcus
Mert Alas and Marcus Piggott, working name "Mert and Marcus", are fashion photographers who work together on a collaborative basis. Their work and style is influenced by the photographer Guy Bourdin and have pioneered the use of digital manipulation within their field.
Mert and Marcus, born in 1971 in Turkey and Wales respectively, met for the first time in England in 1994 after having worked for a brief period in different areas, the first in classical music and the second in graphic design. Marcus was an assistant photographer and Mert was a fashion photo modeler. After working together in the photography business, they decided to create a team. When they showed their first photos to "Dazed and Confused", the London fashion magazine, they immediately made the cover.
They are known for their portraits of sophisticated, powerful women. "The difference between us and other photographers is that we care a lot about appearance," says Alas. "We spend most of the time in the make-up and hairstyling rooms".
The team works for magazines such as Interview Magazine, The Love Magazine, Vogue USA, Vogue Italia, W Magazine, Pop Magazine, Numero and Arena Homme Plus. Some of their major clients are fashion labels such as Louis Vuitton, Missoni, Giorgio Armani, Roberto Cavalli, Fendi, Kenzo and Miu Miu. They created the images for perfume houses such as Gucci, Yves St Laurent, Givenchy and Lancôme. Alas and Piggott have also worked with celebrities of the caliber of Lady Gaga, Shakira, Jennifer Lopez, Madonna, Linda Evangelista, Gisele Bündchen, Björk, Lindsay Lohan, Scarlett Johansson, Charlotte Rampling, Kylie Minogue, Sophie Ellis-Bextor and most recently Victoria Beckham for a Giorgio Armani shoot.[1]
They have also worked for Rob Dougan's for the cover art of Furious Angels CD.
On February 23 and 24, 2012, Mert and Marcus directed Madonna's music video Girl Gone Wild, the second single from her album MDNA.
References
- ↑ Gibson, Emma-Louise (15 January 2009). "Posh Spice Victoria Beckham 'does a David' in Armani undies strip". Belfast Telegraph. Retrieved 15 January 2009.