Dezeen Magazine

Luis Barragán-style fashion editorial Lucid Dreams by Romain Laprade

Richard England's modernist architecture provides backdrop for Lucid Dreams photos

Boldly rendered buildings designed by architect Richard England, "the fun uncle of Mediterranean modernism", provide the setting for this Kinfolk fashion editorial.

Lucid Dreams was shot in Malta, an archipelago in the central Mediterranean sea, by Romain Laprade for the latest issue of Kinfolk magazine.

Luis Barragán-style fashion editorial Lucid Dreams by Romain Laprade

The magazine described England as "the fun uncle of Mediterranean modernism" – he typically worked with colourful planes similar to the style of Mexican architect Luis Barragán and Spanish architect Ricardo Bofill.

In Laprade's phototset, rendered walls detailed with portholes, arches, gabled roofs and steps offer a graphic setting for the playful fashion editorial.

Luis Barragán-style fashion editorial Lucid Dreams by Romain Laprade

For example, the slant of a pitched roof forms a resting spot for model Rafael Mieses, who sports a dark coloured Jil Sander shirt and shorts, and Hermès sandals.

A grey-hued wall with arched cut-outs – painted dark blue on the inside to offer a shadowy effect – forms the backdrop in another shot. Mieses, who was styled by Camille-Joséphine Teisseire, models an orange Hermès trousers to contrast the architecture. His a silky Charvet polo shirt, meanwhile, blends into the sky behind.

Luis Barragán-style fashion editorial Lucid Dreams by Romain Laprade

England, 81, completed a string of projects in his home country Malta, many of which are documented by Laprade.

Another photo captures a curving wall meeting two intersecting planes. Each wall is rendered in different colours – ranging from reddish tones, peach and a creamy hue – that match the striped De Fursac jacket on show.

England's architecture takes on a more commanding presence in two shots featuring swimwear by Vilebrequin. A wall towers above the model in one image, and fills the background in the other.

Luis Barragán-style fashion editorial Lucid Dreams by Romain Laprade
Romain Laprade shot the editorial for the latest issue of Kinfolk magazine, which was dedicated to architecture

Architectural landmarks are frequently used as backdrops for fashion shoots and catwalk shows. The ancient Egyptian temple at New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art provided the cues for a recent Chanel collection, while Oscar Niemeyer's Museo de Arte Contemporáneo de Niterói and IM Pei's Miho Museum have both been used as runways by Louis Vuitton.

Luis Barragán-style fashion editorial Lucid Dreams by Romain Laprade
Model Rafael Mieses sported pieces by Jil Sander, Hermès and Charvet to complement England's designs

Similar to Kinfolk's recent editorial, Harpers Bazaar used Barragán's colourful San Cristóbal horse ranch in Mexico City as the backdrop for a shoot featuring "Spanish-inflected pieces".

The original article is published in Issue 31 of Kinfolk.