Behind the Lens: Tim Walker’s Surreal Ode to Tod’s Artisanship at Milan Design Week
Tod’s teamed with photographer Tim Walker for a special visual project that playfully celebrates the artisanship and craft behind the iconic Italian house’s impeccable designs. The series was exhibited as part of Milan Design Week.
Taking inspiration from a tour of the Tod’s manufacturing process, the imagery expands the tools and techniques of this artisanal craftsmanship into a series of surreal, larger-than-life tableaus. Through imaginative set design and clever perspective plays, the scenes find their cast of characters in moments of role reversal and upside-down logic: one character is wrapped up in a massive belt or stepped on by a humongous loafer; another becomes an Edward Scissorhands-esque character but with leatherworking tools; others become immersed in blown-up renditions of the brand’s iconic orange box.
“We wanted to let the specialist tools and methods play a starring role in the photographs – the artisan tools are so specific to the creation of Tod’s iconic products – we wanted to find a way to celebrate them in a slightly surreal way in the photographs, playing with perspective, and hopefully some with some wit.”
The cast does great work as they channel the over-the-top physical energy of slapstick icons like Charlie Chaplin and Pewee Herman, clearly having fun and perfectly embodying the zany, theatrical attitudes that these surreal reversals of perspective expect of them.
While Tod’s is serious about its understanding of leatherwork and craft, it’s great to see the brand show off its playful side as well. With his photographic mastery of perspective and fantasy, Tim Walker is just the man for the job to bring this vision to life, and together they make a new kind of cinematic fashion magic.
