Biography
Paris-based editor, creative director and photographer Ezra Petronio is no stranger to the fashion industry. Since co-founding the creative agency Petronio Associates with his former partner, fashion director Suzanne Koller , in 1993, he has worked on branding, packaging and marketing for world-renowned luxury brands such as Saint Laurent, Louis Vuitton, Prada and Chanel. He also co-founded the French biannual fashion and culture magazine Self Service with Koller and serves as its editor-in-chief. Petronio’s other pursuits include founding the digital brand agency Content Matters and beauty brand La Bouche Rouge.
Born in New York, Petronio grew up in Paris, but returned to his native city to pursue a degree in Communication and Design at the Parsons School of Design. He completed a short stint at Interview Magazine, before moving back to France. It was here where Petronio got his first taste of publishing and marketing, having launched Petronio Associates in 1993 followed by Self Service a year later. Its earliest issue provided a platform for the likes of the burgeoning Daft Punk, Frédéric Sanchez and Nicolas Ghesquière.
Petronio’s career as photographer began by shooting portraits for Self Service himself, which saw him go on to shoot for publications such as the Love Magazine, WSJ, Porter and the Japanese, Chinese and Spanish editions of Vogue in the years to come. In 2019, Self Service celebrated its 25th anniversary with its 50th issue and a 100-portrait series shot by Petronio. In April that year, Petronio also staged an exhibition titled "Self Service Twenty Five Years of Fashion, People and Ideas Reconsidered" at the Dallas Contemporary space, following his first polaroid photography exhibition at the venue in 2012. In addition to his own line of lipsticks, La Bouche Rouge, he designed Glossier's Play makeup line, became the creative director of Victoria Beckham Beauty and was involved in the re-branding of Lanvin.