Biography
Nick Knight is the groundbreaking fashion imagemaker and director of SHOWstudio, a pioneering fashion website created “based on the belief that showing the entire creative process, from conception to completion is beneficial for the artist, the audience and the art itself.” Knight was one of the first and most high profile imagemakers to adopt digital film as a medium for showing fashion.
SHOWstudio collaborates with some of the most influential and acclaimed figures of contemporary fashion, including John Galliano , Kate Moss , Rick Owens , Comme des Garçons and Alexander McQueen. Alongside these established names, SHOWstudio has also supported and nurtured emerging talent, including Giles Deacon, Gareth Pugh , Rodarte and Mary Katrantzou , offering exciting new designers an important global showcase for creative expression.
His first book of photographs, "Skinheads," was published in 1982, whilst a student at Bournemouth and Poole College of Art and Design. He was then commissioned by i-D editor Terry Jones to create a series of 100 portraits for the magazine's fifth anniversary issue.
As a result of those black-and-white portraits, his work caught the attention of art director Marc Ascoli, who commissioned Knight to shoot the 1986 catalogue of avant-garde Japanese designer Yohji Yamamoto in collaboration with renowned graphic designer Peter Saville .
Since this first foray into fashion photography, he has shot both editorial and advertising projects for clients including Alexander McQueen, Audi, Calvin Klein , Christian Dior, Jil Sander , Lancôme, Levi Strauss, Martine Sitbon, Mercedes-Benz, Royal Ballet, Royal Opera House, Swarovski and Yves Saint Laurent.
Editorially Knight has been decorated for his editorial work for Vogue, Dazed & Confused, i-D, The Face, W, Another Magazine, Arena Homme + and Visionaire and the 2004 edition of the Pirelli Calendar.
He has shot album covers for Björk, Elvis Costello and the Attractions, Boy George, David Bowie, Kylie Minogue, The Style Council, Lady Gaga, Paul Weller, Gwen Stefani, Cheryl Cole, Seal, ABC and Massive Attack.
Nick Knight directed back in 2001 his first music video ever, the controversial Pagan Poetry video Björk. In 2011, he directed the video for Lady Gaga's single "Born This Way."
Knight's work has been exhibited at such international art institutions as the Victoria & Albert Museum, Saatchi Gallery, the Photographers' Gallery and Hayward Gallery. In 1993, he also produced a permanent installation, Plant Power, for the Natural History Museum in London. The photographer has produced "Nicknight" (1994), a twelve year retrospective, and "Flora" (1997), a series of flower pictures, both published by Schirmer Mosel.
Knight was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 2010. He currently lives with his wife, Charlotte and three children, Emily, Ella and Calum in London.