Words & photography - Marco Marezza

Back in October 2000 I was on the set of a fashion advertising campaign for Gianfranco Ferre. I was working on the shoot with the model Kevin Jean, who, for me, epitomised the brand with a distinct elegance and softness. He looked at the same time decisive and sincere. 

As Kevin changed dress between shots, I noticed widespread surprise among the collateral professionals on set. I approached curiously and I immediately saw that the model's shoulders and arms were covered with deep wounds, some of which had already healed for some time, others considerably more recent. Given the particularity of the subject, I did not hesitate to approach him personally and asked if I could shoot him in private. In that private time, I managed to take three polaroids. Within seconds, it was time to go back to work.

In 2020, “trendy” is one that opens himself up to aesthetic shock and that is unafraid to show the real self. Often this does not mean luxury, although the individual will surely find himself approached by luxury brands. The real luxury today consists in being superior to money as a form of power towards society. Cosmetic surgery has grown to such a great extent that it has replaced fashion. You can now change your body in more ways than you can change a dress. As trends change, and the contemporary art world embraces the new neutral gene, the disruptive image is perceived and proposed by the provocative gaze, making the eye become the center in a body of eye eroticism. It is this rawness, newness and ability to embrace the self as a unique individual that has spearheaded the major aesthetic trends of recent years.  

I searched the Internet high and low for traces of Kevin, finding only the photo I took for the campaign, an image from a John Galliano fashion show and another archival image on an Instagram profile of a Paris photographer. I contacted the colleague who replied immediately, also surprised by the memory of a kind and elegant boy. 

“There is no beauty without truth”