A Conversation From Isolation: Francis Delacroix Discusses His Craft

Francis Delacroix is a young Milan-based creative, fashion photographer and “cool kid”. He is mainly known for being one of the first artists to focus his work on reporting the lifestyle and aesthetic of the vibrant hip-hop scene that has been revolutionizing Italy’s music scene since 2016. Since then, Francis has shifted his focus to fashion photography and is now shooting large-scale projects and editorials. While he was trapped at home, like most of us, we had the chance to discuss with him his vision, inspirations and his perspective on being a creative in Milan in 2020.

Would you mind starting by briefly introducing who you are and what you do to readers who might not know you? What kickstarted your career?

F: I’m Francis Delacroix, born in 1995, and I’m a fashion photographer based in Milan. I started with shooting the newly born Trap scene in Italy around 2016/2017, mostly with the famous group Dark Polo Gang, and I switched to fashion in 2018. My fashion career really started in 2019, when I did different editorials with Luisa Via Roma, and shot Moise Kean for the cover of SoccerBible. A few months ago I shot Chiara Scelsi for the cover of L’Officiel Italia, Issue 32, and now I’m mostly focusing on my studio works and portraits.

We’re living in difficult times. How have you been doing lately?

F: We are, indeed. I think this is a tragic and unprecedented event, but we must not give up and get discouraged. Personally, I’m well. I think we, artists, must consider this quarantine as an opportunity to take a break from our frenetic lives, and reflect on what we’re doing, what we’ve done, and what we need to do artistically in the future.

How has being at home changed your creative process? Have you managed to find any new inspiration within the confines of your own home? 

F: Luckily I’m in a place where I can meet a few creative people and work with them without leaving my apartment complex. Books, DVDs and creative people all around. Oddly, I think I might be more inspired now than before.

Where do you usually find inspiration when you are not in quarantine?

F: I always find inspiration from people. Meeting new people; if they’re beautiful, stylish or intellectually interesting, that can be the most inspirational thing. For me, as a photographer, fashion is not about finding a model to shoot some clothes with. Fashion is born from people trying to convey a mood, a statement, an idea through clothes. If the person wearing them does not match the idea, the whole thing collapses. The quarantine restricts every new human encounter, so the only tool allowing new human interaction is a social media, which I think could never substitute true human contact. This is the best time to use our imagination to find ways to communicate with each other.

Growing up in Italy and now being based in Milan, what can you say about the Milanese youth and their influence on your work?

F: I find Milan a beautiful place to be a young creative, to study, and to train yourself. There’s a lot of interesting scenes and people, and the clubbing scene is very lively. I think that the only problem is the struggle of finding authentic Milanese inspiration, without it being contaminated from outside of Italy or from abroad. Of course, there are some exceptions.

You began photographing the Italian trap scene and have now more prominently shifted to fashion photography. What challenges did you face during that transition? And do you think your background gives you a different point of view when it comes to your approach to fashion photography?

F: I think it was a necessary challenge for me. Entering a completely different world, both professionally and socially, can be a long and difficult process. Knowing the right people, the dynamics, the places, these are not obvious and clear things. If you’re not born in the fashion world, like me, it can take you years to figure out your place in it. I’m still doing that now. I’m just a young kid with some clear ideas; the rest is still unknown to me.

What are some creatives that inspired you when you began finding your own voice?

F: There are so many of them. I’m going to divide them in creatives from the past and current ones, to be more specific. From the past: Mick Rock, David Bailey, Andy Warhol, Helmut Newton, Debbie Harry, Morrissey, David Bowie. Present ones include Mario Testino, David LaChapelle, Harmony Korine, Joe Perez, Blondey, Tyler Michell.

What is it for you that makes a photograph narratively powerful and visually interesting?

F: It’s all about two things: photographic technique and visual references. An image must bring up other ideas, moods, and emotions, indirectly displayed in the image itself. The technique is the tool needed to convey all that in an original and eye-catching way. The perfect example is a LaChapelle portrait, full of references and with a stunning and visually appealing technique.

You have made the choice to use film as your main photographic medium. Talk to us a bit about that decision and the way you think it has influenced your work. 

F: The decision was made from the beginning. I started shooting with an old 35mm film camera, so it wasn’t a calculated choice, just how my workflow started from the beginning. Be really sure of the set, the dress, the composition, and then shoot a lot. Besides the beauty of the process and the medium which is film, the convenient thing about it is that I need to spend less time in editing and I don’t particularly like choosing between 500+ photos.

Would you say that you see your style as ever-evolving or do you feel that you have managed to develop a set aesthetic that distinguishes your work?

F: I’m still at the beginning of my journey. I think that a photographer needs a lot of time and research to reach a point where he can say he really owns a style. I want to be in a position, both artistically and professionally, where I can be free to try whatever technique or genre I want. It’s our tastes and preferences that should define us. What type of models we shoot, what symbols we use, what music we listen to during a shoot, are all parts of our cultural baggage that we need to externalise. Photographers should return to being cultural tastemakers rather than content-creators.

Talk to us about your creative process when photographing for personal projects vs. doing commissioned work. How do you find the balance between satisfying the needs of the project while keeping your aesthetic present?

F: I always try and do my best to keep my personal work and commercial work on the same level. When I shoot personal projects, I think about the final image like a campaign or a commercial, because I like that setting. And when I shoot commercial stuff, I always try to put some of my taste and signatures in it. An example of the perfect blending between these two aspects is the work that Avedon did for Versace in the 80’s or Testino for Gucci with Tom Ford. Beautiful commercial images that also work perfectly as portraits or artworks. I think that when a brand/magazine chooses me for a work, it means that it already want my aesthetic/ideas to be incorporated into them. I don’t want to be versatile, I want to be meaningful, even commercially.

We saw you’ve recently shot for the cover of L’Officiel featuring Chiara Scelsi. How was the experience different from what you're used to and what excites you in shooting editorials/ large-scale projects?

F: Well, although the shooting was done in my studio without any particular props, what made the difference was working with a vital and energetic model like Chiara, and with Fabrizio Finizza, the stylist. I was very impressed by the team and the teamwork. What excites me about doing large scale projects is the possibility of bringing my vision and my ideas in the commercial world, which is my main objective at the moment.

We have noticed that you have been directing a few projects lately. What are some of the challenges you’ve faced when taking on the role of Art Director? And what do you think is the most important thing when setting the vision for a new project?

F: The difficulty and the challenge for me resides in shifting from a single media (the photographic image) to more. Taking care of graphics and packaging is a new challenge for me. Fortunately, I have Luca “Blssnd” Devinu, who is a renowned graphic designer, as a constant collaborator, so I can dedicate myself more to the concept and the general idea rather than the practical issues. The most important thing is to outline the image of the artist we want to create, through keywords, colors, and references. Once we have a general picture, we descend to detail, defining pictures, fonts, and everything else.

Lastly, who would you say is your dream person to collaborate with or photograph? 

F: To choose one is impossible, but I could maybe narrow it down to three. I would say Chloë Sevigny, for her style and beauty, Paolo Sorrentino, for the majesty of his message and works, and Alessandro Michele for his creative genius.

Follow Francis on Instagram and find more of his work here

Interview Conducted by Alessandro Santagostino and Sofi Blacker