As a quiet force in photography for over 25 years, Paolo Roversi has firmly grounded his softly organic and profoundly intimate work within the more avantgarde circles of fashion. Over the years, Roversi has helped define the aesthetics of many key players who manage to sit just under the global commercial and celebrity radar, those intelligent labels from Romeo Gigli to Undercover and Yohji Yamamoto. Accompanying this inclination for the darker side of the industry, Roversi has held his fascination in the faces of muses such Stella Tennant and Kirsten Owen – protean beauties whose faces have stood the test of time – never the latest wondergirls, but forever stalwart personalities in a fickle world.

For Yohji Yamamoto’s A#2, Paolo Roversi spoke with James Sherwood on the eve of the release of his third book Studio, celebrating his 25 years in the industry. In their interview they discuss the taste of a photographer in the fluctuating world of fashion, the staying power of intellectual models, the nostalgia of Yohji Yamamoto and the habits of Roversi himself.

James Sherwood: What makes you sit at the Steinway every morning and wish to play again?

Paolo Roversi: “I live my life through photography. It is fundamental and reaches deep into my heart and soul. Since time began, humans have wished to capture immortality be that Egyptian hieroglyphs, Grecian statues or photographs. I am endlessly fascinated by the moment. Always the moment.”