tell a new story.
Last night me and my boyfriend went to see the Bill Cunningham documentary at ‘Look Mum No Hands’ on Old Street. It’s a pretty sweet café for people who love bikes, good food and a nice sit down. I’m a huge fan of sitting down but unfortunately the place was packed for the screening and we arrived too late to be involved in such a lovely non-activity.
And so we stood and we watched the documentary on Bill, the amazing street style photographer that loves only two things; photographing the people of New York and his bike. He has never had a romantic relationship, a desire to befriend the amassing celebrities he works around nor indulge in the finer aspects of high society. It is quite an incredible human that at 82 still works, still has complete freedom and still has the upmost respect from his peers and everyone who is become ‘someone’ enough to know him and his work.
As I’m not ‘someone’ enough to know, I’ll admit to not hearing of him before being invited to the screening and it got me thinking about all those legends that people never know of. There will be idols and heroes in every subculture that come to the forefront of ‘pop culture’ and rise beyond their station (rightly or wrongly), but it is the people that stay under that radar, that are never really spoken of or seen that really make the big difference. In Bill’s case it is his silent work that tweezes out and puts together all the trends that the top designers will create to, and that we all buy in a years time at Topshop and River Island. Trends aren’t the ‘top pick’ items in Grazia or the round up in Vogue; they only show what is trendy and what is ‘now’. Trend is something very different, that only the lucky notice and piece together. It is a collection of statements from the unknowing few. It is in its very essence like its seekers, under the radar.
This post is a celebration of people like Bill. Those that see beneath the obvious structures and notice the unique. Those that have influence without being influenced. Those that don’t work for the credit but for the self-satisfaction of good work.
Here’s to Bill (insert applause)
