From London, this editorial is a striking study in duality — where East Asian iconography meets the raw intimacy of contemporary portraiture. Each frame is a quiet storm: deliberate, intimate, and quietly fierce. For SS25, beauty is both shield and signal. Graphic gestures, high-shine textures, and skin as language shape a story of transformation — strength in softness, power in vulnerability.
Photography Sandro Hyams
Beauty Jo Sugar using One Skin by Noele Hammett and NARS Cosmetics
Hair Timothy Furssedonn with L´Oréal Professionnel Paris
Models Jessica Liu and Zyla Pan from PRM Agency
Photo studio Pixel Studios London
Sandro Hyams’ lens brings a cinematic softness — drawn to painterly light, shadow play, and ephemeral gestures. Influenced by Paolo Roversi’s dreamlike romanticism and Nobuyoshi Araki’s charged intimacy, the images blur the line between fashion, fine art, and cultural homage. Models Jessica and Zyla embody the duality at the heart of Painted Light — serene yet fierce. Shot as a visual poem, each gaze carries its own quiet weight.
Stylist Angie Noelle recombines pieces from her personal wardrobe to interpret SS25’s elemental minimalism — masculine-inflected blazers paired with abbreviated shorts, and soft, ultra-feminine dresses finished with asymmetrical tailoring and sculptural accessories, in a nod to Tom Ford and Armani Privé. Silhouettes explore the tension between structure and fluidity, anchored by a palette of ivory, pale pistachio, golden paillettes, black lacquer, and flashes of bold red. The styling supports the visual narrative with quiet precision.
Hair by Tim Fursseddon echoes this balance — sleek, lacquered finishes reminiscent of samurai topknots offset by soft, ink-like textures: Sculptural minimalism, shaped with restraint and freedom.
Jo Sugar’s beauty draws from bold brushwork and layered Eastern iconography — from the silent defiance of the samurai to the quiet grace of the geisha. Her SS25 vision is both ancient and avant-garde: skin-first, graphically placed, and expressive.
Make-up artist Jo Sugar created a poem for us, inspired by this editorial and the spirit and simplicity of haiku. Haikus are an ancient form of Japanese poetry, known as the shortest poems in the world. The term “haiku” was first used by poet Masaoka Shiki (1867–1902) to describe this unique three-line form, traditionally following a 5-7-5 syllable pattern and often centered on nature and fleeting moments.
Jo’s poem takes creative liberty with the form, expanding its structure while preserving its meditative tone and vivid imagery. The result is a haiku-inspired reflection on beauty, identity, and the elements; you can read it running in red between the images.
I did not seek – the Current
But dwelt – beyond the Stream
Where Fashion – flutters like a Bird
And I – became – a Dream
My Palette – not of Roses
Nor Petals – for the Cheek
But Stone – and Cloud – and Thunderbolt
More Honest – and Oblique
I wanted the images to feel like stills from a forgotten film — something nostalgic but undeniably new. The light carries memory.
Sandro Hyams, photographer
The Face – no longer Canvas
But Mountain – veined with Fire
I etched – with Brush – a Testament
To Earth – and its Desire
Each Stroke – a Solemn Whisper – Each Shade – a Sacred Moan
Of Kabuki’s silent Theater
And Samurai – alone
This is about restraint and quiet power. The pieces I chose allow the makeup and photography to breathe — fashion as framing, not distraction.
Angie Noelle, Stylist
The Color – not for Vanity
But breathed – as Wisteria
Its Bloom – not born – for Seeing
But Seeing – born – from Her
A Brow – may slice the Morning
An Eye – may house the Sky
The Flesh – no longer Hidden
But Honored – by the Dye
The hair needed to speak of both control and chaos – like a line carefully drawn, then left to run. It had to be part of the silhouette, not separate from it – an extension of the shape and texture.
Tim Furssedonn, hair stylist
I created a clean, luminous canvas for the skin, almost like primed paper or stretched silk, designed to catch the subtle interplay of light,” she reflects. “The makeup itself is deliberately restrained in form but fearless in colour, allowing it to become part of the photographic process — shifting and evolving with each change of light.
Jo Sugar, Makeup Artist
I wanted to evoke pure artistic emotion — graphic, symbolic, ritualistic. A conversation between war paint and modern minimalism.
Jo Sugar
No Glow – may forge such Radiance
As Presence – does bestow
When Beauty – breaks its Mirror
And finds – itself – below
Rebellion – has a Texture
Of Pigment – and of Grace
Not to Conform – but Consecrate –The Soul – upon the Face
Poem by Jo Sugar.
To boot…
Sandro Hyams, photographer
Born in Africa to mixed Italian, Polish and English parents, Sandro settled in London in 1984. After two years assisting some of the great photographers and countless “A listers” in the then-famous Lipstick studios in Shoreditch, he spent time in Milan before returning to London and cutting his teeth on i-D Magazine and British Vogue. His clients have included L’Oréal, Lancôme, Rimmel, Dior, British, Italian and Russian Vogues, Lui, Phoenix, Allure, i-D, British, German and French Elle, Glamour, British and French Marie Claire, Tatler, Sunday Times Style, You Magazine, Peroni, Ralph Lauren, Harrods, Boots, M&S, Vitabiotics and Superdrug. Others include Pink Floyd, Eric Clapton, Depêche Mode, The Cult and Iggy Pop.
Sandro has an installation of black and white local street images at the Courthouse Hotel in Shoreditch, his old “manor” and a recent collaboration with artist Trafford Parsons, a fellow member of the art group the Beautalists, with work exhibited at Black’s Club in Soho. His recent publications include contributions to Philip Treacy’s book, Brazilian Bazaar and Chinese Vogue. He continues to work with new beauty and healthcare clients as well as collaborate with other artists from the Beautalists.
