Filmmaker Ruth Hogben tells use how she films clothes
Kin Woo writes for Dazed & Confused, Ponystep and Androgyny magazine and is a contributing editor for Dazed Digital. He has produced films for international artists Phoenix, Patrick Wolf and The Big Pink
Winner of the 2009 Jury Prize at the A Shaded View On Fashion Film Festival, London-based filmmaker Ruth Hogben has been advancing the genre of fashion film pioneered by Guy Bourdin over 40 years ago. She started experimenting under the tutelage of legendary photographer Nick Knight at SHOWstudio but has taken flight on her own with strikingly memorable films for Gareth Pugh, Topshop and Alexander McQueen. Hogben is due to embark on a new project with famed suit-maker, Antony Price.
Ruth Hogben: “My main starting point is the clothes. Every single movement conveys a message, a feeling of who the woman is. Every movement has to have an understanding of who is in it and that piece of clothing. The reason I like fashion film is that fashion is immediate: I fall in love with fashion really quickly and I fall out of love really quickly.
“When you are working with anyone creative, it just becomes a conversation, which flows. Working collaboratively is always very exciting because you get to see the world through someone else’s eyes. I’ve worked with Gareth a number of times and his vision is very strong, so there’s not much room for interpretation. On the other hand, he is so open and free for me to communicate that. Working with McQueen, I thought Nick pushed but Lee is just out of this world! I didn’t go to bed because I felt like I wanted to achieve making this really amazing film.”
