Summer vacation is over and we're happy to be back! To kick off a season full of inspiration, creativity, and excitement, the Playtime Team wanted to share incredible photographers our Communications Director, Caroline, discovered over the break in Arles, France.

Titled Dress Code, the exhibition brought together around 40 artists to explore the connection between clothing and identity. Clothing is a crucial component of our societies. It brings us together as much as it can divide us. It protects us from the elements and can expose us. It can be used as a form of protest or to restrict expression. The photography of these artists explores the juxtapositions of fashion, taking us on societal and personal investigations into the meaning of clothing.

Let's explore the interpretations of Katerina Kirtoka...

"Katerina Kirtoka began her career with drawing, then digital animation, and finally photography. She captures moments, people, stories. In the past, the drawing was transformed into photos with a correction of vivid colors. It has become interesting to mix technologies and rework the image. In the context of the war in Ukraine, the need to express even more her opinion about this unstable situation. This can be seen in her recent works which are no longer limited to photography but to collage and animation. She wants to convey thoughts and emotions through all forms of visuals and speak about important issues through her work."

Other emerging image-makers from 20 of the world’s best art schools are on the spotlight thank to the fifth edition of the Dior Prize for Photography and Visual Arts for Young Talents. In partnership with Luma Arles and ENSP, each year, 15 Dior "laureates" exhibit as part of Les Rencontres d'Arles

Following the theme "Face to face", let's explore the interpretations of some of the artists...

SEEKING YOU IN OTHER BODIES (2019-2021)

"Some facing us, some with their backs turned, some of them holding a baby in their arms. Captured with infinite kindness and simplicity, Ashley McLean’s “men” are all black, young and poignant in their serenity. The young photographer aimed to draw a collective and generational portrait rooted in her own uneven personal history.

All these chosen, idealized men fill the gap left by her own absent father, healing the scar of a childhood of yearning is the fundamental quest for this artist in search of serenity and truth. 'The work began as an investigation of my own relationship to masculinity and the male figures in my life.' This autobiographical fiction in images aims to rid manhood of its gendered reflexes and stereotypical manifestations by capturing a gentle and authentic virility."

"Korean artist Youngjoo Sul patiently observed the youth around her for five full years: frank expressions, modest laughter and lost looks punctuate a joyful blossoming of urban style. She is attached to her peers, touching and solemn young Koreans, sprawled in studied poses or, on the contrary, brimming with generous spontaneity. ’I tried to approach the way young people living in this era face society and how they personally face their inner sides.’ A recurring arrangement of diptychs confronts these portraits of her peers with diverse still lifes: some are distinctly urban scenes – with slogans and signage that gush forth plenty of humor and meaning while others depict majestic natural landscapes."

As members of the kids' fashion & lifestyle industry, it is impactful and inspiring to explore the artists of today and their work. As a source to spark creativity for designing new collections, to find ideas for colors and motifs to be used in retail stores, or simply as a way to connect with the global sentiments that artists of all generations are able capture in their work. Art is so indicative of the era in which we live, such a powerful media that is intertwined with fashion whether it's art that inspires designers or, as in this exhibition, clothing that inspires artists.

We hope sharing this slice of vacation has made your return to work even more pleasant, and we are so excited for a brand new season with all of you!

Dress Code is on display at Les Rencontres d'Arles and Dior Prize for Photography and Visual Arts for Young Talents is on display at Luma Arles, and will remain on display until September 25th, so be sure to check it out if you can!

Header photo by Sanne De Wilde and Bénédicte Kurzen