Mert Alas and Marcus Piggott by Charlotte Cotton XL Taschen Book

Jump into the megawatt world of Mert and Marcus, the creative tour de force who have styled and shot some of the most powerful brands and personalities of our time, from Miu Miu to Angelina Jolie, Givenchy to Gisele Bündchen. Sourced from our best-selling Collector’s Edition, some 300 pictures illuminate the hyper-glamorous, hyper-glossy repertoire of a creative partnership that has defined and redefined standards for fashion.

The photo duo behind some of fashion’s glossiest shots
Mert Alas, born in Turkey, and Marcus Piggott, born in Wales, met in 1994 at a party on a pier in Hastings, England. Piggott asked Alas for a light, the pair got talking, and rapidly discovered they had plenty in common, not least a love of fashion. Three years later, the duo now known as Mert and Marcus had moved into a derelict loft in East London, converted it into a studio, and had their first collaborative photographic work published in Dazed & Confused.

These days, Mert and Marcus shape the global image of such renowned brands as Giorgio Armani, Roberto Cavalli, Fendi, Miu Miu, Gucci, Yves Saint Laurent, Givenchy, and Lancôme, and public figures including Lady Gaga, Madonna, Jennifer Lopez, Linda Evangelista, Gisele Bündchen, Björk, Angelina Jolie and Rihanna. Their photographs encompass a wide range of styles and influences but are renowned particularly for their use of digitized augmentation of images, and a fascination for strong, sexually charged and confident female subjects. 

Bringing Taschen's best-selling Collector’s Edition to a compact format, this collection explores the unique vision of a creative partnership that has defined and redefined standards for glamour, fashion and luxury. Approximately 300 images from the megawatt Mert and Marcus portfolio are accompanied by an introduction by Charlotte Cotton.

The author
Charlotte Cotton is a curator and writer. She was head of the Wallis Annenberg Department of Photography at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (2007–2009), curator of photographs at the Victoria and Albert Museum (1992–2004) and the head of programming at the Photographers Gallery (2004–2005) in London. She is also the founding editor of wordswithoutpictures.org.

Hardcover, 10.3 x 13.8 in., 8.22 lb, 408 pages

ISBN: 9783836573061