Alternative view: The real faces of Milanese fashion

03.03.2016 20:00

Over the course of the four main fashion weeks -- New York, London, Milan and Paris -- modern peacocks and fashion papps flood the streets in search of the perfect 'street style' shot. But the extent to which the deluge of imagery, primarily depicting fashion's elite, reflects a city's true style and culture is questionable.

Ahead of Milan Fashion Week, we asked esteemed Italian photographer Jacopo Farina to avoid the chaos and turn his lens towards the real heart of Milanese style, focusing on youth culture and the lesser known areas of the city.

From the head of an independent techno record label photographed near Navigli, Milan's old canals, to a visual merchandiser shot in "NOLO", the new creative suburb of Milan, each of Farina's images tells a story.

Speaking about the process of finding the subjects with scout Yosephine Melfi, he explained: "We chose people and places that reflect the spectrum of a new generation coming of age in contemporary Milan. Irrespective of class, education or background, these unique individuals are shaping a new culture, one that promotes cosmopolitanism in a very particular way."

With the rise of younger Italian designers like Massimo Giorgetti, Damir Doma, Stella Jean and Andrea Incontri injecting new life into the fashion industry, Milan's status quo seems to be imperceptibly shifting. In a city where heritage and old money have ruled for decades, the burgeoning creative scene documented in Farina's images will be a welcome sight to many.

(CNN)