billabong

Featured Photographer: Sonny Vandevelde

Andy Wass November 20 at 2:27 | Comments

Sonny Vandevelde is a European-born, Sydney-raised photographer. Fed up with the unimaginative “tunnel vision” of his photography instructors, he dropped out of college and learned his craft his own way. His father did lighting on film sets, so Vandevelde picked up equipment and technical knowledge from working with him.

Vandevelde started in sports photography for Australian magazines and moved onto catalog work for Quiksilver. From his personal photography of friends, he got into documenting local night life and learning about the fashion world. At this point he’s more of a Cobrasnake than a Leibowitz, focusing more on the personality of the models and subjects than the technicalities and traditions of his work. In much of his backstage work, models are smiling!

A “lifestyle-fashion photographer,” Vandevelde describes his work as “colorful…energetic…vibrant”

Vandevelde’s portfolio includes campaigns for Lucky Brand Jeans, Lee Jeans, Billabong, and Tommy Hilfiger, and his work has also appeared in Pulp, Link, Hint, Cosmopolitan, and other publications. His signature is documenting the backstage at runway shows and speaking out against formulaic magazines whose editorials don’t let the personalities of the models shine through.

Interview with Vandevelde here.

Billabong Uses Indie Celebs for Promo

Rebecca Alexander, Editor May 23 at 12:37 | Comments

Next up on the collaboration trail are indie girls Cory Kennedy, Jenny Han, and Lisa Kline (above) for Billabong. Personally, Cory could not sell me anything, but Lisa is a hottie, and putting her in a bikini for Billabong is a really great marketing ploy. The funny part is that this is all for charity. Billabong has jumped onto the charity bandwagon when they realized that the only people that pay attention to their brand are twelve year old girls that shop at Pacific Sun. Now two years in the making, Design for Humanity is going strong this year benefiting the Surfrider Foundation. The entire collection will be available June 4th on ebay. Check out the website for more info.