Kevin Amato is a New York based photographer and an influential fashion insider. His photographs celebrate the faces of the Bronx—his local neighborhood—and explore the interplay between high fashion and street culture. Published by Phaidon, The Importants is Amato’s first internationally published book and features over 200 of his tender and provocative photographs.
Amato’s work evokes a lineage of photographers before him, including Nan Goldin, Larry Clark, and Ryan McGinley. By challenging the traditional notions of what constitutes beauty and fashion today, Amato reflects the spirit and concerns of contemporary youth. He describes the Bronx and the young people he discovers there as “pure, uninhibited and overlooked”, representing diversity and inclusivity. Amato calls his subjects “The Importants”—the people who too often are underrepresented in both popular culture and especially the fashion industry.
The Importants mixes lesser-known faces alongside the better known – from Travis Scott to Omarion, Chris Brown and A$AP Ferg. The book includes an introduction by Alix Browne, features director at W magazine, and a personal reflection on Amato’s relevance from fashion designer, Rick Owens.
Curator and editor Neville Wakefield says: “Kevin Amato has literally changed the face of fashion. By finding Paris in the Bronx”, where the majority of his photography is done, “he asserts the energy and voice of a generation for whom fashion is truly the crossroad of identity, music and art.”
Kevin Amato, The Importants
Published by Phaidon
£29.95 / €45
