Cascade

Story by Isabel Spantzel

Cascade is a story created by a team of Berlin-based artists in collaboration with Berlin designers. In this interview, we speak with Isabel Spantzel, a fine art and fashion photographer, about the concept, symbolism chosen to support the narrative, and work on set. The story's main theme revolves around long braids, which also become a symbol of feminine energy and strength. The idea to use hair as the central visual element came to Isabel and Mickael, a hair artist, during one of their previous collaborations. Isabel’s interest in fairy tales and mysticism added an angle of interpretation to the story in connection to the symbolic side of hair. Isabel describes her fascination with mythology, “Being interested in fairy tales and mythology, I am always intrigued by the idea of capturing the mysterious and mystical sides of my subjects and imagining them into an ethereal sphere.” 

The stylist, Sophie Giannoules, and the makeup artist, Leo Stern, crafted a unique way to create the character and emphasize the mystical element, using dream-like garments and a definitive look. The soft light and Melanie Köhler’s appearance, ranging from a nymph look to powerful postures, along with one of the frames referencing the sphinx pose in Yoga practice that is known for encouraging self-acceptance. The use of Polaroids adds to the feeling of the world beyond, emerging before the eyes of the team, who gradually see the results on set, and the viewers, who enjoy the aesthetics and the different way the colors emerge in a frame.  

Photography by Isabel Spantzel Stylist Sophie Giannoules represented by collectiveinterest part of WÜL Collective Hair by Mickael Ambrosino Make-Up by Leo Stern Talent Melanie Köhler represented by MIRRRS MODELS

Designers Credits:
Sarah Spenner Lion Busch Niklas Steinmetz Nele Westerkowsky Frieda kamphues Laura Gerte Made Extreme

Brand Credits:
Jimmy Choo Roberto Cavalli

Words by Nastasia Khmelnitski

‘Cascade is a visual narrative that delves into themes of mysticism, strength, beauty, and resilience, presenting the character through a feminine gaze.’

Built upon a deep fascination with the symbolic significance of long hair, Cascade is a visual narrative that delves into themes of mysticism, strength, beauty, and resilience, presenting the character through a feminine gaze. The first spark of inspiration came from a conversation between Mickael and myself when working together on set of a previous shoot that we had also collaborated on. We were drawn to the idea of working with hair, especially with length, creating visual compositions, shapes, and movement as well as exploring its symbolic side. Being interested in fairy tales and mythology, I am always intrigued by the idea of capturing the mysterious and mystical sides of my subjects and imagining them into an ethereal sphere. Some believe that hair holds memories, thus signifying strength, as our experiences, particularly the challenging ones, contribute to our resilience. Long hair also symbolizes heightened awareness and intuition. The elongated braid represents a sacred thread, intertwining of the mundane and mystical, connecting with the unseen forces that shape our lives.

‘We found that embracing constraints and working with them rather than against them ignited innovation and led to unexpected results.’

As a team of young creatives, we were navigating the challenge of working on something special while having limited resources. However, we found that embracing constraints and working with them rather than against them ignited innovation and led to unexpected results. Additionally, it was important to us to support young Berlin-based designers by incorporating their garments, carefully selected by our stylist, Sophie.

I like combining digital photography with the use of Polaroid pictures in my work because I feel that they add a sense of magic. There is this almost mystical quality to the way a photo gradually materializes before your eyes. The unpredictability of the development process, and the emergence of sometimes unexpected colors or textures creates unforeseen results speaking about the inherent beauty of imperfection.

‘I find that the beauty of fashion photography lies in collaboration: working together on an idea, embracing spontaneity on set, and allowing things to unfold naturally.’

From the very beginning, there has been a subtle thematic element of inspiration inherent to the idea of working with long hair. It provided the opportunity for interpretation and artistic exploration and sparked a conversation between the different creative expressions of the team members.

Our aim was to expand on this theme together and develop a visual language for the story. I find that the beauty of fashion photography lies in collaboration: working together on an idea, embracing spontaneity on set, and allowing things to unfold naturally. Building the aesthetics of the story revolved around crafting a visual language that harmonized delicate, ethereal, and fairytale-like qualities with a more powerful energy within the images.

It was also about transferring the magical essence from the hair to the styling, with the garments taking on their own movement and shape, complementing the movement of the hair. The use of soft light allowed us to focus on capturing intricate details and adding to the overall atmosphere of the story.