Chris Moore Retrospective at the London College of Fashion

Chris Moore is the most accomplished and talented catwalk photographer this country has ever produced and if you can get to the London College of Fashion before December 21st 2007, do not miss the opportunity to gain a magical insight into the world of fashion shows.

Moore was born in the Newcastle Upon Tyne in 1934 and his father was a butcher by trade. During the economic depression in the 1930s, when Chris was just three years old, his dad was forced to close his shop and move the family down south where they settled just outside London in Chadwell Heath. He went to his local comprehensive and left school at 16. Chris told us that his dad really wanted him to get a job which would require membership of the Print Union, which would afford his son some economic protection. He arranged for Chris to have an interview in a print studio, "only it turned out to be a photographic studio," says Chris, "and there was no union!" After a year working there, Chris aged just 17 got a job with Vogue Studios. He has been covering Fashion Weeks for 80 seasons straight - somehow Chris' studio and the London College of Fashion together managed to select just 60 prints to be included in this retrospective.

There is a glass cabinet showcasing important artifacts from Chris' career including his first ever Apple Mac (Mac Power Book 180c), film reels, press passes, contact sheets and Nikon cameras. Remarkably, this self-taught talent has never had a problem adapting to new technology - he has in fact embraced technological changes with a passion. Chris launched his website www.catwalking.com in 2000 and through it has established a hugely successful online service. He is still one of the most hard-grafting photographers at London Fashion Week and he doesn't just stick to the 'safe' shows by established fashion designers showing on-schedule. Mr Moore has a genuine drive and is brave enough to leave the fashion pack to occasionally seek out off-schedule shows by relatively unknown designers.

This retrospective spans 40 years and includes shots taken back in the days when photographers would travel to Paris to photograph the house models whom they paid directly, as well as Karl Lagerfeld's Chanel debut in 1983, Pierre Cardin from 1968 and a totally mesmerising shot of a young Yves St Laurent facing his audience. Most of Chris' shots which get published are full-length outfit images, taken at the end of the catwalk, as these are deemed most appropriate for glossy fashion magazine documenting trends. Here, however, we gain a glimpse of the breadth and depth of Mr Moore's capabilities and unique eye. Some of these portraits are haunting, others gently reveal the intimacy of couture shows and significant talents (Hussein Chalayan, Alexander McQueen, Gianni Versace, Issy and Detmar Blow) are included.

Chris has donated a series of signed limited edition prints which are on sale priced £300-£450 and all of the proceeds are going to help London College of Fashion students. The exhibition however is entirely free and anyone with a serious interest in fashion photography really should see it. The only shortcoming is that 60 images doesn't seem enough. Chris has recently bought a church in Northumberland to house his archive - let's pray he can show a much larger exhibition soon and commit some his work to a dedicated Chris Moore book, it's long overdue.

Words: Marian Buckley

Chris Moore: A Retrospective is at The London College of Fashion, Fashion Space Gallery, John Princes Street until December 21st 2007. Monday-Friday 10pm-5pm. To enquire about purchasing prints please email

Photo © Chris Moore