A Beautiful Mind

New York-based photographer, curator, model and muse to Gucci’s Alessandro Michele, Petra Collins has captured the hearts of the art and fashion worlds with her unique style and colourful explorations of femininity. With a new book, Coming Of Age, out this month, she lets us step into her world

- Genevra Leek

AS A TEENAGER, I WAS ALWAYS FIGURING OUT A WAY TO REDEFINE FEMININITY. A big part of that was using classic imagery to create and subvert new imagery. I’ve always been fascinated with what we think and what we see as feminine. It’s something that’s fluid, undefined and multidimensional. It’s not just something pink or makeup or one body type. So, for me, it’s almost kind of nothing and everything at once.

I DID BALLET FROM A YOUNG AGE and I was always obsessed with costumes and how they moved. That’s sort of bled into my real life where I really look for things that are fun and expressive. The clothing my subjects wear is very important – it dictates how the whole image is perceived.