Victoria Ellison

Year of birth: December 1992.
Where do you live: Christchurch, New Zealand.
Your education: Advanced Diploma in Fine Arts – majoring in Photography and Digital Surrealism.
Describe your art in three words: Moody, Vibrant, Editorial OR Retro-California-Street-Style which is how a friend has described my work haha.
Your discipline: My discipline is primarily Photography.
Website | Instagram

What inspired you to focus on capturing high-fashion/editorial looks with second-hand clothing?

My friend Cathryn approached me with the idea to shoot at a local secondhand store called Nifty, utilizing clothing pieces from there to style and create looks that have a sense of individuality and purpose through re-purposing pre-loved pieces. Cathryn also at the time owned her own thrifting business called Wasted Threads and was crucial to styling and then modeling the pieces we chose to showcase.

Can you walk us through your creative process when you’re styling and photographing a thrifted piece?

The creative process was a collaborative one with Cathryn and I both roaming the thrift store to find pieces we were both drawn to and could see fitting the brief of pre-loved but make it high-end fashion. We would then come together with the pieces and try to locate accessories that would amplify the look further. When I’m photographing clothing pieces, I’m looking for points of interest—textures, fabrics, prints—anything that can be interesting or can create an interesting look or convey a feeling or vibe when looking at the final image.

Victoria Ellison | Nifty | 2023

How does the environment of a thrift store influence the way you approach a shoot?

When it comes to set spaces where you can’t move too many things around, I try to look for the interesting parts of the space, things that can add to or enhance the scene or help to carve out the narrative of the story we are telling. Because we were in a thrift store and the idea was to showcase thrifted pieces with varying textures, patterns, designs and make them look high-end, we were able to utilize the racks, changing rooms, and objects within the space to use as our mini sets. Nifty has also done a great job of tailoring the space from the paint, art, decor, etc., to the furniture and placement of racks—the charm of these elements helped carry through the chic/high-end aesthetic. Shooting in an environment you can’t change but has so many elements to pull from leans into the art of randomness and creates adaptability and innovation by challenging the viewer to think outside the box and work over and above the limitations, whether they be space, lighting, or otherwise.

What challenges do you face when combining the aesthetic of high-fashion with second-hand items?

It can be time-consuming locating pieces that fit the high-fashion standard—they could be damaged/poor condition, you might not find the pieces you are looking for, or it could even take a few goes at layering pieces you have found together to get the look desired. I was very lucky to work with Cathryn as she was not only the model and co-collaborator, but she also has a keen eye for what works and what looks good together. We were able to bounce ideas off one another as well and decided to just have fun with it, pick out things that caught our eye, and play around. We wanted to show that secondhand fashion can look luxury, bold, fun, elevated, and even like it could hit the runway at any time—the fashion industry is ever-changing, and you don’t have to follow trends to the letter. Further to this, sustainability is becoming more and more important to people, and the stigma around secondhand clothing is slowly waning—there are some people who still view secondhand clothing as less desirable or valuable, but within the thrift store walls, there are clothing pieces of varying sizes, cuts, styles, designs, and materials.

Victoria Ellison | Nifty | 2023

Is there a specific message or theme you aim to convey through your work with thrifted fashion?

When working with thrifted fashion, the message or theme often revolves around sustainability, individuality, and the beauty of secondhand style. By choosing thrifted items, the focus shifts to reducing waste, reusing resources, and minimizing the environmental impact of the fashion industry. Thrifted fashion challenges the concept of fast fashion, promoting the idea that style doesn’t have to come at the expense of the planet. It’s also possible to make conscious choices without sacrificing personal style. Thrifted fashion also has a history to it, often rooted in styles of previous decades—good fashion doesn’t have to have an expiry date, and older pieces are valuable not just for their sustainability but for their historical and aesthetic worth. The personalization of thrifted pieces also helps individuals create their own unique style to cultivate a look that’s truly their own, which is often harder to achieve with mass-produced pieces and mainstream trends.

How do you choose the models for your photoshoots, and what role do they play in bringing your vision to life?

I don’t really have a process when it comes to working with people—I tend to gravitate towards like-minded creatives who have a similar vibe to myself, people who like to have fun, and people you can get lost in the creative process with, amassing ideas upon ideas and then playing with those ideas, fleshing them out but also understanding you can’t control the whole thing and allowing ideas to grow past the brief. It’s important to me that projects such as this one are of a collaborative nature—no specific person is in charge, but both parties contribute to making the vision come to life.

Victoria Ellison | Nifty | 2023

What role do you think fashion and sustainability play in the art of photography today?

Fashion photography has always been a form of artistic expression, often following the changes to fashion over the decades, documenting and noting down changes such as length to silhouette, grandeur to rebellion, and now fast fashion vs. sustainable. Fashion is becoming more than just trends—it reflects social movements, identity, and individuality, and with rising environmental concerns, it’s also becoming about sustainable fashion. People want to know where their clothing is coming from, that it’s going to last, that it’s ethical, and that people are being paid a fair wage. Photographers have the opportunity to document these changes and tell the stories that need to be told, bringing attention to environmental issues, conservation, the impact of consumerism, and highlighting the importance of sustainability through impactful visuals. In today’s world, a photograph can quickly go viral, making it a powerful tool for influencing public perception—photographers who focus on sustainability can help shift the narrative around consumer behavior and advocate for social change.