Alber Elbaz, the humble and bubbly artistic director of Lanvin has been at the helm of the French fashion house since 2001. Often a red-carpet favourite and hailed for his alternative approach to dressing women, the designer often shuns the technological developments that are now a driving force of forecasting trends and staying up to date – instead Elbaz is content to be without an email address or any social media presence.

Regardless, the rise of digital media is influencing designers – as image is a core component of their profession, with stars constantly photographed, its vital that the designer’s collections or particular garments photograph well. Fashion and the luxury sector are under the constraint of the image, with the screen often acting as a second critic at times imbalanced with reality, what looks good on the screen is not necessarily going to look good or feel comfortable on the body.

The photo exhibition takes viewers inside Elbaz’s fittings and backstage at the Lanvin runway shows, showcasing the beauty of Lanvin’s designs. A first for the fashion house, the exhibit features over 350 snapshots from photographers including But Sou Lai, Mark Leibowitz, Katy Reiss, James Bort, Juliette Da Cunha and Alex Koo whose images reflect a passion for fashion.

To understand the spirit of the exhibition, which has been labelled as an introspective exhibit as it exposes the viewer to the inner-workings of the design ‘machine’ that is Elbaz who sums it up nicely, “in this digital age, we live through our screens, documenting the moment. We no longer look; we film. We no longer listen; we tape. And we no longer talk; we post.”

See the gallery below for our favourite images from the exhibit: 

Alber Elbaz / Lanvin / Manifesto
Date: September 9 to October 31, 2015
Time: Wednesday to Sunday, 11:00am to 8:00pm
Venue: Maison Européenne de la Photographie, 5/7 Rue de Fourcy, 75004 Paris