Art Archives - Tony Ward Studio

The Allure of Latex: Transforming Contemporary Fashion and Markets

Beautiful asian woman modeling for Tony Ward wearing latex corset — Photo: Tony Ward, Copyright 2024

The Allure of Latex

Transforming Contemporary Fashion and Markets

Latex, once confined to niche subcultures and avant-garde fashion, has emerged as a material of choice for contemporary designers and luxury brands. Its distinctive sheen, sculptural properties, and undeniable sensual appeal have propelled it from fetish wear to the forefront of mainstream fashion. This evolution has significantly impacted fashion markets, carving out a unique space for latex in the broader industry.

In recent years, fashion icons and celebrities, such as Beyoncé, Kim Kardashian, and Lady Gaga, have embraced latex garments on red carpets and in music videos. High-end designers like Atsuko Kudo, known for her intricate latex couture, and Richard Quinn, who incorporates latex into his experimental designs, have further legitimized the material. Their work demonstrates latex’s versatility, from body-hugging dresses to bold outerwear.

Latex’s appeal lies in its ability to combine structure with fluidity, offering a second-skin aesthetic that emphasizes the human form. Unlike traditional textiles, it provides a glossy, futuristic look that aligns with contemporary tastes for bold and innovative fashion statements. Designers often pair latex with contrasting materials, such as silk or leather, to create dynamic visual effects.

As latex gains prominence, the market has expanded to accommodate a broader audience. Traditionally associated with custom designs, latex clothing is now more accessible through ready-to-wear collections. Fast fashion brands have begun experimenting with latex-inspired fabrics, providing a more affordable alternative for consumers who want the look without the hefty price tag.

The material’s popularity has also spurred advancements in production techniques, making latex garments more comfortable and durable. Innovations like chlorination—a chemical process that smooths the surface—have addressed issues of stickiness and difficulty in wearing. These developments have made latex more appealing to a wider demographic, from trend-conscious millennials to eco-aware Gen Z shoppers.

Despite its allure, latex poses challenges for designers and brands. Its production is labor-intensive, and natural latex, derived from rubber trees, raises concerns about sustainability and ethical sourcing. However, many brands are responding by adopting eco-friendly practices, such as using FSC-certified rubber and minimizing waste during production.

Latex’s association with body positivity and inclusivity has also contributed to its cultural relevance. By celebrating diverse body types and emphasizing the beauty of the human form, latex fashion resonates with contemporary values.

As fashion continues to evolve, latex is likely to remain a symbol of boundary-pushing creativity. Its impact extends beyond aesthetics, influencing market trends, consumer expectations, and even material science. With designers continually reimagining its potential, latex stands as a testament to fashion’s ability to transform the unconventional into the iconic.

In the modern era, where individuality and innovation are prized, latex serves as both a material and a metaphor for contemporary fashion’s bold, experimental spirit. Its rise from underground culture to mainstream acclaim underscores the dynamic interplay between design, technology, and cultural shifts, shaping the future of style.

Beautiful asian woman wearing full length latex cat suit — Photo: TonyWard, Copyright 2024

Skateboarding: From Sidewalks to Skate Parks

Venice Beach Skate Park Los Angeles California — Skate Park, Venice Beach. Photo: Tony Ward, Copyright 2024

From Sidewalks to Skate Parks

The History of Skateboarding and Its Evolution in Venice Beach

Skateboarding, a sport born from surfing’s spirit of rebellion and freedom, has traveled a remarkable journey from its humble beginnings in the 1950s to the cultural phenomenon we know today. Few places are as central to this journey as Venice Beach, California—a mecca for skateboarding culture and innovation. The story of skateboarding, and its evolution in Venice Beach, is a tale of creativity, persistence, and community.

Skateboarding began in California during the 1950s when surfers, looking for a way to replicate the sensation of riding waves on land, attached roller-skate wheels to wooden planks. Dubbed “sidewalk surfing,” the activity quickly gained traction, particularly in Southern California, where the laid-back surf culture thrived.

By the 1970s, advancements like urethane wheels and specialized boards transformed skateboarding into a legitimate sport. This era saw the rise of legendary figures such as the Zephyr Skate Team, or the “Z-Boys,” who hailed from the Venice Beach and Santa Monica area. Using the empty swimming pools of the drought-stricken region, they pioneered vert skating and pushed the limits of what was possible on a skateboard.

The Venice Beach skate park at dusk — Venice Beach Skate Park at Dusk. Photo: Tony Ward, Copyright 2024

Venice Beach, with its bohemian vibe and gritty streets, became the epicenter of skateboarding culture in the 1970s. The Z-Boys, led by icons like Tony Alva and Stacy Peralta, used the neighborhood’s urban landscape as their canvas, redefining skateboarding as not just a sport but an art form. Their influence helped popularize skateboarding globally, and Venice Beach became a pilgrimage site for skaters worldwide.

However, as skateboarding grew in popularity, challenges emerged. Public spaces once used for skating, like parking lots and empty pools, became harder to access due to legal restrictions and gentrification. By the late 1980s, skaters in Venice Beach were advocating for dedicated spaces where they could practice their craft without interference.

The journey to establish the Venice Beach Skate Park was a community-driven effort. Local skaters, activists, and community members united to demand a safe, legal space for skateboarding. Politicians, initially skeptical, eventually recognized the cultural and economic value of skateboarding in Venice Beach.

After years of lobbying and planning, the Venice Beach Skate Park was completed in 2009. Located steps from the Pacific Ocean, the 16,000-square-foot park features bowls, ramps, and rails that pay homage to the area’s skateboarding legacy. It was designed to echo the curves of the waves and the pools where the Z-Boys first made history.

Today, the Venice Beach Skate Park stands as a testament to the enduring spirit of skateboarding. It is a symbol of the sport’s evolution from counterculture activity to global phenomenon and a reminder of the power of community collaboration.

Skateboarding has come a long way from its origins, but Venice Beach remains its beating heart—a place where the art of motion, rebellion, and creativity continues to inspire future generations.

Scarves by Rashid: Winter Collection 2024-25

Commissioned Work: Scarves by Rashid

Roberto Rashid is a Philadelphia based scarf designer who commissioned me recently to photograph his winter scarf collection. We first met in 1974 when we lived in the same dorm at what was then Millersville State College, now Millersville University in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.. We got to know each other during our college days because we were on the same floor in Burroughs Hall and our dorm rooms were just a few yards away from each other. Jenx (nickname) as he was affectionately called was and still is a dapper character with exquisite taste. He was always well dressed even in college and for some that didn’t know him way back when he was one of the colleges DJ’s. Hearing Roberto’s distinctive and soothing voice on the school radio station and in the hallways at our dorm was reminiscent of the same kind of sounds I heard on the Philadelphia radio stations like WDAS fm in college. I thought he was destined to become a radio personality but fate would have it he turned to fashion, influenced by his mother working in the textile industry when he was a young man.

I didn’t have further contact with Roberto after college until a little over a year ago. We bumped into each other on June 12, 2023 at a Jeff Bradshaw album release party hosted by none other than Patty Jackson from WDASfm at a venue in Germantown. After the event we started following each other on social media. Roberto had become keenly aware of the collaborative work I’ve been producing with KVaughn, creative director and legendary scarf designer from Philly. When he called to engage me about photographing his winter scarf collection he made it clear he wanted still lives of the product only, no models. That was a distinction with a difference as I started to plan the shoot and construct a set that would make the shoot with Roberto unique.

In general, people mainly associate my work these days with portraiture as it relates to fashion and erotica, not so much product photography per se, so this was a welcome departure for sure. Roberto put his trust in me, and a pleasure to work with on set. Knowing his musical background, we listened to a variety of tracks to stimulate our collaboration including Mario Lanza, Miles Davis and some R&B mixed in as well played on vinyl.

To learn more about Scarves by Rashid, link here: https://scarvesbyrashid.biz

Contact us for your next shoot! Call: 267-475-0828 or email: Tony@TonyWard.com.

The Photo Review: Auction

The Photo Review is a critical journal of international scope and readership. Publishing since 1976, The Photo Review covers photography events throughout the country and serves as a central resource for the Mid-Atlantic region. With incisive reviews, exciting portfolios, lively interviews, the latest in books and exhibitions, The Photo Review biannual journal has earned a reputation as one of the best serious photography publications being produced today. Our writers — including A.D. Coleman, Stephen Perloff, Shelley Rice, Peter Hay Halpert, Barbara L. Michaels, Jean Dykstra, and Mark Power — have weighed in on subjects as varied as the posthumous publication of work by Diane Arbus, women in photography, the growth of digital media, the historical movement from Pictorialism into Modernism, etc., etc. In his ongoing series, “The Censorship Diaries,” Editor Stephen Perloff was in the forefront in covering the controversy over funding for the NEA and censorship of the arts.

The Photo Review has earned a reputation for lucid and incisive writing aimed at an intelligent and informed audience, but free of the cant and jargon that infects much contemporary writing about art. Thus, both arts publications and the popular press have looked to us for interpretations of what’s happening on the photography scene. Articles have been reprinted in such publications as Afterimage, To, Photography in New York, American Photo, and others.

Editor Stephen Perloff, a respected writer, educator and photographer, has been interviewed for The New York Times, The Toronto Globe & Mail, The Wall Street Journal, the Philadelphia Inquirer, Photo District News, and the New York Observer. He has received two critic’s fellowships from the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts and the Colin Ford Award for Curatorship from the Royal Photographic Society.

Tony Ward's portrait of four fetish models for famous Wasteland Poster 2005 — Wasteland. Photo: Tony Ward, Copyright 2024. Available at Auction on October 26, 2024.

Beauty at a Cost: The Dark Side of the Modeling World

Portrait of young asian woman looking very thin like anorexia — Photo: Tony Ward, Copyright 2024

Beauty at a Cost: The Dark Side of the Modeling World

The modeling industry has long been associated with glamour, beauty, and the pursuit of perfection. From the runway to glossy magazine covers, models are celebrated for their ability to embody an ideal of elegance and allure. But beneath the surface of this high-profile industry lies a disturbing reality: the pervasive pressure on models to lose weight, often to dangerous extremes, leading to the onset of eating disorders such as anorexia.

For decades, the fashion industry has promoted a narrow standard of beauty that equates thinness with desirability. Models are often expected to maintain an extremely slender physique, which many fashion houses and agencies believe complements their clothing designs and appeals to the industry’s aesthetic sensibilities. As a result, models—particularly women—face relentless pressure to stay slim, sometimes to an unhealthy degree. While the fashion world publicly touts its commitment to diversity and body positivity in recent years, the deep-seated demands for ultra-thinness persist in many corners of the industry.

The pressure to conform to these standards can have devastating consequences. Many models resort to extreme dieting, exercise, and even dangerous practices such as starvation or the use of appetite suppressants to achieve and maintain the desired weight. In some cases, agencies and designers directly encourage or even force models to lose weight, placing their careers on the line if they don’t comply. The relentless pursuit of a certain body type can lead to a host of physical and psychological issues, with one of the most severe being anorexia nervosa.

Anorexia, an eating disorder characterized by an intense fear of gaining weight and a distorted body image, affects many individuals in the modeling industry. The condition is marked by extreme food restriction, leading to significant weight loss and severe health risks. Those suffering from anorexia often experience a range of complications, including malnutrition, weakened immune systems, bone density loss, cardiovascular problems, and in some cases, death. Mentally, the disorder can lead to anxiety, depression, and a pervasive sense of inadequacy, as individuals struggle to meet the industry’s unattainable standards.

The fashion industry’s fixation on thinness has drawn widespread criticism in recent years, with many advocates calling for systemic change to protect models’ health and well-being. Some countries have even introduced legislation to combat the issue. In France, for example, a 2015 law requires models to present a medical certificate attesting to their health, and digitally altered images in advertising must be labeled as such. These measures aim to reduce the glorification of dangerously thin bodies and promote a healthier, more realistic portrayal of beauty.

However, these efforts are only part of the solution. Changing the culture within the modeling industry requires a fundamental shift in how beauty is defined and represented. Designers, agencies, and media outlets must embrace a broader spectrum of body types and promote a healthier, more inclusive vision of beauty. This includes valuing models of different shapes, sizes, and ethnicities, and rejecting the harmful notion that extreme thinness is synonymous with attractiveness or professionalism.

The industry also needs to provide better support for models who are struggling with eating disorders or the pressure to lose weight. This includes offering mental health resources, promoting body-positive initiatives, and fostering environments where models are valued for their individuality and talent, rather than their adherence to unrealistic body ideals.

Ultimately, the issue of forced weight loss and anorexia in the modeling world is not just a problem for the individuals affected—it reflects broader societal pressures around body image and beauty standards. As the fashion industry evolves, it has the power and responsibility to lead the way in promoting a healthier, more diverse definition of beauty—one that celebrates all body types and prioritizes the well-being of its models.

Only by addressing these deep-rooted issues can the modeling industry move forward into a future where health, confidence, and true beauty reign supreme.