After arriving in Down Town Los Angeles to shoot a documentary, French photographer Géraldine Freyeisen found herself enamored with the precarious community know as Skid. No stranger to collaborating with the homeless and disadvantaged do to her mothers community work, she found her self falling in love with the people that call Skid Row home. She was so intrigued with their colorful, lost and found, street style that she now has featured them on a website called Swagabonds and plans to work with them in designing a one of a kind fashion line with the same name.
Looking through her Swagabonds series I think it's clear that she is has taken a street photography approach to the project. Freyeisen has used only ambient lighting, no extra flashes or lights. Most of the photos are taken portrait as to really show the entire outfit. Most of her subjects are men, due to the fact that most women dress a bit more reserved on Skid Row due to the prevailent violence in the community.
This series really caught my attention because this is akin to what I do myself. Though not on Skid Row, I can appreciate the fashion sense of people from all walks of life. I think although a simple project it says a lot, one being that some of the most creative thinking and avant garde ensembles come from those with the least to work with. The majority of the clothing seen in Swagabonds are hand-me-downs, Lost and found, thrifted and so on. It's great to see the beauty in a community not necessarily regarded as beautiful at all.
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