Gucci Autumn/Winter 1995 advertising campaign | Photo: Mario Testino

Gucci Spring/Summer 2003 advertising campaign | Photo: Mario Testino Some of his Gucci images included fellow VOICES speaker Amber Valletta, but none were as controversial as the 2003 Gucci campaign starring Louise Pederesen holding her underwear aside to expose 'G' (for Gucci) shaved into her pubic hair, while a man kneels in front of her. Testino's collaboration with then Gucci designer Tom Ford and stylist Carine Roitfeld defined the fashion aesthetic of the time. Madonna for Atelier Versace 1995 | Photo: Mario Testino But a beautiful photograph with a name is worth more,” said Testino. “I realised that a beautiful photograph is worth so much. Unlike his previous commercial work, the widely distributed ads prominently featured his last name alongside those of Versace and Madonna, helping to turn him into a well-known brand. In 1995, Testino photographed an almost makeup-free Madonna for a Versace campaign, an aesthetic departure from the done-up look of the time. When he proposed to change Princess Diana’s hair for a 1987 shoot for Vanity Fair, she agreed, resulting in one of the most memorable magazine covers of all time.ĭiana, Princess of Wales for Vanity Fair 1997 | Photo: Mario Testino Diana, Princess of Wales for Vanity Fair 1997 | Photo: Mario Testinoĭiana, Princess of Wales for Vanity Fair 1997 | Photo: Mario Testino

“To be a good photographer you need to be obsessed with your subjects,” said Testino, who has the unique ability to make supermodels and celebrities alike feel at ease in front of his lens. But over the course of a 40-year career, the lensman has earned a place in the pantheon of the world’s top image-makers. Testino, who studied economics and law in Lima before coming to London in 1976, became a photographer by “pure chance,” he said. It should make people want to leave their house and go to the store. 'I see fashion photography as a business,' he said. OXFORDSHIRE, United Kingdom - The day after receiving BoF's new Global VOICES award for outstanding achievement in fashion and exemplary impact on the wider world at a gala held in his honour, the Peruvian super-photographer Mario Testino took the stage to discuss his work, seen through 10 iconic images, many of which reflected his uncanny ability to marry art and commerce.

Mario Testino by Mario Testino