Julia Fox poses with her chic Italian Greyhound, Tika, at the Puppets and Puppets Spring/Summer 2024 show during New York Fashion Week. Photo by Dan Bassini
According to CNN
This renowned photographer from New Jersey has been deftly infiltrating fashion shows for nearly ten years without official invitations, shooting New York Fashion Week and street style during the pauses between guest lineups. His work is often focused on quick, intimate moments away from the big press cameras, which gives his approach its distinctive character.
He often appears at public venues alongside stars such as Heidi Klum, Doja Cat, and Dove Cameron, but at the same time he slips doors into rooms unaccredited – that’s how a reporter met him during Elena Velez’s show last year. Another tale says he managed to get backstage during Anna Wintour’s famous haircut at the Coach show.
“The best way to get into a fashion show is to be confident and friendly.”
“I never really broke the law to get in – I never crawled through a bathroom window,” he joked during a video call. He also mentioned that sometimes he enters through side doors left open, or adapts to the flow of people near the entrance and quietly blends into the VIP crowd.
“I never really broke the law to get in – I never crawled through a bathroom window.”
“Probably I look like the backstage staff in most situations, but I try to be as unobtrusive as possible to get in there. I will never be regarded as some high-fashion influencer.”
“In such situations, kindness is far stronger than arrogance.”
Since 2017 Basini has been releasing selections of shots in the zine series No Invite – the latest issue No. 12 this summer with an exhibition in the SoHo district of New York. His milieu is fast, usually staged portraits, which stand out for their intimacy of portrayal compared with runway-season photos for wire services.
The photographer loves working with compact cameras – mainly the Yashica T4 or Contax T2, which are easy to hide in a pocket, but they provoke nostalgic reactions from models and actors. For example, Jemima Kirke once asked him how to fix her Polaroid film while waiting for a car near Puppets and Puppets, while Heidi Klum found time to talk about the experience of developing film in a lab.
During the Carolina Herrera show in 2023 at The Plaza, actress Melissa Barrera approached him after an interview: “I think I might be in trouble? What’s going on here?” he recalls. Now Basini travels with a team of fellow photographers who shoot and share information about each show through chats and spreadsheets; however, he does not turn down the chance to disappear if he finds a way to get inside.
His first NYFW experience in 2016 was without connections – back then events were mostly held at Skylight Clarkson Square near the West Side Highway, while today the program is spread across various venues. Since then he has learned to read the atmosphere of events and to create intimate portraits that quietly converse with the subjects.
When Shoots Turn into Empathy
Despite the impressive number of star portraits, Basini says he shoots not for fame but for attitude and style. In his work, unfamiliar guests often appear whose faces remain a mystery, and frames of Zendaya or Natasha Lyonne sometimes do not make the final cut. He admits that he delights when after a shoot guests use his portraits as photos for social networks. This happened with Alexa Chung, who for years has posted his portraits on Instagram.
“She never followed my profile, – he smiles, – but that’s fine, because shooting people for their passion for style is what matters most.”
Now Basini aims to preserve the dynamism of the fashion world: for him, fame is not the point, but humanity and respect for the subjects. His stories and portraits demonstrate that the art of infiltrating shows can be an ethical practice if approached with a considerate manner and treating people with respect.
Overall, this photographer from New Jersey proves that creativity can thrive even within the boundaries of rules if the approach to people is sincere, friendly, and professional. His path inspires young artists to respect the space of fashion and to value the art of shooting where it is born – on the runway, backstage, and on the streets that grace glossy magazines.
