We had the pleasure of chatting with the incredible French photographer and director Alexi Pavlov @alexipav, who stands out for his incredible style, his crazy haircuts, and, of course, his infinite talent as a photographer and director. In this interview, he tells us more about his origins with photography, how the idea of creating those hairstyles came up and how he loves to express his creativity through his body.
Vanity Teen: First of all, could you tell us more about yourself?
Alexi Pavlov: So my name is Alexi Pavlov, I’m from France and I am currently living in Paris. I’m 23 years old and I’m a photographer and director.
VT: What’s your personal story with photography? How did you start being interested in this medium?
AP: I started doing photos five years ago. A friend of mine was a photographer and we did a photoshoot together for my sneakers. I fell in love with the final result and that was the moment when I realized that I wanted to do some photos too!
VT: What I sense from your photos is that you have a very strong style and gorgeous aesthetics. How did you find your style?
AP: So I guess I have tried many different styles before finding mine. But I was really inspired by the US culture and the ’90s hip hop vibes. I really find those aesthetics when I went to L. A. all by myself for three months. But I will keep trying new stuff, new techniques because I guess art has no limit.
VT: Your hair cuts have also caught my eye as they look really good. What made you cut and dye your hair like this?
AP: First of all, I’ve always loved fashion and working with my own body through tattoos and hair cuts for example. My hairdresser Antonio is super talented and together we do amazing stuff! I like to stand out! And yes, I just love to express my creativity through my body.
VT: Could you tell us a little bit more about your style regarding the types of clothing you prefer to wear yourself and to see others wearing while you photograph them?
AP: I love vintage clothes. 90% of my clothes are from the USA thrift shop and when I do a photoshoot, I like to bring the model to a thrift shop before shooting! I feel like you can really find really unique pieces out there! My style is mainly inspired by hip-hop culture but I also love luxury fashion!
VT: What’s your favorite part of your job? What do you like the most about it?
AP: I like the fact that every day is a different day! I work with so many different people and so many different energies! But I have to say that my favorite part of the job is working on campaigns, I love working on big projects, I like working with my team, my assistants, the production team, the stylist, decorator, the creative and it goes even further! There is a sentence that I love “alone we go faster but with many, we go further.”
VT: To conclude, which has been the best piece of advice anyone has given you? And what advice would you give to our readers?
AP: Once I met the French rapper Nekfeu he told me that if I wanted to succeed I would need to work every day and “don’t stay on your laurels.” And the best advice I would give is: keep creating, keep being super creative even if people don’t believe in yourself! And the most important thing is to believe in yourself because if you don’t, no one is going to do it for you!
Alexi Pavlov @alexipav in conversation with Adrian Gomis @adriange_, exclusively for Vanity Teen online!
