Instagram Takeover – Charlotte James & Clémentine Schneidermann

The Valleys of South Wales are amongst the most socially and economically deprived areas in Europe, considered by many a byword for destitution and regression. It’s Called Ffasiwn doesn’t deny this, neither does it use the landscape simply as scenery – it wants to change how outsiders see the Valleys. The project is the joint work of Welsh creative director Charlotte James and French photographer Clémentine Schneidermann who, together with various youth groups around the Valleys, organised fashion workshops, teaching practical skills such as sewing and styling, and turned the estates into catwalks.

James is a Creative Director living and working in her hometown of Merthyr Tydfil, Wales. Since 2014 she has collaborated with family, friends, and locals to produce campaigns and shoots for Ace & Tate, Helmut Lang, SSAW, and Twin Magazine. Schneidermann has been living and working in south Wales since 2012. She completed an MA in documentary photography in 2014, and in 2018, published I Called her Lisa Marie, documenting a subculture of Welsh Elvis Presley fans.

James & Schneidermann are taking over @paperjournalmag from today until the 14th of October. Follow them @_charlottejames_ and @clementine.schneidermann.