The indistinguishable and individualistic Patti Wilson will be honored with this year’s Media Award in honor of Eugenia Sheppard.
Beyoncé, Cher, Lizzo, Precious Lee, Shalom Harlow, and Linda Evangelista are among the talents Wilson has worked with, and that’s just of late.
Style is not Wilson’s only trade. She is also a fashion consultant and acts as the Senior Contributing Editor for Fashion at Dazed magazine, a position she held last year.
His portfolio, of course, is extensive after years of capturing some of the most influential celebrities, models and style makers. Wilson is recognized by the CFDA for decades of work with fashion publications, including Vogue Italia, V Magazine, Elle, Vanity Fair and iD Magazine. Wilson has also recently worked with emerging designers LaQuan Smith and Dion Lee to showcase their respective spring collections and has a history with many established designers.
Wilson, a New Yorker, like the city she calls home, is known for being provocative and progressive. Undaunted in her approach, she conveys a certain liveliness and raw sexuality through her work. During his career, he has worked with leading photographers including Steven Meisel, Steven Klein, Mert Alas and Marcus Piggott of Mert + Marcus, Ryan McGinley, Inez van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin of Inez + Vinoodh, Solve Sundsbo, Sarah Moon, David LaChapelle and The latest glasses Peter Lindbergh and Patrick Demarchelier.
However, Wilson does not work exclusively with established photographers and has made a point of working with emerging talent including Ethan James Green, Hugo Comte, Michael Bailey Gates, John Edmonds, Renell Medrano, Micaiah Carter, Cruz Valdez and Quil Lemons.
Musicians, actors, and other notable personalities have chosen Wilson for a variety of projects, including music videos, editorial and publicity shoots, album covers, and more. Through her inventiveness, Wilson has helped portray such celebrities as Grimes, Doja Cat, Sean “P. Diddy” Combs, Janet Jackson, Billie Eilish, Lady Gaga, Selena Gomez, Rosalía, Pink, Kim Kardashian, Zayn Malik, Rita Ora and Selena Gomez.
Wilson reportedly started out simply by being herself. While she was working in a jazz club years ago, a photographer was struck by her personal style and asked if she could wear it for photo shoots. That fluke provided the start for her, but Wilson’s work ethic, open mind and sense of style have set her apart in a competitive field.
Referring to a “Mad Magic Magnificent” shoot with Klein for Italian Vogue in 2014, Wilson said in an interview earlier this year: “It was crazy, and so unbelievable, that when it came out people were like, ‘This is history.’ That’s when I realized that people really like to see something different, some emotion, masks, glamour, weirdness, I was never much of a minimalist, I can do minimalism very well, but I have to wrap my head [around it] and there has to be a reason.