British fashion and culture magazine The Face has appointed Christopher Simmonds as its creative director.
One of the most celebrated art directors working in the industry today, Simmonds is best known for working with Gucci creative director Alessandro Michele on reviving the brand by building an distinctive visual language from 2015 till today.
Prior to that, he was the creative director at Dazed and Confused for six years. Via his own agency, Simmonds Ltd., founded in 2009, he has also worked with Balenciaga, Dior, Givenchy, Diesel and JW Anderson.
Matthew Whitehouse, editor of The Face, said: “From our first conversations, it was clear that Chris shared a love for The Face and the communicative power of print, generally. He brought with him a sense of humor and irreverence that has always been an important part of what we do. And it felt exciting, three years into relaunch, to have a fresh pair of eyes probing, questioning and being excited with us.”
Dan Flower, the magazine’s managing director, believes that with Simmonds, The Face will be able to “continue to elevate its storytelling in new and innovative ways across print and digital,” and to “capture the ‘now’ in the most visually impactful way possible.”
Christopher Simmonds
Courtesy
Commenting on his new post, Simmonds revealed that it was a 1997 issue of The Face, where Karen Elson shot by Luis Sanchis fronted the cover, inspired him to become an art director.
“Now, 25 years later, it is an honor to be tasked with helping continue that legacy and I hope that somewhere out there, someone is as enthralled with what the whole team will create, as I was all those years ago,” he said.
“Plans for the future involve celebrating new talent, as well as a few surprises from the past. Magazines always feel as if their structure is predetermined from an age gone by; a rigid front, middle and back. I’m hoping to bring a new chaos to the proceedings and for people to enjoy a looser, freer exploration of what The Face can be,” he added.
