From tooth-colored gems to flat caps, take a look at the fashion of London’s car boot sales community.
It’s the little particulars of people’s individual style that always captivated Photographer Arthur Comley. The sparkles that are on their teeth the way they’ve styled their jeans or how they’ve put on their trainers. Arthur is drawn to these distinctive signs of fashion, and it was logical for him to record the uniqueness of a particular society and a culture in which people were prone to an emphasis on visual expression. In the end, he was being absorbed in the diverse and diverse scene in south east London’s boot sale, which is now the focus of his forthcoming zine PS1 Entry.
The subject matter was completely unexpected for the photographer, since the photographer has been going to car boot sales since his youth. “I always thought of the bootlegs with knock-offs and purchasing an BB gun, even though I should not have,” he recalls. “And later on, when I lived in Peckham everybody would go there and you’d run into people who were hungover on a Saturday.” The most memorable was, however, the boot sale that took place right next to Arthur’s studio every weekend, giving him an abundance of opportunity and motivation.
Growing living in South East London, Arthur then went on to study commercial photography while at Arts University Bournemouth. The first time he got an knowledge of the industry by accident, when he was asked for the role by Jamie Hawkesworth to model for an article for Arena Homme. “I was fascinated by his work back then”, Arthur adds. He was able to model for a variety of actors, including Campbell Addy, Tim Walker, Jurgen Teller, Tom Johnson and Nadia Lee Cohen. “It was an enormous learning curve to look what was happening behind the lens and see the work of these photographers to know the way a set was constructed and what was involved in every shooting” Arthur reflects. Then, Arthur went on to help out in studios throughout London before establishing his own business.
The main focus of the PS1 entry was about contacting individuals who drew the attention of Arthur during the boot sales. This was no simple job, but one Arthur says he was able to adapt to swiftly. “I believe that for every project, you must immerse yourself in the project, and then quickly strangers turn into people you meet on a regular basis,” Arthur outlines. One of them was Gerald the character that appears a few times throughout the publication In a striking photograph where he smiles at through the lens. He wears sporting a bright red flat-cap on his head, and a slender leather jacket with a fur collar. Regularly seen at auctions for boots, Arthur says he’s “always the most stylish person in the most stylish clothes”.
Although the majority of the images are candid images of people who attended the boot sale, a portion of the process also included Arthur buying a bunch of clothes and styling the people he “cast”. Though they were planned and styled but keeping the exact location of the car boot made the photos “a much more authentic and real”, Arthur says.
Looking back at the entire series There’s a single image that especially resonates with Arthur and his characters, due to its enveloping warmth and how it embodies the overall mood of the series. Three women are in a huddle and their closeness is evident on even a glance. However according to Arthur states, the three women had not seen each in a while. “I’d snapped a photo with one earlier but then they all gathered together and they hadn’t seen one in a long time since elementary schools,” Arthur says. “It was an genuine moment to capture.” It’s the meeting of old acquaintances or eccentric people and fashion-lovers that truly encapsulates PS1 Entry. PS1 Entry. an amazing portrayal of the close-knit London community, one that you might not think of it.
