Skip to main content

Nick Knight

Director, SHOWstudio.com

The highly experimental photographer launched pioneering fashion website SHOWstudio and was one of the early adopters of digital fashion film.

Nick Knight

Nick Knight is the groundbreaking fashion imagemaker and director of SHOWstudio, a pioneering fashion website created “based on the belief that showing the entire creative process, from conception to completion is beneficial for the artist, the audience and the art itself.” Knight was one of the first and most high profile imagemakers to adopt digital film as a medium for showing fashion.

SHOWstudio collaborates with some of the most influential and acclaimed figures of contemporary fashion, including John Galliano , Kate Moss , Rick Owens , Comme des Garçons and Alexander McQueen. Alongside these established names, SHOWstudio has also supported and nurtured emerging talent, including Giles Deacon, Gareth Pugh , Rodarte and Mary Katrantzou , offering exciting new designers an important global showcase for creative expression.

His first book of photographs, "Skinheads," was published in 1982, whilst a student at Bournemouth and Poole College of Art and Design. He was then commissioned by i-D editor Terry Jones to create a series of 100 portraits for the magazine's fifth anniversary issue.

As a result of those black-and-white portraits, his work caught the attention of art director Marc Ascoli, who commissioned Knight to shoot the 1986 catalogue of avant-garde Japanese designer Yohji Yamamoto in collaboration with renowned graphic designer Peter Saville .

Since this first foray into fashion photography, he has shot both editorial and advertising projects for clients including Alexander McQueen, Audi, Calvin Klein , Christian Dior, Jil Sander , Lancôme, Levi Strauss, Martine Sitbon, Mercedes-Benz, Royal Ballet, Royal Opera House, Swarovski and Yves Saint Laurent.

Editorially Knight has been decorated for his editorial work for Vogue, Dazed & Confused, i-D, The Face, W, Another Magazine, Arena Homme + and Visionaire and the 2004 edition of the Pirelli Calendar.

He has shot album covers for Björk, Elvis Costello and the Attractions, Boy George, David Bowie, Kylie Minogue, The Style Council, Lady Gaga, Paul Weller, Gwen Stefani, Cheryl Cole, Seal, ABC and Massive Attack.

Nick Knight directed back in 2001 his first music video ever, the controversial Pagan Poetry video Björk. In 2011, he directed the video for Lady Gaga's single "Born This Way."

Knight's work has been exhibited at such international art institutions as the Victoria & Albert Museum, Saatchi Gallery, the Photographers' Gallery and Hayward Gallery. In 1993, he also produced a permanent installation, Plant Power, for the Natural History Museum in London. The photographer has produced "Nicknight" (1994), a twelve year retrospective, and "Flora" (1997), a series of flower pictures, both published by Schirmer Mosel.

Knight was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 2010. He currently lives with his wife, Charlotte and three children, Emily, Ella and Calum in London.

Career History

Education
Bournemouth and Poole College of Art and Design

VITAL STATISTICS

BORN1958
NATIONALITYBritish, UK
LOCATIONUnited Kingdom
MEMBER SINCE2013

Find out more

Latest News & Analysis
Creative Class

Nick Knight and Simon Foxton: AI Is Not a Threat to Creativity

Knight and Foxton tell Christina Donoghue why artificial intelligence is not a threat but the most intoxicating and liberating new medium for visual expression, courtesy of System magazine.

Creative Class

Nick Knight and Simon Foxton: AI Is Not a Threat to Creativity

Knight and Foxton tell Christina Donoghue why artificial intelligence is not a threat but the most intoxicating and liberating new medium for visual expression, courtesy of System magazine.


Beauty

The Fragrance Market’s Squeezed Middle

Fragrance may be booming, but the premium category has cratered compared to high-end niche perfumes and affordable body and hair mists that have become an expansion focus for brands.

Beauty

The Fragrance Market’s Squeezed Middle

Fragrance may be booming, but the premium category has cratered compared to high-end niche perfumes and affordable body and hair mists that have become an expansion focus for brands.


Technology

The BoF Podcast | Nick Knight on Why the Metaverse Is Fashion’s Next Frontier

Fashion image-maker Nick Knight speaks to BoF’s Imran Amed about why he believes in digital creativity and innovation in the metaverse.

Technology

The BoF Podcast | Nick Knight on Why the Metaverse Is Fashion’s Next Frontier

Fashion image-maker Nick Knight speaks to BoF’s Imran Amed about why he believes in digital creativity and innovation in the metaverse.


Luxury

The BoF Podcast: Gareth Pugh on Returning to Fashion in Extraordinary Times

The British designer tells Tim Blanks about his latest creative endeavour, a documentary about creating his first collection in two years.

Luxury

The BoF Podcast: Gareth Pugh on Returning to Fashion in Extraordinary Times

The British designer tells Tim Blanks about his latest creative endeavour, a documentary about creating his first collection in two years.


Fashion Week

No Going Back at Margiela

John Galliano has never been afraid of excess, but there’s something about the language he has developed at Margiela that simultaneously, paradoxically releases and tames it.

Fashion Week

No Going Back at Margiela

John Galliano has never been afraid of excess, but there’s something about the language he has developed at Margiela that simultaneously, paradoxically releases and tames it.


Fashion Week

Valentino Delivered the Digital Experience the Industry Has Been Waiting For

Designer Pierpaolo Piccioli says digital can be a new communication tool in fashion as long as the human remains at the centre.

Fashion Week

Valentino Delivered the Digital Experience the Industry Has Been Waiting For

Designer Pierpaolo Piccioli says digital can be a new communication tool in fashion as long as the human remains at the centre.


Workplace & Talent

Fashion Jobs That Are in Demand Now

From CGI artists to virtual showroom designers, BoF spotlights six careers that are going to remain popular far beyond the pandemic.

Workplace & Talent

Fashion Jobs That Are in Demand Now

From CGI artists to virtual showroom designers, BoF spotlights six careers that are going to remain popular far beyond the pandemic.


Luxury

The Vampire’s Wife Plots Expansion Plan With a Surprising Investor

Jimmy Iovine and Liberty Ross have taken a majority stake in designer Susie Cave's bewitching dress line, which has found success outside the traditional fashion system. Can one of the music industry’s most legendary talent scouts help scale the business?

Luxury

The Vampire’s Wife Plots Expansion Plan With a Surprising Investor

Jimmy Iovine and Liberty Ross have taken a majority stake in designer Susie Cave's bewitching dress line, which has found success outside the traditional fashion system. Can one of the music industry’s most legendary talent scouts help scale the business?


Fashion Week

Is Fashion Going Back to Normal?

The labels taking part in the Paris men’s showcase largely stuck to their aesthetic codes, presenting pragmatic and reassuring collections that felt like seeing an old friend, with some intriguing format twists, reports Angelo Flaccavento.

Fashion Week

Is Fashion Going Back to Normal?

The labels taking part in the Paris men’s showcase largely stuck to their aesthetic codes, presenting pragmatic and reassuring collections that felt like seeing an old friend, with some intriguing format twists, reports Angelo Flaccavento.


Fashion Week

Did Digital Couture Week Work?

This season's Haute Couture Week was basically video week. Modern? Sort of. There was a lot of MTV to the proceedings, if without the creative energy and anarchy, writes Angelo Flaccavento.

Fashion Week

Did Digital Couture Week Work?

This season's Haute Couture Week was basically video week. Modern? Sort of. There was a lot of MTV to the proceedings, if without the creative energy and anarchy, writes Angelo Flaccavento.


What is The BoF 500?

The people shaping the global fashion industry, curated by the editors of The Business of Fashion, based on nominations and on-the-ground intelligence from around the world.

The BoF 500 2025 medallion logo