Their preference for nineties fashion is unmistakable: for ‘Sleepless’, photographer Tristan Rösler and stylist Cornelia Nicoli made good use of Cape Town's unique lighting to create a graphic-urban sports and lifestyle story.

S Magazine: You chose two boys in sports gear for this photo shoot. Karl Lagerfeld once said, “Sweatpants are a sign of defeat. You lost control of your life so you bought some sweatpants.” How do you see it?
Tristan Rösler: The photo shoot was about sports and lifestyle fashion. I’m a big fan of the nineties, so it was clear that my stylist and I would go in that direction.

As for the Karl Lagerfeld quote, I think that in the morning we’re all the same. It’s only when we get dressed that we begin to differentiate ourselves from each other. I consider that fashion is a means to express oneself, whether with sweatpants or a tailor-made suit, I don’t think there are any rules.

However, at a time when you can pay €400 for a pair of sweatpants by Rick Owens, then Karl Lagerfeld is definitely right.

The production took place in Cape Town – did the spirit of the place influence your photos?
Definitely. I really went straight for it, and we were inspired by the city and the unique lighting of the place.  

Graphic elements, like the billboards, signposts and prints on the models’ T-shirts are predominant. Does this have a deeper meaning?
This series definitely became more graphic than is usual in my work. This was due to the circumstances of the photo shoot and, for sure, the Leica S’s large viewfinder, that encourages you to thoroughly compose the picture. In addition, these urban landscapes really fascinated me.

The light in the photos is very hard, the contours very sharp – an effect you obviously wanted. Can you explain it?
It was an effect I wanted. I love light, I love to play with it and to be inspired by light. My imagery is all about rich contrasts.

What is the relationship between the bright colours of the outfits and the very post-industrial scenario?
When I sat down to work on the concept with my stylist, Cornelis Nicoli, it was clear to us that the outfits had to be in the bright colours of the nineties. It’s something we both like. As far as the scenarios and the locations were concerned, I only had a vague idea. In the end, we took spontaneous decisions on the days of the photo shoot; so there was no deeper relationship between the styling and the location. I think it just arose from us and underlines our style.  

You titled this series Sleepless. Why?
In fact, it has nothing to do with the series. We didn’t really allow ourselves much sleep. There was too much to do – and we also partied once or twice.