Watch ‘80s Polaroid Queen Maripol’s New Video for Hugo Boss
If you take pictures with your phone and then put them through an app with a Polaroid filter before posting on Instagram, you probably have Maripol to thank. While the Polaroid was the preferred method to capture memories for millions of families in the ’70s and ’80s, it was Maripol who undoubtedly made the Polaroid a tool of cool.
The French artist arrived in New York in 1976 and immediately immersed herself in the downtown culture, accompanied by her trusty Polaroid sx70. “My parents gave me a small camera when I was 14, and in school I learned to develop my own photos,” said Maripol about her photography beginnings, “but as soon as I learned how to manipulate the Polaroid, I was in love!” She partied at Studio 54, styled the iconic covers for Blondie’s “Parallel Lines,” Madonna’s “Like a Virgin,” and even produced the cult hit film Downtown 81, which captured the art scene in New York in the ’80s and starred the painter Jean-Michel Basquiat.
Since then, she has continued to pursue photography and her repertoire has also expanded to include jewelry design, poetry, and music. Maripol’s unique style has not only influenced artists, but pop culture at large. If you wore black rubber bracelets and silver crosses in the ’80s, it was Maripol that started the trend—the bracelets Madonna wore during her performances belonged to her. There are so many trends that she started still permeating the culture at large, but Maripol is always looking forward. “I want to get to the future already!,” she says in her signature wit, “I have a spaceship to navigate around…” Anywhere she goes, we will excitedly follow.
Now Maripol has created a short film for Hugo Boss, commissioned by Document Journal that features a bunch of models looking as cool as ever in a series of Polaroids. “The models have such great personalities and it’s not as intimidating as if I had these huge cameras,” she said about the shoot, “because I’m a woman, I think there is a feeling of trust and comfort that comes through in the pictures, which makes them 100% beautiful!” They are styled in that signature Maripol style—and the brand’s signature line of course. As Maripol recites poetry to a catchy house beat, the models appear wearing looks from the brand’s Spring 2015 BOSS collection. Jason Wu, the company’s creative director since last year, has been tasked with updating the brand and adding a much needed dose of cool to the clothes. He’s obviously on the right track.
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