Oh man…where to begin.

I guess at the beginning.

I walked up to Edward as he walked into the Sunnei show in Milan. It had just been pouring down rain and the streets had become rivers in minutes. I was (of course) going to the shows by bicycle and was appropriately soaked by the rain with a dash of dripping sweat from the humidity to top it off.

This might not sound like a big deal to 99.999% of you, but anyone who knows me KNOWS that I do not just “talk” to people outside of shows. It has become my entire business model to hide behind my camera and observe what is happening in front of me. Edward, however, is special. It is soooooooo rare for me to be transfixed by anyone in the crowded melee outside of the shows. Masses of paid placements, marching around in head-to-toe Dior, or Valentino (not specifically).

Most of the “real ones” whom I used to run a quarter mile to make sure I got my photograph, have shied away from the shows, moving on to other roles, or just saying “enough”.

So, after a full season and a half of building up the nerve, I walked up to Edward and interrupted his conversation with his friend to ask if I could…you know…just come over to his house and take photos of him…and btw my name is Adam.

I originally shot Edward for MMGNet, as you’ve seen with others who I have featured recently. The project with MMGNet has given me the opportunity to gain access to some wonderful individuals, whom I otherwise might have been too shy to approach.

I gotta get to the point, I only get 6000 words!

I do zero research on Edward. I don’t know his CV, and I barely know what he does currently. I show up at his apartment and he arrives a few minutes later and we head upstairs. Entering his entryway, I did not expect the home that layed just beyond. Giant glass doors out to the street. A room flooded with light on a rainy day. Plants…lot of plants. Boxes with clear labels which satiated my organizational desires. A Boba Fett helmet!

We talk about all kinds of things, and I find myself again transfixed on the way this man speaks. Edward is American (like me) but has lived in Milan for a very long time. Edward speaks in a way I cannot describe. Maybe “articulate” is the word, but it’s not that. He forms his words in a way which cause you to know that what he is telling you is fact, not theory. Confidence which trickles down and changes the cadence of his speech. You should try to find a video of him speaking, it’s very nice.

Since this day in Milan, I have met Edward in every city we have been it at the same time. A week later in Paris we go to Du Pain et des Idées. A few months later in Paris again we meet on Rue de Perche where he pics up a personal order of small leather goods from a Japanese brand, and I photograph him with the designer. I walk him to his next show, and we pass a flea market, and he turns to me and tells me if I “really wanted to do a story on (me) we would go to a flea market together.” No time for that, sadly, and we just blaze through it before I leave him at the Seine, and we part ways.

Last week I met Edward in Copenhagen, and we went out for sandwiches (and cookies) and I am reminded of how nice this little ritual has become. One year ago, I “had to” go to every show possible, take as many photos as possible, and never speak to anyone. Now I get to skip a show, sit down with a friend or a stranger (or both) and try out a bit of reality.

Meeting Edward has helped me to reevaluate my priorities during Fashion Week, and beyond. A man who wreaks of authenticity and integrity. A person who I can sit down with and forget about the schedule for a moment. And a man who, deep down, just is enjoyable to be around and converse with.

I needed an opinion the other day. I am looking at a vintage chair and I figured that Edward, having never been to my apartment could give me an honest opinion. I send him a photo of the chair and a few of my apartment. I tell him “I need the professional opinion of an aesthete.” Edward has a different word for this, however, and I love it, but only when he says it.

Edward prefers, “The Chicerie”.

Thanks, Edward.