Words by Dean Mayo Davies, Photographs by Tommy Ton

Tommy Ton is the photographer and creative who injected warmth into street style photography throughout the 00s, with his site Jak & Jil. He continues to illuminate the world of fashion from an axis where runway segues reality, creating a new genre of editorial – the artistry of surveillance...Enter for the full story

Words by Dean Mayo Davies, Photographs by Tommy Ton

Tommy Ton is the photographer and creative who injected warmth into street style photography throughout the 00s, with his site Jak & Jil. He continues to illuminate the world of fashion from an axis where runway segues reality, creating a new genre of editorial – the artistry of surveillance. (Some of Ton’s greatest pictures are unposed, a mammoth zoom lens ensuring the subject doesn’t know he’s there, able to capture moments, mannerisms and interactions the camera shouldn’t see).

Ton’s ongoing celebration of fashion’s everyday theatre has led to collaborations with Style.com, Vogue Nippon, Harper’s Bazaar, GQ and Lane Crawford, amongst others. His passion and enthusiasm unlocking behind the scenes invitations from designers such as Proenza Schouler in the process. And representation from the same agency as Inez & Vinoodh and Melanie Ward.

In acknowledgement of Jak & Jil’s more-purist-than-ever redesign, and at the precipice of the autumn/winter 12 season, we spoke to Tommy about clothes, obsession, character – and keeping a healthy distance.

What are you wearing at this moment?

I’m wearing a Gap parka, under it a quilted Andrea Pompilio jacket, a Roots marled sweater, Dries Van Noten pants, orange New Balance 576 sneakers and a Stüssy knit cap. I’m actually on the way to the airport heading to New York for a shoot.

Can you tell us about where you grew up in Canada?

I was born outside of Toronto in a town called Etobicoke but then I was raised (and still live) in Oakville, which is a suburb outside of Toronto. It’s just a short train ride into the city. Oakville is a very quiet and safe town. I’m lucky to have been brought up here but then it wasn’t the most diverse town when I was growing up. Maybe more so now. I was sometimes the only asian in some of my classes growing up. I think the reason I rebelled so much and tried escaping to Toronto whenever I had a chance was because of where I lived – but isn’t that the case for most kids that live in the ‘burbs.

Do you remember what got you into fashion – was there an image or piece of clothing in particular?

I remember vividly what inspired me to get into fashion. It was 1997 and my sister had been away for the summer – she had asked me to record a program called Fashion Television for her. The one Saturday I decided to sit and watch it happened to be about Gucci spring/summer 1997. It was Tom Ford’s heroin chic collection and the instant the models appeared with their oiled bodies and smoky eyes, I became seduced. When Tom appeared on screen, I was mesmerised by how eloquently and passionately he was speaking about his work. I just thought to myself I wanted to be a part of this world and be able to have somewhat of an effect on men and women like he did. After that, I just become completely obsessed with fashion. It consumed me like a curse and I spent all of my free time riding my bike to the library, borrowing magazines and pulling and ripping out images. My walls were covered in Gucci and Versace campaigns. I made scrap books of clippings of runway images. This was before internet access was so readily available. I read mostly only the mainstream mags like Vogue, Bazaar, Elle, Mademoiselle and Marie Claire. I probably was more intrigued by glamour than fashion itself but who isn’t when they’re young?

You interned at Wayne Clark, worked in buying for Holt Renfrew before consulting to Lynda Latner’s Vintage Couture website. Were they your education in the mechanics – and craft – of fashion?

In my teenage years, after I knew that I wanted to work in fashion, I had to start strategizing how. I had initial aspirations to be a designer and go to Central Saint Martin’s one day, so I thought it would be wise to intern first. I did my research and Wayne Clark was the designer at the time that I felt I would get the best experience from. I wrote this ridiculous, cocky letter thinking I knew everything but after not receiving a response several days later, I tracked down his studio. His team knew exactly who I was when I stepped foot inside. They liked my passion, so they granted me an internship in 2001. It definitely was a wake-up call not knowing how much time and effort went into running a brand. Of course I was the one running up and down the street carrying bolts of fabric, sourcing zippers and buttons and packing the dresses but I loved it. After several years of working for Wayne while I was still in high school, I kind of lost the desire to pursue that initial dream. I gave it some thought for a while and thought maybe becoming a buyer would be the next step. If I wanted to be a buyer, I had to work for THE luxury department store in Canada, Holt Renfrew. I started off in the women’s accessories department as the Christmas help in 2002, but my enthusiasm for product kept me on board for the next few years. While working at Holt’s selling women’s scarves and sunglasses, I had gone to George Brown college for fashion merchandising with plans of making my way into the buying office when it became time for my internship in spring 2004. After a few months, I was offered a merchandise assistant position and all was going to plan. But then, again, after working in the buying office, I kind of realised buying was too political for me and that there was no creative aspect to the job that I was hoping for. I had thought of the idea of maybe launching a web magazine that would feature street style photos in Toronto and party photos from all the social events. I went back to working on the sales floor so that I’d have a more flexible schedule that would grant me the time to work on this new project, bought myself a digital SLR, went to web development and entrepreneurial courses and really went full force on this idea. It was a bit of a slow start but I was creating something I was passionate about. In the spring of 2005, Jak & Jil was born and it was supposed to be a lifestyle web magazine. Lynda Latner had met me through a colleague and saw some potential in me that could be brought to her e-commerce site. So she brought me on board. Working with Lynda was great because I got to have a better understanding of how clothes were constructed and it was like being in a museum, being able to play dress-up with all these vintage Dior and Balenciaga suits and dresses from the 50s and 60s. Lynda could see I was getting bored of pursuing my passion in Toronto, so she offered me a trip to London and Paris during the show season to see what the commotion was about. I noticed The Sartorialist had started becoming this up-and-coming street style photographer, so then I thought I would give it a shot, in February 2007. I had no clue what I was doing but I remember being so enamoured that first season. Being in London during the Nu Rave moment and then after going to Paris, which sealed the deal. I had to go back every season after that while still working for Lynda. She was great because I still had a job when I returned but it was the fact that she knew how important it was for me to go. Anyway, having all these experiences really helped educate and further my knowledge of the industry. I feel that if anyone is going to pursue a career in fashion, what’s most important is the amount of experience you can gain from working in many aspects like design, production, public relations and retail. But then what makes you really stand out from anyone is the amount of love and passion you have. Without that, you’re just lost and working in the wrong industry. A lot of kids are really impatient and feel with the snap of a finger, you can become a designer or in the case of today, become a hot-shot blogger. You will only learn the craft of your field if you allow yourself time to grow and become experienced by working.

Does it nourish you to see runway clothes in the street? And what’s your view when fashion goes the other way – into a museum as an exhibit?

I think there’s no greater joy than when you see runway clothes in the street. Seeing things worn by someone just breathes new life into the garment – it can totally open your eyes seeing it worn in a way you never expected. That’s definitely when style and character come into play – the person wearing it makes it beyond what it is. It obviously can get a bit monotonous seeing the same thing worn again and again by everyone, but I get the greatest high when I see obscure runway pieces from seasons past, especially anything Balenciaga circa 2000-2005. Street style images certainly have a hand in creating a demand for particular items, especially runway pieces because not everyone can see them past the runway. When you see a style icon or just someone randomly on the street wearing a runway piece, it creates this immediate desirability. In the case of designers like John Galliano, Cristobal Balenciaga, Alexander McQueen and Hussein Chalayan, seeing their work in a museum or exhibit really is crucial and can only really be valued in that setting. It’s the only opportunity to appreciate the grand scale of their work and great deal of craftsmanship. Without these exhibitions, how else would we ever see these pieces of art? It’s important that more and more of these exhibits occur.

Your pictures are a great portrayal of character and personal nuance…

Regardless of what designer someone is wearing or their background or upbringing, what makes someone stylish is their character. Without having any sense of character, you’re just a walking clothes hanger for whatever you’re wearing. I’m lucky to spot many characters in my job. Women like Catherine Baba or Anna Dello Russo are certainly two rare birds with lots of character.

Who do you think has great style?

I think Haider Ackermann and Stefano Pilati have great personal style. There’s no better word than elegant to describe their style. I love Haider’s sense of colour and the proportion of Stefano’s outfits. There’s an ease and romance to the way they dress themselves. I love photographing plenty of people you can always see in my work: Hanne Gaby Odiele, Robert Rabensteiner, Taylor Tomasi Hill, Catherine Baba, Nickelson Wooster, Aurora Sansone, Shala Monroque, Justin Doss. I probably have more photos of Anna Dello Russo in my archive than anyone else. I most likely have thousands of photos of her.

You enjoy a great relationship with Anna and have collaborated with her on several projects, including an exhibition. What captivates you about her?

I just love Anna’s love and enthusiasm for fashion and you can easily see that the moment she arrives at a show. There are plenty of people who love fashion but she takes it to another level and celebrates it by dressing up, which is a rarity these days. She keeps every article of clothing she’s ever owned – even hosiery from when she’s a young woman – and thoroughly archives it. She makes great photos and she likes to think of herself as a walking editorial, but then calls herself a “pagliaccio” which means clown in Italian.

Menswear autumn/winter 12 is nearly here. Are you psyching yourself up for show season? How do you prepare for fashion week?

I’m very, very excited for the upcoming men’s season. It was only Milan and Paris I looked forward to but now that I go to Pitti, I look forward to that most of all the events of the year, for street style snapping that is. It’s funny because I didn’t have much of an interest in menswear when I first started going to the shows five years ago but I think because of all the time I spent observing, my interest further developed and now it’s all that I really look forward to. I buy mostly men’s magazines and scour men’s fashion focused Tumblrs. Before the shows I treat myself to a nice, warm vacation – I have to cover both men’s and women’s and they’re smacked next to each other during the winter season. I generally go to my favourite spot, Parrot Cay, in the Turks and Caicos islands but they’re all booked up so now I’m scouring for a place. A week at the spa and in the sun really psyches you up.

What are you predicting for the autumn/winter 12 collections?

Hmmm… There’s been more of an athletic influence I’ve noticed recently and it would be interesting to see a clever take on sartorial tailoring and athletic sportswear. I’m a sucker for knitwear so it would be great to see new takes, particularly from Jil Sander and Prada. I’ve been really interested in strange egg-shape proportions for men, so possibly fuller trousers and shorter volumes on top.

Tell us something we wouldn’t expect of you…

I really do relish normality, coming home to Toronto and being with friends and family. As much as I love fashion – actually I’m obsessed with it – there’s no greater luxury for me than being at home. It’s really disappointing I’m sure for people who follow my work but I love keeping a certain distance from being immersed in fashion.