Meet Yvan Rodic, professional people-watcher

Within seconds of meeting Yvan Rodic, it becomes clear that I may have thought about my outfit too much. I was neither over- nor underdressed, but the hours I spent worrying about what to wear  mixing and mismatching a parade of shirts, trousers, and shoes  now seem totally redundant as the Swiss blogger-turned-book author is surprisingly approachable and quite candid. Then again, he is still the Facehunter; the handle tends to come with certain expectations.

After stopping in Kuala Lumpur, Taipei, and Hong Kong to spread the gospel of creative dressing, the influential 32-year-old was finally in Manila.  Facehunter, the hardcover he is hawking, is the culmination of almost half a decade of international people-watching, articulated in 326 inspiring photographs.

Quick to declare that he is “not a social scientist or a journalist,” Yvan “tries to organize a picture that it’s just on the edge of looking real.” His book is also curated, to a certain extent, like a museum exhibition, with images acting as counterpoints or counterparts to one another. It truly is a visual feast, a source of inspiration for sartorial magpies and fans of personal inventiveness. He sits with Supreme to talk about paranoid Colombian girls, cheesy poses, and the most stylish cities in the world.

Supreme: Did you ever think that, from looking for subjects to photograph on the street, you would be the one to be documented?

Yvan Rodic: Of course not. Five years ago, blogging was not such a big thing, so you would never have expected that it would bring you this kind of exposure. It has been unexpected and surprising and crazy.

How about your book deal? Did Thames & Hudson, your publisher, approach you?

Smile with your eyes: According to Yvan Rodic, it’s also the photographer’s job to make a subject more comfortable in front of the camera. Photo by PATRICK DIOKNO

It’s something I’ve had in mind almost since the beginning. People kept asking me, when I took photos, when I was going to have a book. At some point, someone offered me a deal and a second company, this one, Thames & Hudson, approached me, too. It accelerated the idea of printing a book.

In the beginning, I didn’t think it was so important. I thought, “Who cares? My readers spend a lot of time online. Why would they buy a book of photos that are already on my blog?” But at the same time, I realized that as a blogger, you kind of become a part of their daily lives and at some point, they may want to own a piece of you symbolically.

How long did it take to edit down your images?

Between meeting my publisher and having the book in the stores, the whole process took me nine months. I spent about three months doing the selection and discussing that with my publisher. I was never in London so we’d e-mail about each and every picture. It was pretty intense.

Is there such a thing as “the most stylish city?” A place where there is more style per capita?

It really depends on your taste. But I believe that the most stylish countries are Sweden and Denmark. They don’t just have a “fashion elite” who can afford and enjoy fashion. Though they’re well-off, it’s less about status and more about style. They wear what they like. Everyone wants to look good, but it’s more casual and quirky.

Has anyone reacted negatively to your taking his or her photo?

Negative would be too strong a word.

Okay, let me rephrase that: Has anyone been paranoid?

I’ve taken pictures everywhere, from Russia to Israel, and 90 percent of the time people are fine with me taking their photos. But in Colombia, which is a very macho society, I did experience some of that. Bogotá was okay, but the girls in Cartagena would say, “I have a boyfriend.” I mean, I want to take your picture, not date you.

It can sometimes be very challenging, but overall, it’s not such a controversial thing. Some people are just too concerned about where their photos end up: “Oh my God, I’m going to be on a porn website!”

Please don’t get me wrong, I just wanna see your picture: The blogger/photographer is sandwiched between Laureen and Liz Uy. Photo by ALEX PAMPLONA

And sometimes you have people saying, “Oh, I don’t look so good today.” You normally get the most beautiful girls saying that. Sometimes they’re just fishing for compliments. 

I can tell by your accent that you’re Swiss-French. Is your Facehunter TV crew based in Europe or are they scattered all around the world?

I have several chapters in this project. I started in 2008 with MySpace Scandinavia, so I had a Swedish team. Then I did it on my own, just hiring local filmmakers. Now the situation is different. I have a team in New York: a director and an investor. We shot something there that we’ll show this January. We’re shooting as well in London and Paris in February and March.

Is there anything you’re sick of seeing on the street?

I’m sick of seeing girls wearing Uggs. I’m sick of girls wearing leggings when it’s 30ºC  black leggings in the summer with a denim skirt.

With guys it’s “slower” so you have less things you see too much. I used to wear bowties, but I got fed up with that.

I’m relieved that you answered my question that way. I thought you’d be one of those people who say they like everything. 

I’m pretty open. My work is about photographing things I wouldn’t normally expect to see or like. It’s almost like finding love. Oh, that sounds cheesy, but before you meet the one you like, you don’t necessarily know what this person looks like exactly.   

Any tips to take better photographs?

They can avoid doing this [jutting their shoulders out]. It’s so cheesy. You know, the teenager posing at home thinking she’ll be a model someday. Non-models should not try to pose like models. It makes them look ridiculous. They should just try to relax.

In the beginning, you may get stressed by the camera when you’re not used to it. But I think it’s also the responsibility of the photographer. He or she has to make the subject comfortable.

I noticed that you’re not so “fashiony” compared to people like Jak & Jil’s Tommy Ton.

You’re right. I’m not like, “Oh my God, those shoes! I’m less obsessed with fashion than other street style bloggers or photographers. Are you familiar with my other blog, yvanrodic.com? It’s a visual diary where I post anything that I’ve seen during my trips that catches my eye. It’s more of a broader spectrum, beyond style. It’s about creativity.

Even with Facehunter, even if I like shooting in London, I’m very happy and excited to go to relatively obscure places like Wellington, Jakarta, Manila or Reykjavik. It’s very interesting to capture what’s out there on the street as well as what’s inside the fashion world. It creates a richer mix.

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Visit thefacehunter.blogspot.com and yvanrodic.blogspot.com.

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Special thanks to Rhea Llamas of Fully Booked and Loris Peña, Nante Santamaria, and Gio Dionisio of Status magazine. The Facehunter x Status party was brought to you by Adidas. 

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Find me at ginobambino.tumblr.com.