Through his work, Brooklyn-based photographer Justin Chung seeks to convey the “realness” of moments. His photos, with an eye for the quotidian, feel a bit like personal snapshots, drawing you in and forging a connection to the subject at hand. A month-long assignment in Paris spent photographing artists and entrepreneurs brought about Chung’s first book, Faculty Department. Inspired by the back stories of his subjects (including Ten Belles and Belleville Brûlerie owner Thomas Lehoux), Chung saw the potential for a book. Faculty Department shines a spotlight on 13 influential creatives who collectively serve as his personal inspiration faculty (hence the title).
And what a debut it is: designed in conjunction with Vancouver design firm Studio Faculty, Faculty Department is gorgeously minimalist in design, which allows you to get a sense of each person’s distinctive style through the words and photos.
I was sold purely by the prospect of learning more about Frank Muytjens (he outshines Jenna Lyons as a J.Crew style ambassador, in my opinion) but a serendipitous surprise was that my favorite subject ended up being 98-year-old furniture designer Jens Risom. (I’m always eager to shore up my design knowledge.) Risom’s profile closes the inaugural volume, but as I enjoyed reading about every one of Chung’s picks — and have a few new personal design favorites because of it — here’s hoping there will be a sequel.
j.crew head of men’s design, frank muytjens + his dog, dutch
founder of the primary essentials, lauren snyder
head of design for GANT rugger, filippa hallestensson
photos by jane potrykus
please note: thanks to a mutual friend and a timely instagram comment, i was gifted a copy of faculty department. no promise of editorial coverage was made.