Identity

by Catherine Balet, Steidl, 2006. First edition, 160 pages. 29 x 23 cm. Condition : Very Good.

Out of stock

An underrated book, an amazing source on teen style in the 2000s.”The project for this book was born in January 2004. At that time, the debate on secularism and the ban on wearing conspicuous signs in public schools was lively and caused a lot of ink to flow. I had been struck by the unusualness of the situation: a bill dealing with the outward signs of religious affiliation was being put in place in a school environment polluted by the outward signs of marketing.
The idea came to me then, to photograph the signs, logos, codes and icons carrying a social and aesthetic meaning in the world of adolescence. Starting from a sampling of disparate elements collected in Paris, the more I advanced in the project, the more it quickly seemed essential to me to extend it to other countries. So I decided to venture to London, Berlin, Barcelona and Milan. Gradually, the project took the form of a collection of dress codes in European schools. I felt like a tourist-anthropologist exploring the tribal subdivisions of the teenage clothing world. The trip took place at the crossroads of an individual history and a collective memory”.