Having grown up on the sets of some of the most iconic fashion shoots of all time, observing her father, legendary photographer Arthur Elgort at work, it seems only natural that Sophie Elgort would follow him into the family biz. Not quite. Elgort actually studied Comparative Literature, French and Spanish at Brown University with Pre-Med “as a backup.” Shortly after college, Elgort received a request from friends who had recently launched an e-commerce business and were in need of a photographer.
With years of skills picked up from her photographer father, Elgort gave it a go and shortly after the brand received a substantial amount of press in both Teen Vogue and on mTV, among other outlets. Thanks to the boost in exposure, requests began flooding in and Elgort would quickly go on to shoot editorials for ELLE, Glamour, and Paper Magazine, to name but a few, as well as ad campaigns for brands such as ADIDAS and Ralph Lauren.
Keenly aware of the lack of diversity in the notoriously difficult to navigate fashion industry, Elgort recently launched Through Our Lens, a philanthropic initiative dedicated to teaching young women in underserved communities the skills necessary to be successful in not only photography, but the working world. Her number one tip for aspiring photogs? “I think that it’s really important to be yourself and to develop your eye,” says Elgort. “Don’t get diluted by everything around you. Just stick to what you think is really good.”
We couldn’t be more thrilled to announce her as a Designow adviser, and now collaborator thanks to the exclusive Through Our Lens baseball cap that she has designed to benefit the non-profit. We invite you to support the cause with your purchase and read more about the wonderful work TOL is doing on the Designow blog.
All images courtesy of Sophie Elgort
