Night Flowers: Від Avante-Drag to Extreme Haute-Couture: Від Avant-Drag to Extreme Haute-Couture

As most of central London closes down late at night and the crowds head home, there are a select few who come out only after midnight. These ‘Night Flowers’, as they refer to themselves, encompass a loose-knit community of drag kings and queens, club kids, Goths, alternative queer and transgender people, fetishists, and cabaret and burlesque performers – all of whom bloom late at night and burn brightly under the city’s neon lights. Damien Frost’s arresting photographic portraits capture those who dwell on the fringes of nightlife in modern London, dressing in all manner of guises.

The portraits are the result of a project begun by Frost in 2014, when he went out every night to wander the city streets in search of its most colourful inhabitants. There he first came across the world of the Night Flowers and started documenting their wild looks and vivid creative expression.

Although traditional in style, for the most part the photographs were taken as incidental portraits after chance encounters on the street, down dark alleys or backstage in a club; the poise and grace of the subjects belie the quizzical looks, negative comments or even taunts thrown at the sitters by passers-by. Frost’s background in opera and theatre gave him a deep appreciation of the intricate details of the make-up and costumes, and of the many hours of preparation that it takes for each Night Flower to turn him- or herself into an ephemeral work of art. The resulting book is an extraordinary and powerful document of the ultimate alternative street style.

- Features over 300 dramatic portraits of those who inhabit the alternative nightlife scene in London, from drag queens to Goths
- Will appeal to anyone interested in fashion, street style and contemporary subcultures
- Damien Frost has more than 85,000 followers on Instagram+

About the Author:

Damien Frost is an Australian-born artist, graphic designer and photographer who works across the fields of painting, photography, website design, illustration and print design. He currently lives in London.