Fashion remakes: Cinéma vérité and the re-presentation of the fashion mythology

Offering a glimpse into the inner workings of a glamorous yet elusive industry, fashion documentaries have become an established genre in global popular culture over the last twenty years. Looking back at two fashion documentaries – The September Issue and Bill Cunningham New York – which feature prominent producers of fashion images, this article examines how the release of both films in the late 2000s contributed to re-presenting what Roland Barthes termed the ‘mythology of fashion’ at a critical juncture for the industry, by foregrounding the creative processes of powerful image makers. It concludes by demonstrating how fashion documentaries, while aiming to convey authenticity, nonetheless bring the longstanding debate surrounding cinéma vérité’s promise of naturalism to the surface, where portraying the ‘real’ picture is complicated by director positionality and the agendas of different actors within the global fashion industry.