Spring Fashion 2025 Envisioned by Petra Collins

For Petra Collins, photography is a deeply personal exchange—a theme she explores in our Spring Fashion 2025 campaign with longtime friend Adwoa Aboah. Inspired by cinema, she blurs the line between fiction and reality, capturing the fluidity of sisterhood and creative collaboration. Here, she reflects on power dynamics on set, fashion’s role in storytelling, and the emotional depth behind her images.  

Looking back at your photoshoot with Adwoa Aboah, what is your first thought?  

Lightness and playfulness. I have known Adwoa for 10 years; strangely, we had never shot together. Our sets were so beautiful that it really felt like we were in a dream—my dream, I think, and hers and [my sister] Anna’s, too.   

Your sister was assisting you on set, and there appeared to be a twinning or mirroring dynamic between you and Adwoa. Is sisterhood the overarching theme of the campaign?  

Sisterhood is a central theme in this campaign and a constant presence in my work. To me, sisterhood goes beyond traditional bonds—it can be found in a lover, a friend, or a peer. I sought to blur those lines in this campaign, capturing a shared energy where identities blend and evolve. I was inspired by films like Robert Altman’s 3 Women, Ingmar Bergman’s Persona, and many of Éric Rohmer’s works. Like Rohmer, I’m fascinated by the subtle dynamics between women in domestic and intimate settings. I’m drawn to the complexity and ambiguity of human relationships, and I wanted this campaign to reflect a type of female bond similar to those Rohmer explored in his films.

How would you describe your creative bond with your sister, and how has this relationship influenced the campaign’s portrayal of sisterhood?  

Anna is my creative mirror. We understand each other’s thoughts almost supernaturally. She was my first muse, and she also is one of my greatest collaborators. On set, we barely need to speak. She instantly knows my vision and brings it to life with a look or gesture. So, this is echoed deeply in the images. They get to another level of intimacy. It’s me looking at her, her looking at me looking at Adwoa, and Adwoa looking at us both. It’s a beautifully charged exchange of collective energy.   

Your approach to photography often blurs the line between fiction and reality. How did this sense of fluidity and creative exchange influence the dynamic between you, Adwoa, and your sister during the shoot?

I approach photography as a documentary process (even though we are creating fiction, the feelings are real). I love to create an environment where subjects can move and behave naturally. I encourage my subjects to guide where the camera goes. Because we had the added element of me also being a character in this story and my sister capturing it, we were able to create a very natural flow where each of us took the reins at one point.   

How do collaborations such as this shape your creative vision?  

It’s helpful for my creative process to be challenged by specific parameters. I find that working collaboratively or under a specific premise pushes me to a different type of imaginative space that I might not achieve alone.

Were there any specific outfits from the Spring collection that helped set the tone or mood of the campaign’s narrative?

I loved the pink flowy dress I wore. It allowed for light to flow through it and made room for movement.    

Fashion seems central to your storytelling. Can you elaborate on what fashion means to you personally and professionally?  

Personally, fashion is how I express myself and my subjectivity. Professionally, fashion is a way to tell a story, bringing different elements together to create a narrative. As a director, it is crucial for me to use costuming in my storytelling. The audience learns a lot about a character based on their outfit.      

Your early work in the 2010s was highly influential in shaping a distinctive aesthetic movement. How would you say your style has evolved since then, and how would you describe the essence of your creative expression today?  

The scope of my work has grown to further accommodate my evolving interests in image-making and storytelling. I think working with limited means allowed me to develop a certain style at a specific time and now my work is reflecting an ambition to work on a larger scale.   

If you could direct the impact you want your art to have on women, what would that impact be?  

I want women to relate to the themes in my work and feel empowered to be creative and make their own work.

ABOUT PETRA COLLINS 

Petra Collins (b. 1992) is a Canadian artist, photographer, and filmmaker known for her evocative, ethereal work exploring femininity, self-discovery, and digital complexities. Beginning her career at 15, Collins has become a defining voice in contemporary visual culture, blending art, fashion, and film while influencing pop culture. Collins continues to challenge conventions, reimagining narratives as one of her generation’s most dynamic creative forces.

ABOUT ADWOA ABOAH

Adwoa Aboah (b. 1992) is a British model, actress, and mental health advocate recognized for her influence in fashion and social advocacy. Named Model of the Year in 2017, she has appeared on British, American, and Italian Vogue covers. As the founder of Gurls Talk, Aboah empowers young women to discuss mental health. A TIME Next Generation Leader and Forbes 30 Under 30 honouree, she continues to inspire with her bold activism and presence.