Lucy Bridge uses her first book, Colour Mode, to present 10 newly made fashion stories instead of a career retrospective, giving readers a fresh view of her color-heavy make-up work. Published by Thames & Hudson, the £45 title also folds in behind-the-scenes pages that track how Bridge develops a look from concept to finished image.
Created with creative director Veronica Ditting, the book balances those commissioned shoots with an archive section that reaches back to 2009. Placing polished editorials beside process images lets readers see both the finished face and the decisions behind it.
Commissioning 10 fresh shoots turns a beauty book into a collaborative editorial object rather than a simple portfolio recap. The archive and working-process pages widen its use, giving fashion readers a collectible volume while giving make-up artists a clearer reference for how avant-garde looks are built.
Image Credit: Photographed by Jean Marques. Courtesy of Lucy Bridge
What's Driving This Trend
- Commissioned Beauty Monographs
- Freshly produced editorial stories transform artist books into collectible launches that blend portfolio value with new cultural content.
- Process-led Fashion Publishing
- Behind-the-scenes documentation creates educational appeal for professionals seeking insight into how experimental beauty and styling concepts are developed.
- Hybrid Archive Storytelling
- Combining historical work with new commissions gives creative careers a richer narrative format that supports both fandom and professional reference.
Who This Affects Most
- Beauty Publishing
- Art-led make-up books can expand beyond retrospective formats by pairing premium visuals with practical creative-development context.
- Fashion Media
- Editorial collaborations in book form offer magazines, photographers, and stylists new pathways for long-form visual storytelling and monetization.
- Professional Make-up Education
- Detailed concept-to-image documentation provides training resources that bridge aspirational artistry with applied techniques for avant-garde looks.
