Do clothes make the man? Portrait of the Absent, a new book of flat-lay photographs by Jack Jildevik, might make you think about that idea. Over the course of a year, the Swedish artist created bodiless self-portraits by documenting outfits he arranged on the floor of a storage facility. “I think it’s fascinating how much of someone’s identity can exist in the things they leave behind,” Jildevik said.
It might be a coincidence, but the flat-lay aesthetic is creeping into (fashion) photography at the same time that Ozempic is shrinking bodies. Not that the trend had anything to do with Jildevik adopting the format for this deeply personal project.
JAN-01 Martin Margiela sweater, 2000s; shoes, 2005. Vintage shirt, jeans, and Swedish army gloves.
“I find flat-lay fascinating because it can expose the essence of an object while simultaneously distorting its shape. It reveals and conceals at the same time, making something ordinary feel strangely mysterious,” observed Berlin-based art director Elsa Mueller, Jildevik’s collaborator on the book and its publisher (through her new publishing house Prince). “I find flat-lay fascinating because it can expose the essence of an object while simultaneously distorting its shape,” she continued. “It reveals and conceals at the same time, making something ordinary feel strangely mysterious.”
Born in Stockholm, Jildevik earned a law degree there before moving to Paris to study fashion business and communication at ESMOD, after which he worked with CMMN SWDN and Hodakova. An accident broke the linearity of his career and redirected it toward art. “I’ve been creating since I was a kid, always exploring, collecting and making things. I was an overly nostalgic child, always drawn to, almost obsessed with, old objects, materials, and the lives they carry. I think that fascination has followed me through everything I’ve done.”
The artist himself is a ghostlike constant in the book, which draws some of its power from the way it resists the centrality of the body and the narcissism that defines culture today. Jildevik’s pictures are as much portraits of garments as of himself. This idea of a piece of clothing having status as a stand-alone object runs counter to the received wisdom that the body completes a garment. “Removing the body altogether and letting the things that would normally surround or cover it take its place is something that really interests me,” Jildevik said. “I’ve spent over 15 years collecting clothes and objects, and they’ve all become part of my life in different ways. They carry memories, different periods of my life, and sometimes versions of myself that no longer exist. With Portrait of the Absent, I started taking these things out of their original context, rearranging them into new compositions and photographing them as self-portraits.… The person is absent, but in a way everything that makes the portrait personal is still there.”
Almost everything—the face is usually the focal point of a portrait. This book forces us to consider how clothing can communicate identity without the body, or gestures, or the visage, but rather through arrangement and spatial orientation.
JAN-02 Vintage jacket, scarf, gloves. Martin Margiela trousers, 2006. Crockett & Jones shoes, 2000s.
JAN-03 Comme des Garçons jacket. Vintage shirt, skirt, Swedish army gloves. Jeanerica jeans. Iaoke shoes, 2000s.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
What’s your relationship with objects?
I’ve always been obsessed with collecting. Ever since I was a kid, I’ve always cherished my things a lot—not expensive things, but finding things that only I have. My parents have always been flea market and secondhand geeks, that’s all they do, and I guess I got hooked at a very early age. I started collecting small action figures and porcelain. [Now] I’m working on some art pieces where I build stuff from what I’ve been collecting. For me, it’s so much about the stories that these things carry. I can’t throw anything away becEverything means so much to me. JAN-06 Barbour jacket. Martin Margiela gloves; shoes, 2005. Our Legacy jeans. Vintage socks.
And what’s your relationship with fashion? I’m a nerd; I’ve been collecting clothes since I was 15. My collection is mostly vintage, just flea market finds. All of the designer pieces are bought mostly from old men in Italy and also flea markets in Paris. I’ve never had a big budget, but I’ve always seen it as an investment because I’m so passionate about it. I’ve never really been interested in the big designer fashion houses. Martin Margiela was my first love in fashion—my first designer love. I’m not alone in that love. Before that it was just clothes. JAN-07 Vintage jacket, scarf, Swedish army gloves, shoes. Martin Margiela trousers, 2006.
How did you come up with the concept for Portrait of the Absent? I used to put together all these outfits of characters when I was growing up. When I was going out, I would do three different characters on the floor. And then one day I just took a picture of it and thought, This is kind of… It looked cool. Eventually I thought I would make this something bigger. So I decided maybe I should do a month of this. And then after a month, I just felt like it would be so cool to do a full year and challenge myself. I’ve always also been obsessed with clothes and the story behind them, finding old pieces and fixing them and redoing them. A lot of the time I wouldn’t dare to wear them, but I felt like I could become a character with what I was wearing. I felt that I was one person, but sometimes you want to be a totally different person. The older I’ve become, the braver I am, and I dare to put on all this stuff and be whoever I want to be. Doing this project that I’ve been working on for the last year with 365 self-portraits, I am asking the question, Who do I want to be today? JAN-11 Martin Margiela vest, 2003; trousers, 2021; shoes, 2005. Balenciaga sweater. Our Legacy belt. Vintage Swedish army gloves. JAN-13 Vintage jacket, jabot, and Swedish army gloves. Sunflower sweater. Givenchy scarf, 2013. Our Legacy jeans. Armani shoes, 2000s.
Are there any repeats? Some of the pieces are the same, but there are no repeat outfits. So this person that you want to become, is that a character? I think it’s more of a character. Especially when you’re feeling blue or down or something has affected you. I’ve always been an anxious person, someone who overthinks almost everything. Getting dressed has often been a way of escaping those feelings. Putting on my armor for the day, becoming whoever I wanted to be in that moment. But since I dared to pursue my art, something started to change. I found a freedom in creating that I hadn’t really felt before. The doubts are still there, but I no longer feel the same need to hide behind that armor. In a way, I’ve become one with it. JAN-16 Martin Margiela jacket, 1999; gloves 2003. Acne Studios sweater. Our Legacy jeans. Moma shoes.
What do you think the book says about you? I think you can see some kind of obsession and appreciation of the object. I think you see clothes in a different, new kind of way. When you remove the body, it’s just clothes. But I think just clothes can be so much more than just clothes. I want to be able to see me; even if the 365 outfits are so different, you can still see that it’s me, even if I’m not there. And I think that’s what I find interesting about it as well. I really want to show appreciation of the garments and that I’m obsessed with them. FEB-14 Vintage jacket, scarf, jeans. Acne Studios sweater. Martin Margiela gloves. Moma shoes.
Having completed the book, do you have a new obsession? I have a lot of obsessions, but I have a lot of new ideas, also how to work with this idea and also to do portraits of other people in the same kind of way. MAR-19 Vintage jacket, scarf, jabot, gloves. Acne Studios jeans. Crockett & Jones shoes, 2000s.
Do you think fashion is art? Even though Martin Margiela said that fashion is not art, I think about what he was dI think it’s art because of the craftsmanship, the design, the creation, and the process. To me, it’s art. But if I were asked to say yes or no, I’d say no—though it’s a no with a lot of buts and ifs. I don’t think fashion is art in itself, but I think fashion can be art. And I think fashion is such a broad word that includes so much.
MAY-30 Vintage jacket and jabot. Martin Margiela T-shirt, 2000s; gloves, 2003, trousers, 2005. Grenson shoes, 1990s.
JUL-14 Martin Margiela jacket, 2008; T-shirt 2000s. Vintage belt and trousers. Moma shoes.
It’s a recurring theme that people aspire to creativity through a childlike mindset. What’s your take on that?
I think childhood, for me, is a place where everything was possible. Maybe I’m escaping through creativity. If I go back to my childhood, I can be free and do whatever, and it doesn’t matter. I don’t have to be right, I don’t have to be good—it can just be. It’s so much easier to create as your inner child. And then afterward you can look at it with your adult eyes.
JUL-31 Vintage jacket and scarf. Helmut Lang bag, 2001. Jeanerica jeans. Ioake shoes, 2000s.
I guess fashion is part of the adult world as we start making assumptions based on garments.
I think clothing can sometimes be very limiting for a lot of people too. You just want to belong… I can see that in young kids, especially in schools where everybody has the exact same jeans and hoodie. Maybe it’s always been like that, but with society being the way it is, people just need somewhere to belong because we don’t really have religion in Sweden. We’re kind of lonely people, or at least reserved. And I think just by these signals—that we’re all wearing the same thing—we’re a group, or we belong to each other. And of course it’s the same thing in offices where everybody looks kind of the same.
JUN-12 Martin Margiela jacket, 2001; T-shirt 2000s. Vintage vest and trousers. Moma shoes.
DEC 13 Martin Margiela jacket, 2002. Vintage T-shirt and trousers. Helmut Lang shoes, 2004.
How have you observed fashion changing?
All these big groups have changed the fashion industry. And I think the art world has also become something it’s not supposed to be. A painting for a billion dollars doesn’t make sense. It’s supposed to be cherished and shared.
I’ve always felt that art can show someone’s identity in its rawest form. Reading a book, a poem, seeing a painting or a sculpture, or even hearing the intro of a song—nothing makes me feel closer to another person than experiencing something they’ve created that I really connect with. Sometimes I almost feel like I’m becoming one with them, like I’m being invited into their inner world and getting to share that space for a moment. And I think showing someone something you’ve created yourself can be one of the most exposing things you can do. You’re letting someone into a part of yourself that you might not even know how to express in words.
Portrait of the artist as a published author: Jack Jildevik.
“For the slip case, I wanted to echo the gestures of Jack’s practice while referencing the notion of absence and trace. The print was created by pressing an actual shirt onto an inked gel plate, leaving an imprint that was then transferred onto paper. The shirt is no longer there, but its physical trace remains.” —Elsa Mueller
“For the slip case, I wanted to echo the gestures of Jack’s practice while referencing the notion of absence and trace. The print was created by pressing an actual shirt onto an inked gel plate, leaving an imprint that was then transferred onto paper. The shirt is no longer there, but its physical trace remains.” —Elsa Mueller
“For Portrait of the Absent, it was clear to me that each image needed to exist on its own,” says designer and publisher Elsa Mueller. By positioning every image in exactly the same place, turning the pages allows you to gradually perceive the subtle changes between them. I also like that the book has no“For Portrait of the Absent, it was clear to me that each image needed to stand on its own,” says designer and publisher Elsa Mueller. By placing every image in exactly the same spot, turning the pages lets you gradually notice the subtle differences between them. I also like that the book has no real beginning or end. You can start and finish on a different page each time.”
Frequently Asked Questions
Here are FAQs about His Year in Fashion Artist Jack Jildevik Documented His Wardrobe in 365 FlatLay Photos
1 What is the project about
Artist Jack Jildevik photographed one outfit every day for a year laying each outfit flat on the floor and shooting it from above The result is 365 flatlay photos that document a full year of his wardrobe
2 What is a flat lay
A flat lay is a photo taken from directly above with items arranged flat on a surface Its a popular style in fashion and lifestyle photography because it shows every piece clearly
3 Who is Jack Jildevik
Hes an artist who turned his daily clothing choices into a yearlong visual project using photography to document his personal style
4 Why did he do it
To create a visual record of his wardrobe and daily style over a full year Its a way to explore personal style repetition and the everyday act of getting dressed as an art form
5 How did he keep it consistent for 365 days
By setting simple rulessame overhead angle same flatlay setup one outfit per day A consistent format makes the individual photos easy to compare and the whole series feel unified
6 What can you learn from a project like this
You can see how often you actually wear certain pieces spot your real style patterns and notice how seasons and routines shape what you wear
7 What are the benefits of documenting your wardrobe this way
It builds selfawareness about what you own and wear helps identify gaps and unused items and creates a personal visual archive you can look back on
8 What common problems come up with a daily photo project
Staying consistent is the biggest challengemissing days losing motivation or letting lighting and setup vary Bad lighting and cluttered backgrounds can also weaken the photos
9 How can I try this myself
Pick a simple setup a clean surface good natural light and a fixed camera position Shoot at the same time each day and keep the arrangement consistent
10 Do I need professional equipment
No A smartphone with decent lighting is enough Consistency matters more than gear