Alasdair McLellan is a British photographer. He has published the books Umbro by Kim Jones, Ultimate Clothing Company, Ceremony, The Palace, and Blondey 15-21.
Life and work
McLellan was born in 1974 in Doncaster, South Yorkshire. His book, Ultimate Clothing Company, was published in 2013 and documented modern British masculinity. His career has seen him working across the international fashion press including Vogue UK, Vogue Paris,i-D, Love,Another Magazine,Another Man,Arena Homme +,Man About Town,032c,Self Service, The Gentlewoman,Fantastic Man, and W, and he has photographed advertising campaigns for Gucci, Miu Miu, Burberry, Louis Vuitton, Margaret Howell, Topshop, Calvin Klein, Palace and Supreme. McLellan's portrait of Adele features on the cover of her album, 25. In Summer 2015, McLellan shot all of the photography in i-D magazine's 35th Birthday Issue, including 18 covers. In January 2016, Ceremony, his third book, was published featuring a project he worked on in 2006 photographing the ceremonial troops of the British Army. McLellan documented the ceremonial soldiers of the British Army with their full support for a feature in Arena Homme Plus magazine. The images capture the soldiers as part of the famous Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace, and also off duty grooming their horses, prepping their uniforms, and at ease in their barracks. Ceremony is a document of both the ceremonial side of the British Army, and also the incredible discipline required to maintain its powerful and cherished traditions. Proceeds from the book will be donated to ABF - The Soldiers' Charity. The Palace, the fourth survey of McLellan's work was published in July 2016. The book features his ongoing documentation since 2009 of the Palace Skateboards team and their associates in the London skate gang, Palace Wayward Boys Choir. This was coupled with an exhibition at the ICA in London featuring 64 framed prints, and a video installation by Palace founder, Lev Tanju. In October 2016, McLellan directed the music video to the single "On Hold" by British band The xx. Filmed in Marfa, Texas featuring model Ali Michael and professional skater/model Blondey McCoy. In March 2017, McLellan directed the video for the next single "Say Something Loving" from The xx's third albumI See You. This was filmed in London. The third video, "I Dare You", was produced in collaboration with Raf Simons and Calvin Klein, and featured a cast of young actors and filmed in Los Angeles, including Ashton Sanders, Millie Bobby Brown, and Paris Jackson. Blondey 15-21 a book documenting the skateboarder and artist, Blondey McCoy's growth and the model/photographer relationship over the course of seven years. It was self-published in collaboration with art directors, M/M Paris. After meeting Blondey when he was 15, McLellan continued to photograph him for fashion editorial, commercial work, and personal projects. In Autumn 2019, McLellan photographed the album artwork for Rex Orange County's third album, Pony.
