He has photographed some of the world's most famous figures, from supermodels and musicians to politicians and royalty. In 2002, for the late Queen Elizabeth II's Golden Jubilee, he made history as the first photographer to capture the monarch smiling in an official portrait.
However, for his latest exhibition, Back in the Dazed, Rankin shifts his focus to how it all began. The retrospective celebrates stand-out imagery from over 200 editorial shoots during the first decade of Dazed and Confused - a groundbreaking magazine he co-founded with Jefferson Hack in 1991, while they were students at the London College of Printing.
Over these ten years, the magazine became a defining voice in fashion, culture, and the arts. It didn't just capture the hedonistic zeitgeist of the time; it was integral to the narrative. "We wanted to be part of the culture," Rankin tells HELLO!. "I wanted to break the rules. Contributors came to us because we were so different in our approach to publishing. We didn't want to report, we wanted to be part of something."
Presented in chronological order, the exhibition traces Rankin's evolution from his earliest shots to becoming an in-demand photographer, capturing some of the most famous faces of the time. It features icons such as Kate Moss, David Bowie, Jude Law, Björk, and Kylie Minogue, although he explains that during the early days, "It was more about an amazing lens, than celebrities."
"And that's what's interesting, it's about one photographer in a decade." Rankin describes the 90s as starting in 1991 and finishing on September 11, 2001 when, "Everything changed overnight," he reflects. "Including me—I became more serious."
Alongside the two founding editors, British stylist and founder of Pop, Love and Perfect magazines, Katie Grand, was fashion director. Photographer Phil Poynter, known for his contributions to Italian, British, and French Vogue, Love, Pop, Numero, and Vanity Fair, was the photo director. And stylists Katie England, Alister Mackie, and Nicola Formichetti also joined the team.
"I look at them now and think, I worked with some incredible people. And took them all for granted back then, now I realise they were absolutely extraordinary to work with."
Tickets available from: 180studios.com/rankin. Back in the Dazed: Rankin 1991-2001. Show finishes on Sunday, 7 July, 2024. 180 STUDIOS, 180 The Strand, London WC2R 1EA.