“Put your PJs on!” was born in 2010, inspired by the endless and incredibly diverse flow of individuals that gives life to daily commutes in NYC. This diversity is what makes the city and other global metropolises so unique. They manage to assemble a collection of ethnicities, social backgrounds, languages, religions, professions, passions, dreams, that is unprecedented. All this crowd living together and passing by while barely acknowledging their surroundings kept intriguing me, and I started wondering: “What could be something that all these people share? Wall street investment bankers, art students, waiters, expats, immigrants, catholics, muslims, cab drivers,…We can’t be all that different!”
Beyond social personas, costumes (whether a bespoke suit, a vintage checked shirt, or a djellaba), beyond roles we assign ourselves, what could be our common denominator?
“Pajamas” are one universal answer, and I started shooting New Yorkers wearing their own version of this outfit. This one costume shared by both the corporate lawyer and the fashion design student. The Hasidic Jew and the street-food cook (and even some chihuahuas!). People started opening their doors, allowing me to peek into their privacy, and discover a little bit of their universe, while they dropped the mask.
This was only the preamble as my curiosity was now piqué. And as the questioning grew bigger, the answer became global: France, UK, South Korea, India, Taiwan, China…I’ll show you the whole world in their pajamas!