Fashion Eye Normandie

When he took his first photographs of the liner Normandie for Harper’s Bazaar during the winter of 1934–1935, Jean Moral could not have predicted that his career would be so closely linked to the famous ship, at the time still under construction. The young photographer was a popular reporter whose images expressed France’s carefree spirit during the interwar period. His recruitment by the American fashion magazine led to his talent being recognised. Jean Moral was on the Normandie's maiden voyage in 1935 and boarded it again in 1939, amid an increasingly oppressive international context, for a report published in the brand-new Match.

Jean Moral was born in 1906 in Marchiennes, northern France. On arriving in Paris in 1925, he became an amateur photographer. During the 1930s, his photographs were published in many magazines, including Harper’s Bazaar. After the Second World War, he devoted himself to fashion photography, working for the Albums de la Mode du Figaro and Elle, among others. In 1954, he left fashion and photography to pursue a career as a draughtsman. He moved to Switzerland and made a living out of his drawings and paintings. He died in 1999.

Inspired by the House's travel heritage, the Louis Vuitton Fashion Eye Collection evokes cities, regions or countries through the eyes of fashion photographers, from emerging talents to industry legends. Each title in the series features an extensive selection of large-format photographs, together with biographical information and an interview with the photographer or a critical essay. After Louis Vuitton City Guides and Travel Books, this third collection presents travel photography with a fashion perspective, as the chosen photographers all infuse their images of great cities, faraway places or dream destinations with their unique vision.