Mario Testino posted a shot of Kim Kardashian today as part of his Instagram towel series, which features everyone from Anna Wintour to Kendall Jenner shot by him and donning a towel. This wouldn’t be huge news just a few years ago, but Testino was accused of sexual misconduct by multiple people last year and this is one of the most high profile talents to shoot with him in recent memory. His last towel series participant was Australian Survivor season four winner, David Genat.
According to the caption written by Testino: “I always wanted to do a Towel Series with Kim, but it wasn’t until she asked me to do a portrait of her and her family that I had the chance. When I arrived at their house, she was wearing a bathrobe and nothing else, but I thought it just looked so perfect. I had to capture it. I asked her if I could photograph only her first, wearing this robe. She has such an amazing power in her body that people sometimes forget that she is also so kind and gentle.”
Testino’s fashion career has essentially halted since The New York Times ran a story early last year interviewing several models and assistants who accused him of sexual harassment. Through his lawyers, Testino has vehemently denied these allegations.
His longtime collaborator, Anna Wintour, responded in an open letter at the time writing, “Today, allegations have been made against Bruce Weber and Mario Testino, stories that have been hard to hear and heartbreaking to confront. Both are personal friends of mine who have made extraordinary contributions to Vogue and many other titles at Condé Nast over the years, and both have issued objections or denials to what has emerged. I believe strongly in the value of remorse and forgiveness, but I take the allegations very seriously, and we at Condé Nast have decided to put our working relationship with both photographers on hold for the foreseeable future.”
Testino has kept active on Instagram and still maintains 3 million+ followers including some of the most high profile industry models and photographers such as Cindy Crawford, Steven Klein, and Carine Roitfeld. We don’t have any more details on the Kardashian shoot, seemingly shot this year since he added #2019 at the end, but it will be interesting to see if any magazines or brands will follow KK’s lead and bring him back into the fold.
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