Considered by many to be Britain’s most successful fashion photographer, Rankin’s portfolio is absurdly impressive. Since first picking up a camera, he has photographed countless iconic musicians, from the rock gods who helped shape our musical landscape to the indie icons of the Britpop era, and the genre-bending superstars who define the record industry today.  

As a co-founder of Dazed & Confused, AnOther, and Hunger magazines, Rankin helped define the aesthetics and attitudes of the 1990s and 2000s, and his influence continues to be seen everywhere from fashion editorials to cinematography, graphic design, and even music videos. Rizzoli released PLAY, the first book focusing entirely on Rankin’s iconic music portraiture. 

Divided by themes: Heroes, Pop Royalty, Cool Britannia, Across the Atlantic, The Sounds of Hunger and My Generation — PLAY collects nearly two hundred of Rankin’s favourite images of the most influential artists of the last three decades, from David Bowie and Elton John to Pharrell, The Spice Girls, Grimes, and Björk. The book was made in close collaboration with many of the artists featured, and includes Rankin’s anecdotes sprinkled throughout, revealing the reciprocal relationship between the star power of popular music and the iconography of fashion, all through Rankin’s inimitable style.

“Music has always played an important part in my life. It was album covers that were among my first photographic inspirations. Going back through my archive, the funniest thing I came across was how many of these images the artists didn’t like at the time. Their hair was out of place, they didn’t like the shoot’s concept, they didn’t like me. But now, how those images seem to perfectly embody who they were; like all of the little bits that make a shoot, the hair, makeup, styling, all come together to codify their career though imagery. I’m always trying to do that with my work. I’m taking a photograph not just to capture that person at that point in time; I want to create that picture. The image that tells you everything you need to know.” - Rankin discussing PLAY, 2020.