Study - VOLUME 10 - 03.25 - On Reimagining Perfection

For our tenth issue, we sought to examine beauty not as a distant ideal or an abstract concept, but as something tangible—something that is meticulously crafted before it reaches the world.

To explore this perspective, German photographer Valeria Herklotz spent several days immersed in the inner workings of the Shiseido factory in Japan, documenting the very place where beauty, in its most material form, is produced.

Rather than focusing solely on the final, polished aesthetic of beauty as seen in advertising campaigns, this project turns its attention to the source—the factory floor, where raw ingredients are transformed into the products that shape our perceptions of allure and self-expression. The stark contrast between the high-gloss imagery of beauty marketing and the reality of industrial production is central to this narrative. Lipsticks, foundations, and countless other cosmetics are not merely objects of desire; they are manufactured commodities, meticulously assembled and packaged for consumption. This raises a fundamental question: what value do we assign to these objects, and how does their origin influence our perception of them?

Herklotz’s images transcend mere documentation, offering a series of strikingly abstract portraits of beauty in the making. Through her lens, the mechanical precision of production lines, the hands that craft, and the textures of raw materials become artful compositions, revealing an unexpected poetry in the manufacturing process.

By shifting the focus from the finished product to the act of creation itself, this body of work invites us to reconsider the nature of beauty—not as an illusion, but as something built, shaped, and ultimately, made real. 

The fashion insert photographed by Roe Ethridge and styled by Akari Endo-Gaut documents Lulu Starbuck, a Brearley high school student and first-time model, in her purest form—without the intervention of professional hairstylists or makeup artists.

Contributors : Akari Endo-Gaut, Roe Ethridge, Valeria Herklotz, Sofia Nebiolo

Art Direction : Rupert Smyth Studio

Content : 112 pages of color and black and white photographs, protective packaging.

Dimensions : 21cm x 29,7cm

© Study Magazine