Having been in the game since the 1990’s, there can be no doubt that TONI&GUY’s International Artistic Director and Head of Education Cos Sakkas has learned a thing or two about creating an outstanding collection.

His work has been nominated for some of the most illustrious honours in the industry, and here he takes us through his top tips for pulling together a stunning collection, and imparts his lessons learned across a twenty year career.

Take them in below…

Make sure your models are individual and beautiful in their own rights. Don’t be a follower of fashion but work with their own personal beauty.

Create a physical mood board rather than collecting images on your phone. It will help with your creativity and be a reference point for everyone on the day.

Ensure hair, make-up and clothes all work together. Remember it is a hair shoot and  you don’t want to detract from the hairstyle you have created, so keep everything else  simple and understated.

Work with a team who share the same vision as you. Ensure, however, that they will also push you to try new things.

Shoot for you and no one else.  Don’t shoot for the Awards, shoot for yourself. You want a  collection that is true to you and shows your skills, passion and vision. If you put pressure on  your shoulders to create a winning collection, you will lose your focus.

Shoot in both colour and black and white. Both will be beautiful, but give a different dimension to your finished look.

Stay focused, and don’t be distracted by whacky ideas. Find your niche, stick to what you’re good at and produce images that are both beautiful and trend led.

Take your time when cropping your images. Full length has a totally different feeling to  close up, so choose wisely and don’t rush this process.