For some, the journey towards a life in fashion is a matter of happenstance, but for others, it’s a case of manifest destiny. After ten minutes with photographer, Luigi Murenu (Streeters New York), it’s hard to imagine him being in any other business. His engaging personality seems tailor-made for fashion’s relationship-centric inner circle, but it’s his discerning eye that positions him as one born for the visual rigors of a fashionable life. Sitting in the bespoke parlor of his Chelsea home, one is immediately taken by the design and precision of the surroundings. On his walls, lush paintings from Argentine surrealist, Leonor Fini, hang: a quartet of well dressed skeletons with contrasting personalities and a rich history of their own. “She was a character,” he tells me, voice lowering as though sharing a secret, “best friends with Anna Magnani, but at the same time a protege of Salvador Dali, I love her paintings – it’s my fantasy to have a surrealist way of seeing things. It comes out in my work, I think, that emphasis on grandness.”

Grandness is an understatement; Luigi along with his partner Iango Henzi have amassed a body of work that is visually stunning, modern, and provocative. Open up any of the world’s finest fashion glossies, and you’re sure to see a Luigi & Iango portrait either on the cover or within the editorial pages. Vogue Japan, Vogue Germany, Vogue Italia, and countless others have embraced the duo’s signature style and regularly feature their work. Anyone familiar with fashion knows the story of Luigi as an iconic hairstylist, but his contributions to fashion extend beyond hair. Photography represents Murenu’s passion and the ultimate showcase for the full scope of what he can do. His transition into photography was as much about expressing his unique point of view as it was about harnessing all his talents. “The past four years working with Iango it brought out so much in me. It wasn’t only about hair, it wasn’t only about the photography, it was about a vast scenario. I had always loved to get involved in shootings that way, but now that I’m doing my own shoots, it’s like I have found my voice.”

And what a voice it is; in keeping with his appreciation for glamour, Murenu and Henzi have crafted a well-edited portfolio of work dominated by portraits of the world’s most captivating women. Kate Moss, Linda Evangelista, Naomi Campbell, Claudia Schiffer, and more have been transformed by Luigi & Iango’s lens. The pair eschews stripped-down naturalism in favor of a modern take on supreme beauty. A Luigi & Iango portrait presents its subject at their best: luminous skin, elegant dress, and, of course, a spectacular coif to finish things off. This commitment to beauty is part of Murenu’s DNA and is a uniting factor amongst those with the utmost respect for the women impacted by their aesthetic. Just as Yves Saint Laurent couldn’t take the sight of a woman “rendered pathetic by fashion,” Murenu is uninterested in making his women look like anything less than goddesses.

The ease with which Murenu has acclimated himself to being part of a photographic duo may have something to do with his innate understanding of the collaborative process. The essence of all partnerships stems from collaboration, and after years on set, it’s a skill that Murenu’s honed to perfection. “There are certain artists who prefer to work with just one photographer all their lives, but I had the opportunity to work with many and I think that was crucial. It was like going to a great school in a way. It allowed me insight into different perspectives, different ways to work, I was able to collaborate with so many people I respect. Not just photographers, but big stylists, the greatest makeup artists – I can keep going until tomorrow with names of amazing people!” Being surrounded by talent has a way of bringing out the best in oneself, and Murenu credits these formative experiences with helping to form his aesthetic.

Murenu’s storied training ground served as a starting point for developing his own ideas about imagery. Great pictures are the result of great teams, a fact he readily acknowledges. “Everything – from the styling, the makeup, the hair, the attitude in general – that’s what makes pictures. It’s the combined knowledge of everyone on set.” Still the appeal of being at the helm of a project proved irresistible; even before being officially signed as a photographer Murenu’s creative vision dictated the look and feel of the images he crafted in collaboration with Henzi. Luigi’s eye for detail and hands on approach impacted everything from the final product’s mise en scene, to the poses of the models, making his role all-encompassing and one that he relishes. ”As a hairdresser, I could only bring one element to the production. Now it’s like I have to be in control of every element of the shoot, and that I’ve arrived at a point where I’m controlling all aspects of the image gives me so much freedom. It’s the most freed you can be as an artist and it is really a luxury.”

Together Luigi and Iango have refined a style that is instantly recognizable and built a thriving career as sought-after image makers. To make a jump from one side of the business to another is a game of chance, but for Murenu, the rewards were well worth any risks involved. “When we began, I wanted to create something and so I took the risk and did it. In life you have to risk. My life is always in a state of change, I’m a Gemini so I like to evolve. I don’t want to just stay on the same level, I like to keep moving further up.”