Step Into the Light!

There was a time when a fashion campaign required an enormous crew, an even bigger camera and a production budget best left unmentioned. But for several years, that has no longer been the case. With Juergen Teller shooting ad campaigns on his iphone, with its camera so  sophisticated, the question of what makes a great fashion photograph with what means is getting rather interesting. Social media and the ubiquitous smartphone with a camera has made everyone a photographer.

Enter Apple, which has enlisted Indian fashion label Raw Mango for ‘Step Into the Light’, a new film celebrating Diwali, shot entirely on the iPhone 18 Pro.

Founded in 2008 by textile designer Sanjay Garg, Raw Mango has been making a name for itself through its contemporary interpretations of traditional Indian textiles. Following its London Fashion Week debut earlier this year, the brand is becoming an increasingly familiar name on our radar, and for good reason.

Directed by Garg himself, the film takes us to Tijara Fort, a restored 19th-century palace in Rajasthan, where dancers move between darkness and light to a folk reinterpretation of Anu Malik's '90s hit Roop Suhana Lagta Hai. Chanderi fabrics, Varanasi brocades and Mashru textiles come together in a glorious display of colour and craftsmanship, bringing centuries of Indian textile traditions into the present.

Of course, Diwali, the festival of lights, makes a rather fitting occasion to test the iPhone's low-light capabilities. But beyond the technical achievements, there's something particularly lovely about seeing Apple use its global platform to champion independent, Indian design, music and movement. And if this is what can be achieved with a phone, we know the next generation of fashion productions will look rather different. Although we're not ready to relinquish the photographer's eye, it’s a whole lot easier to bring a team together and focus on making magic when you have the tools more easily at your disposal.

Discover the full film HERE