‘Lotta has a natural connection and understanding of fashion, and more importantly of contemporary culture. Another aspect that I admire is her curiosity and respect of individuals.’ — Miuccia Prada

‍It is understandably difficult to pin down Lotta Volkova. She works a lot, for many people, on many things: collaborating on fashion shows and advertising campaigns; consulting on collections, sometimes under her own name and sometimes those of others; and shooting editorial work that ends up in magazines and is occasionally bound into limited-edition books that become collectors-only art pieces. She is one of the most influential creatives working in fashion today.

‘Freelance stylist’ is the rather ironic ‘snippet’ (as it’s known) that comes up under the Google search result for her website. A site that is actually just a blank black page, no email, no nothing. Call my agent! It’s true, of course – she is indeed a freelance stylist – but it’s written with a blunt, matter-of-factness that makes her sound like a plumber. No job too big or too small. ‘I’m not really interested in the grand titles,’ Volkova says, when I ask her about it. ‘I’m not really interested in stardom, let’s say, and all of that attention. I’m actually interested in the work.’