THE MEN OF MARIO TESTINO’S #TOWELSERIES
Intimacy. Identity. The quiet power of being seen.
Mario Testino’s #TowelSeries remains one of the most recognisable bodies of portraiture in contemporary culture. A simple idea – a subject styled in towels, nothing more – became a meditation on identity, fame, and the performance of self. “The towel is not a garment,” Testino once said. “There is no defined way to wear it; you can do anything you want.”
Conceived as a spontaneous experiment in his studio, the series quickly evolved into a landmark of digital portraiture, and notably, it was the first body of work Testino created with Instagram in mind. It blurred the line between fine art and social media, turning a simple towel into a global visual language of confidence, equality, and seduction.
While its earliest portraits featured some of the world’s most photographed women, the men of the #TowelSeries introduced a new dimension. Cristiano Ronaldo, Pharrell Williams, David Gandy, Neymar, Justin Bieber, Cam Newton, Odell Beckham Jr., and others appear stripped of fashion’s armour yet full of character. Testino reframes masculinity through vulnerability and poise, balancing athleticism and intimacy, strength and stillness.
Among them is Derek Zoolander, the fictional male model brought to life by Ben Stiller. His inclusion was no parody, but a clever play on fame and performance. The connection between Zoolander and Testino traces back to the photographer’s promotional campaign for Zoolander 2, when he shot the character both for his iconic #TowelSeries and a limited-edition Cîroc vodka bottle celebrating the film’s release. By folding a satire of modelling into his most intimate portrait series, Testino blurred the boundaries between pop culture, irony, and high art.
The genius of the #TowelSeries lies in its tension. Each image feels both spontaneous and deliberate, playful yet reverent. The towel becomes the great equaliser; a soft, neutral fabric that dissolves hierarchy, revealing the human behind the celebrity. The men look directly at us, unguarded and aware of their own mythology. Together, they form a continuum that stretches from Renaissance portraiture to today’s visual age, each portrait a study of fame, identity, and self-possession.
More than a study of skin, the #TowelSeries is a study of presence. These images, a decade on, feel prophetic. They anticipated today’s obsession with authenticity, vulnerability, and curated intimacy, yet they still transcend the noise. Testino’s portraits remind us that power often lies in restraint. The less you reveal, the more there is to feel.