"It's all about just being whoever you are," model Ashley Graham tells photographer Mario Testino. In fact, we're willing to bet Graham spends most of her time off the runway spreading the gospel of self-love and self-acceptance. And rightfully so. But when the curvy model sat down for her latest photo shoot with the legendary Peruvian photographer, that daily mantra had finally made it to the biggest stage set in fashion. To be photographed by Testino is somewhat of milestone for a model's career, but to be cemented (er, accepted) into the "Mario world," as Graham puts it, is something more. Today, she becomes the first curvy model to ever sit for Testino's stripped down, ultra-personal Towel Series.
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Past subjects include Cindy Crawford, Britney Spears, Penelope Cruz, and over 140 more A-listers in the fashion, music, entertainment, and sports industries, which solidifies Graham's hard-earned status as a top model of her generation. Rumor has it that whilst at a fashion event, Graham was on stage and professed her desire to someday be photographed by Testino for his passion project. And, like most dreamlike situations models of the "discovered" sort often find themselves in, Testino happened to be in the audience. Talk about being in the right place at the right time — for both of them.
The product, which we've got an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at, is nothing short of a match made in fashion editorial heaven. From Graham's melodic, impromptu Broadway numbers to Testino's charming and adorable aloofness while she gets her hair and makeup done, a lot of laughs were shared but the perfect shot was made. "How beautiful do people look when they're stripped from everything?" Testino asks Graham. "I think so, too," she replies. And so do we. Check out their spot below and head over to miramira.tv to check out the final shot.