Man wearing a white t-shirt with attached bird wings leaning against a white wall for QUINTET Issue 9

Shirtless black model wearing metallic gold trousers standing against a white wall with soft shadow

Close-up portrait of a male model wearing a red structured jacket over a grey ribbed turtleneck sweater.

Monochrome portrait of a male model with distinctive patterned light cast across his forehead and face

Model wearing a white t-shirt and sequin shorts standing against a gradient pink and blue background for Public Editions.

A young male model wearing a white polo shirt and black leather pants poses against a plain white wall with a distinct shadow cast.

Close-up monochrome portrait of a young man with slicked-back hair and a textured collar against a bright white background.

Black model crouching in paint-splattered jeans and white sleeveless top against a glossy brown background

Shirtless male model from behind wearing shiny metallic gold trousers against a white seamless background

Monochrome portrait of a male model in a white tuxedo shirt and dark trousers against a plain studio background.

Model in a red long-sleeve top and distressed blue jeans hanging from a horizontal bar against a dark background

Monochrome portrait of a young man with a dark star painted around his eye against a plain studio background.

PUBLIC Editions QUINTET - Issue 9 2026

About

In the latest installment of the QUINTET series, Issue 9 by PUBLIC Editions, the project navigates the complex intersection of luxury fashion houses and modern editorial photography. This collection serves as a profound visual meditation on texture, form, and the human silhouette. Photographer Mitchell O'Neil orchestrates a masterful interplay between the subjects and their environments, leaning into the tension between minimalist, colour-blocked backgrounds and the tactile richness of the garments. The project leans heavily into the editorial aesthetic, utilizing a sophisticated mix of studio strobe and natural light to elevate the styling by Jack Collins. With a diverse cast including Matthieu Picard, Michael Zielinski, Oladipo Ezekiel, and Paolo Grebic, the imagery oscillates between raw, cinematic portraits and high-concept fashion narratives. Techniques such as low-key, chiaroscuro lighting are used to carve out sharp, graphic compositions that emphasize individual facial structure and the intricate detailing of distressed knits and metallic textiles. The inclusion of subtle, deliberate details—from feathered textures to painted facial motifs—confirms a commitment to avant-garde portraiture that challenges traditional sartorial presentation. By stripping away the superfluous, the work allows the deliberate interplay of light and material to take center stage, establishing QUINTET Issue 9 as a definitive study in contemporary male aesthetics, where the quiet power of the subject is consistently balanced against the dramatic, shadow-heavy lighting that defines the series' visual signature.