Fittingly, Paolo Roversi’s solo show in New York will debut on Sept. 12, during New York Fashion Week, at Pace’s West 25^th Street gallery. Highlighting a selection of photographs from the past 25 years, the show will be up through Oct. 25. His elegiac style was inspired by the work of August Sander, Robert Frank and Diane Arbus, as well as the Byzantine architecture and cultural backdrop of Ravenna, Italy, where he was born. Using large-format Polaroid film and primarily shooting in his Paris studio, Roversi’s dream-like and imaginative compositions transcend time.

What would become his life’s dedication started when he was a teenager on a family trip in 1964. Once back home, Roversi built a darkroom in the basement and began his career a few years later with the Associated Press. By 1973, he had moved to Paris, where he assisted the British photographer Lawrence Sackmann. Jobs for Elle, Depeche Mode, and Dior followed, as did ad campaigns for Cerruti, Comme des Garçons, Yves Saint Laurent, Valentino, and more. At the end of this month, Thames & Hudson will release “Paolo Roversi: Photofile,” a collection of many of his most famous images.

Hitting pause on his annual seaside holiday at his family’s home in Ravenna beside the sea, Roversi spoke with WWD Weekend about the upcoming exhibition of his work, Kate Moss’ strength, the loss of loved ones and why it’s better to stay away from the fashion industry’s rumor mill.

WWD: Is it nostalgic to be there?

Paolo Roversi: It was my parents’ house. Now it’s my house. Yes, it is the house where I was born. I love to be here because it is my roots. Roots are very important to me — very deep and very important. I feel things very strongly. I am very sentimental and nostalgic. I know every inch here, every tree, every flower — everything. There is an old magnolia tree that has been here since I was born and I talk to this tree. We have good relations.

WWD: What do you say to the tree?

P.R.: Different things, it depends. Today it was nice memories or nice dreams.

WWD: What do you think of your new book?

P.R.: My book? I like it. I am proud of my work. Sometimes I am surprised by myself. I am surprised by many of the photos, the whole body of work.

WWD: Do you still photograph everything in the studio?

P.R.: Yes, I like to work in the studio. It is my place to work; I like to be far from the reality of everyday life. When I close the door of my studio, I release everything that is logical and rational out of the door. My studio is the place for dreams, for beauty and imagination. And that’s all. I like to put my subject just there in front of me. Every subject becomes the real center of the world for me. I can concentrate on it.

WWD: There’s a portrait of John Galliano in the book. Are you and he very friendly?

P.R.: Yes, John is an old friend. I knew him from the time when he was a young designer just coming out of school. I have followed him along through his career — at John Galliano, Dior and Margiela.

WWD: What do you think of where John is today?

P.R.: Where is John today? I think he is on holiday. For his last collection for Margiela, I did big work for it to tell the story. I don’t know his projects. He is very secret about that. I don’t know if he’s back to a new Galliano story or another house. There are many rumors about this.

WWD: Is it better for a designer and an artist to be very private?

P.R.: Yes, I think it is better to stay out of all of the rumors and out of the big fashion world. It is better to not be part of that and to keep a distance. That is very important.

WWD: There’s also a full-length nude photo of Kate Moss in the book. Have you been friends for a long time?

P.R.: Yes, I’m more friendly with Kate. I have worked with her many times. She is a fantastic model. When Kate arrived in the fashion world, that was a real revolution for me. She has such a strong personality and a very strong energy. She has a different energy from every other girl.

WWD: What about Stella Tennant?

P.R.: Oh, Stella, I am so sad for her. Don’t let me cry. When I talk about Stella, I always cry because I love Stella. [The British model took her life in 2020.] I worked with her so many times. She had been a great, great friend, and also a fantastic model. She arrived in my studio, when she was 17 or 18 with a nose ring and jeans that were completely destroyed and very rough. But she was beautiful, so, so beautiful — so noble. Stella was a very tender and charming person.

WWD: What are you most proud of in your lifetime?

P.R.: My children. I have four children. I had five but I lost one in the same way that Stella [died]. The one I’ve lost was working with me. His name was Philippo; I lost him seven years ago. It was the hardest moment of my life, and it still is. It is still very hard. The time doesn’t rearrange anything. I think of him all the time, when I’m working and not working. I miss him so much. It is such a huge, huge pain. My children are coming tomorrow night. I am eager to see them.

WWD: What do you think of fashion now?

P.R.: It’s changing all the time. You know this world is changing so fast. Everything is changing so fast and fashion too. Sometimes there are still very interesting thing. But in the amount of things, there are very few that are interesting, you know? Rei Kawakubo inspires me a lot. I worked a lot with Azzedine Alaïa, but he’s not here any more, unfortunately. I‘ve done some pictures for Yohji Yamamoto. I had a long story with Romeo Gigli a long time ago. We worked together for a few seasons and we tried to create a new kind of woman.

WWD: What do you like about working with designers?

P.R.: Working with a new designer, you can try to find a new [type of] music and spirit. The designer writes the music and the photographer is the interpreter that plays that music. So there are all kinds of music. Rei Kawakubo is different from Yohji or Galliano. That is very interesting for me. It is like being a conductor, who plays more than Bach, Beethoven, The Beatles, or I don’t know what.

WWD: What are your thoughts on how fashion is photographed today?

P.R.: This has changed too. The magazines are facing a difficult moment. Everybody looks at social media on phones and on the internet. I’m not very excited about social media. I have an old education of the paper and the magazine. Paper is much more impactful than the phone.

WWD: Did anyone ever give you advice that has stayed with you through the years?

P.R.: No, I had some very good photographer friends, like Robert Frank, Irving Penn. They gave me their advice about my work. But they were never really teaching me, telling me, “Do this. Don’t do this.” Robert and I were very close. His wife June Leaf was a wonderful artist and a wonderful, wonderful woman. If you go to see my exhibition at Pace, there is a little room dedicated to June and Robert. My exhibition is called “Along the Way” and along the way, they have been very important to me. They were the most important friends that I have had in my life.

WWD: Why were they so important to you?

P.R.: They were real friends. With them, I could talk about everything and we had wonderful conversations together. I went to stay with them in Mabou [Cape Breton, Nova Scotia where they had a home] and to visit them in New York City. We had beautiful days and dinners together. I was so, so happy with them. When I lost my son, I went directly to Mabou to see them and cried in their house.

WWD: Robert [Frank] lost a child as well, didn’t he?

P.R.: Two children — his son [Pablo Frank took his life] and a daughter [Andrea died in an airplane crash]. How did they console me? June said that I should not cry, because there was no sense to be made from any of it. Don’t make me cry please. When I think of June and Robert, I cry very easily. They were really a brother and sister to me.

WWD: What about Irving Penn?

P.R.: By chance, I sent him my book, and he said, “Come to see me. I like your book.” I had my first meeting with him in his studio in New York, and then a second one. I was a huge, huge admirer of his work. I don’t want to compare my work to his work. Penn was a giant. But we had a little bit of the same concept by working in the studio. His idea was the studio is everywhere. Everywhere you take a picture is your studio. He did this beautiful book, “Worlds in a Small Room.”

WWD: What would you like to do?

P.R.: I like to read books. I like to listen to music. I like to write myself. I like to write more and more.

WWD: Are you writing a memoir?

P.R.: No, not yet. I have written a book about light but it has not been translated into English yet. There’s a French edition by Gallimard, “Lettres sur la lumiere,” and an Italian edition.

WWD: How do you hope people will react to your pictures?

P.R.: With a smile. I hope that they react to my pictures by feeling an emotion.