When Dazed published their Summer 2022 print issue, they picked photographer Zach Apo-Tsang to showcase Palace’s SS22 range: a colourful, mischievous, school-themed shoot with Tigerlily Bakare as the model. After all, Apo-Tsang is a half-Tibetan, half-English artist in demand: as a photographer, he’s been hired by the likes of 10 Magazine, PAPER, and Puma; as a set designer, his credits include Burberry, GQ, and Converse. Possessing a unique voice via his lens, Apo-Tsang cites his East-meets-West upbringing as a key influence.
At first, Apo-Tsang envisioned a career as an architect. However, at university, while working behind a bar, the then-student was asked by a customer to be a runner on a shoot. Subsequently, Apo-Tsang spent years as a gigging set designer, before progressing to photography. As a result, the London-based go-getter runs his own company, Tsang Studio, which not only creates everything from music videos to fashion extravaganzas, but does so from an environmental angle: for each commission, Tsang Studio will plant at least 100 trees and remove two tonnes or more of CO2 via offsetting projects.
Text Nick Chen
