<p><strong>Mert Alas</strong>, born in Turkey, and <strong>Marcus Piggott</strong>, born in Wales, met in 1994, at a party on a pier in Hastings, England. Piggott asked Alas for a light, the pair got talking, and rapidly discovered they had plenty in common, not least a love of fashion. Three years later, the duo now known as Mert and Marcus had moved into a derelict loft in East London, converted it into a studio, and had their first collaborative photographic work published in <em>Dazed & Confused</em>.<br/><br/> These days, Mert and Marcus shape the global image of such renowned brands as <strong>Giorgio Armani</strong>, <strong>Roberto Cavalli</strong>, <strong>Fendi</strong>, <strong>Miu Miu</strong>, <strong>Gucci</strong>, <strong>Yves Saint Laurent</strong>, <strong>Givenchy</strong>, and <strong>Lanc¿me</strong>, and public figures including <strong>Lady Gaga</strong>, <strong>Madonna</strong>, <strong>Jennifer Lopez</strong>, <strong>Linda Evangelista</strong>, <strong>Gise