Paris, Unfiltered

Paris is often imagined as timeless - romantic, cinematic, preserved in amber. But the real city moves like a current. People arrive, collide, create, disappear again. It’s a mass, a flow, a wave that never fully settles.

Shot in Paris a few months ago, this series brings together five young people living and working in the city today. Models, students, climbers, artists. Different backgrounds, different lives, but all navigating the same question: how do you stay connected in a city that never stops moving?

Some find it in the mountains they return to whenever possible. Others in nighttime walks through suddenly quiet streets. Some in protest, conversation, or daily rituals that anchor them when the city feels overwhelming.

Together, their stories form a loose portrait of Paris today - restless, thoughtful, and searching for moments of stillness inside the noise.

PHOTOGRAPHER JESPER LUND @jesperdlund
VIDEO MATHIAS KARL GONTARD @mathiaskarlgontard
HAIR MALIN WALLIN @malinwallinhair
MAKEUP RUBEN MASOLIVER ​​@rubenmas
CASTING VICTORIA MACHMUDOV @dearfarawayfriends @atlas.casting
MODELS AGATHE @agathe1104 @vivamodel FANTA @fantaffn @seemodels MANON @manonjulietteab @scope.mgmt SACHA @crt.sacha @garconsbygervais SANA @b.s_ana THOMAS @festinthekidd @garconsbygervais
VIDEO EDITOR CONSTANT FERNANDEZ @constantfernandez
PHOTO ASSISTANT DANIEL RODRIGUEZ @daniel_serrato
MAKEUP ASSISTANT CLARA RETIF@clara_retif

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My name is Fanta Fofana, I'm a model and student in applied foreign languages ( Danish and English). I was  born and raised in Paris, but my parents are from Ivory Coast, so my identity is shaped by different cultures and perspectives.

“My modeling work is both an extension of who I am and a space for transformation. Sometimes it reflects my identity and background, and other times it allows me to step into different characters and emotions. I like that tension between being myself and becoming something else.”

“I’m always surprised by the contrast of Paris — it’s intense and fast, but also very poetic. There’s a strong creative energy everywhere, especially in fashion and art, but you can still find quiet moments and beauty in simple things.”

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My name is Sacha, I work as a waiter in a small restaurant in Paris and usually in my free time I like to climb. I'm from 1994.

“Paris surprised me by the fact that in such a big city, there are so many different worlds. So many people are creating things where they also live. Paris is the feeling of a mass, a flow, a wave, but yet never truly converging, as if no one really matters - but I still feel at peace.”

“To reset, I walk at night so I feel like everything is quiet, almost like I’m all alone in the city. I really enjoy this moment when I feel like everything is slow.”

My name is Thomas - I’m a French boy, born in Paris 

How do you reset and recharge when away from home ?

“I rest by going to the forest, reading poetry, and searching for treasure in the woods."

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My name is Sana, I’m a film student and I’ve always lived in the suburbs of Paris, in Colombes

The first protest I did was the Greta Thunberg one in Paris, when I was 15. I skipped school and had a great day but it also gave me the curiosity to know more about what I was shouting all day. Since then, I care a lot about the environment. I think Paris is a great place to talk about that with people. I meet a lot of people committed to the environmental cause, it’s nice to talk to them and to share this issue and fear of climate change. What gives me hope is that climate action feels visible here. Beyond political decisions, it’s in everyday life and in conversations with people who truly care. However, there is still more that can be done and the fight is not over.

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My name is Manon Abbaz. I am a model originally from the Drôme region in the southeast of France.

To recharge in an unfamiliar environment, you first have to embrace it — find your bearings and build routines. Wherever I go, I always have a place I visit every day to create a sense of connection, whether it’s a local shop, a café, or a park. It’s important to have a special place where you can think, reflect, and feel good. Calling my loved ones whenever possible also really helps when I feel disconnected or out of sync with myself.

@JESPERDLUND