Welcome to HERO Art Month, our cross-sectional study of the international contemporary art scene during which we look at the key gatekeepers, from artists to gallerists, architects and curators, the established and emerging feature side by side as part of our month-long investigation into some of the most influential figures in the scene.

Having cut his teeth working under Olivier Rousteing at Balmain before founding his own eponymous label in 2017, Ludovic de Saint Sernin has since established himself as one of menswear’s most exciting new talents.

Honing a minimal and sensual design path – think delicate wrestling singlets crafted from ceramic cutouts, laced-front jeans and ballet shoes – de Saint Sernin recently launched a new Instagram – @ludovicdesaintserninx – that acts as his own personal moodboard, celebrating “sex, love and freedom” (ironically on a platform that does its fair share to shut down certain aspects associated with these values – a fact not lost on the designer).

In light of this new Instagram account, we’ve tapped de Saint Sernin for our HERO Art Month Endorsed series. Scrolling through his feed, the Parisian designer has selected trailblazing photographer Bob Mizer’s controversial portrait of Brian Idol in the shower. A lil taster of what you can expect on @ludovicdesaintserninx – just hit follow.

Ludovic de Saint Sernin on why he selected Bob Mizer’s Brian Idol (in shower), Los Angeles, 1966:

“I was super excited to get to LA this Summer because I was looking forward to see the Bob Mizer exhibition held at M+B Photo curated by the super talented artist, gallerist and curator John T.D. Murphy. I went there with my boyfriend and John gave us a tour, it was so interesting discovering the back stories of all the pictures and getting to know more about Bob Mizer. One thing that shocked me was that he went to prison for taking those photographs back in the days. Female nudes were fine but male nudes could send you to jail. I fell in love with the print of Brian Idol. It is quintessential Bob Mizer and so current too.

A few weeks later, I was back in London celebrating my 28th birthday and my boyfriend surprised me, he had bought it for me! I was ecstatic. My first piece of art! It’s in my living room at my Paris apartment, I look at it everyday. It is such an inspiring picture. A couple of months ago I launched @ludovicdesaintserninx, a new account celebrating sex, love and freedom. A celebration of the male body and being sexually free. Fifty years ago Bob Mizer went to prison for producing pictures of male nudes, today I get my posts deleted by Instagram if they find they violate their community guidelines. But Ludovic de Saint Sernin Sex is more than just an Instagram account…

Stay tuned!”

See more content from HERO Art Month here.