Jacopo Adalberto Farina
Arme Lola is an influencer -- photographed at the entrance of a modern church near Città Studi, the University city on the north east side of Milan.
Jacopo Adalberto Farina
Paolov, 33, works for himself and loves travel -- photographed at the entrance of his house in the Chinese side of the city called Paolo Sarpi.
Jacopo Adalberto Farina
Matteo, 28 -- photographed near Ripa di Porta Ticinese on the south west side of Milan.
Jacopo Adalberto Farina
Tabea, 21 -- photographed by Circolo dei Combattenti, located in Paolo Sarpi, Milan's Chinatown.
Jacopo Adalberto Farina
Marcello, 29 is a store manager at Nike Lab. He loves bikes and is obsessed with shoes -- photographed in the amusement park by Castello Sforzesco, the old Castle of Milan, located in the center of the city.
Jacopo Adalberto Farina
Lya, 26, is a producer for Stella McCartney -- photographed inside the old billiards room in Porta Genova, on the south side of Milan.
Jacopo Adalberto Farina
Irma, 27, is an archivist and collector. She loves music from the noughties and is a true feminist and activist -- photographed in via Savona in the south side of Milan.
Jacopo Adalberto Farina
Giuseppe, 24, is a stylist who loves photography -- photographed in Via Giuseppe Ripamonti, on the south east part of Milan, home to the new Fondazione Prada.
Jacopo Adalberto Farina
Ilaria, 31, owns a brand of hats. She adores the opera and costumes by Luisa Spinatelli -- photographed near Piazzale Loreto on the north east side of Milan.
Jacopo Adalberto Farina
Dimitra is a creative film-maker -- photographed at night by Piazza Gae Aulenti.
Jacopo Adalberto Farina
Daniele, 23, owns a techno label called Haunter Records. He is a DJ and electronic music composer -- photographed in Piazza 24 Maggio near Navigli, the old canals of Milan.
Jacopo Adalberto Farina
Irene Gotri Delledonne, 31, is a visual merchandiser for Valentino. She likes clubbing, techno and cold cuts -- photographed near Piazza Udine on the north east side of Milan. This part of Milan is called "NOLO", it is the new creative suburb of Milan.
Jacopo Adalberto Farina
Mariavittoria -- photographed in via Watt on the south side of Milan.
Jacopo Adalberto Farina
Melissa, 18 is studying graphic design. She is a techno raver -- photographed on the Piazza Gae Aulenti, the most recent high-rise building which changed the landscape of Milan, located on the north side of the city.
Jacopo Adalberto Farina
Ruggero, 28, is one of the creators of Terraforma; the eclectic electronic music festival located in Villa Arconati -- photographed on the entrance of the Piero Portaluppi Foundation.

Story highlights

Jacopo Farina documented youth culture and the lesser known areas of the Milan

Subjects include the head of a techno record label, a film-maker and an architecture student

The images reflect a burgeoning creative scene in Milan

CNN  — 

Over the course of the four main fashion weeks – New York, London, Milan and Paris – modern peacocks and fashion papps flood the streets in search of the perfect ‘street style’ shot. But the extent to which the deluge of imagery, primarily depicting fashion’s elite, reflects a city’s true style and culture is questionable.

Ahead of Milan Fashion Week, we asked esteemed Italian photographer Jacopo Farina to avoid the chaos and turn his lens towards the real heart of Milanese style, focusing on youth culture and the lesser known areas of the city.

From the head of an independent techno record label photographed near Navigli, Milan’s old canals, to a visual merchandiser shot in “NOLO”, the new creative suburb of Milan, each of Farina’s images tells a story.

Speaking about the process of finding the subjects with scout Yosephine Melfi, he explained: “We chose people and places that reflect the spectrum of a new generation coming of age in contemporary Milan. Irrespective of class, education or background, these unique individuals are shaping a new culture, one that promotes cosmopolitanism in a very particular way.”

With the rise of younger Italian designers like Massimo Giorgetti, Damir Doma, Stella Jean and Andrea Incontri injecting new life into the fashion industry, Milan’s status quo seems to be imperceptibly shifting. In a city where heritage and old money have ruled for decades, the burgeoning creative scene documented in Farina’s images will be a welcome sight to many.