Viva Las Vegas: the story behind the Wallpaper* June 2025 cover shoot

‘The city has this incredible feeling of anything goes,’ says London-based photographer Theresa Marx of Las Vegas, where she and Wallpaper* fashion and creative director Jason Hughes journeyed to capture our June 2025 Travel Issue cover shoot.

Photographed amid the hedonistic glamour of the famed Las Vegas strip, Marx imagined her protagonist – played here by Dutch model Brigit Kos – as ’the archetype of her own destiny’, self-assured and clad in a vivid array of red-hot looks from the S/S 2025 collections. ‘It’s a place where you can truly craft your own narrative,’ she continues.

The shoot itself unfolded across a single day, with Marx and Hughes traversing the strip, from the glimmering Las Vegas sign at the city’s limits to the panoramic suites of the Bellagio hotel, and the back of a vintage Chevrolet convertible. ‘Vegas has this incredible sense of sensory overload with the postmodern architecture and mass of tourists on the street,’ says Hughes. ‘I wanted fashion that stood up to the spectacle of the city – the heat of the desert inspired the all-red looks.’

The story behind the Wallpaper’s Las Vegas cover shoot

‘Our goal was ambitious: to capture the many facets of Las Vegas that contribute to its unique identity,’ says Marx. ‘This included the opulent hotel suites, the striking modernity of new Vegas, the nostalgic glamour of old Vegas, the quintessential wedding chapels – the list could go on and on.’ Adds Hughes: ‘I loved being in old Vegas with the vintage signage and wedding chapels – we wanted to connect old and new to create a real sense of being there.’

The Chevrolet, which appears on the cover of the June 2025 issue, began as a prop car, but soon became a necessity to move around the city. ‘We needed to move fast, which meant a lot of travel by car,’ Marx says. ‘In the story, [the Chevrolet] became a visual metaphor for travel and a spontaneous escape from reality.’

Marx’s ‘pinch me’ moment was the image of Kos in front of the Bellagio hotel and casino’s stories-high fountains – a true Las Vegas landmark. ‘The area was temporarily closed off from the public and we had the privilege of working with the fountain supervisor,’ she says. ‘They allowed us to control the displays to suit our vision. It truly highlighted the sense that anything is possible in Las Vegas!’

Model: Birgit Kos at The Society NY. Casting: Nico at Ikki Casting. Hair: Erin Piper at L’Atelier NYC. Make-up: Allie Smith at Management + Artists. Photography assistant: Tom Porter. Fashion assistant: Lucy Proctor. Local production: Sheriff Production.

Our story was shot in and around Las Vegas’ Bellagio hotel and casino, whose fountain shows have become one of the city’s signature attractions. The hotel is operated by MGM Resorts, which has recently invested in an extensive, multi-million dollar renovation of the rooms and suites in its main and spa towers, as well as launching The Pinky Ring cocktail lounge, designed by Yabu Pushelberg in collaboration with Bruno Mars. bellagio.mgmresorts.com

A version of this article appears in the June 2025 Travel Issue of Wallpaper*, available in print, on the Wallpaper* app on Apple iOS, and to subscribers of Apple News +. Subscribe to Wallpaper* today.