Foc Kan: Preserving the Legacy of Parisian Nightlife – A Landmark Book Celebrating 40 Years of Iconic Photography

For more than four decades, photographer Foc Kan has been a key figure in Paris’s vibrant nightlife scene. With the release of his monumental volume 80’s Paris Night – Top Models & Divas, he presents a remarkable 3-kg collector’s book that revisits the golden age of Parisian club culture. Bringing together more than 250 photographs, this elegant edition captures the creative energy, the freedom and the sparkling intensity of the legendary clubs of the 1980s and 1990s.

More than a photographic compilation, this book stands as a historic testimony, offering a vivid record of an era when Paris was the epicentre of fashion, music and artistic experimentation.

A Photographer Who Witnessed 40 Years of Parisian Nights

Foc Kan began his career in 1982, a date he often recalls himself. He quickly distinguished his style: spontaneous, fast, immersed in the action, catching moments that others would miss. His images reveal the raw emotion of nightlife — the light, the joy, the elegance, the eccentricities — capturing the true essence of moments that would otherwise have vanished.

Over nearly 40 years, Kan has documented the transformation of Parisian nightlife. In an era before smartphones and social media, his photos now serve as rare visual archives of an unforgettable cultural movement.

An Exceptional Art Book

80’s Paris Night – Top Models & Divas is not merely a book; it is a luxury object designed with meticulous attention to detail.

Features:

• 308 pages

• Over 250 photographs (210 in colour, 10 in black & white)

• Format: 25 × 33 × 4 cm

• Weight: 3 kg

• Mat coated 200 g paper

• Linen hardcover with hot stamping & embossed printing

• Bilingual edition (French / English)

• Pre-order available until 1 November 2025; shipping begins the same month

• Free delivery in mainland France

The book includes a foreword by writer Frédéric Beigbeder, whose sharp, literary tone perfectly complements the free-spirited creativity of Paris during those decades.

An Unforgettable Cast of Icons

Among the figures captured by Foc Kan’s lens and featured in the book:

• Claudia Schiffer

• Naomi Campbell

• Carla Bruni

• Christy Turlington

• Catherine Deneuve

• Mick Jagger

• Jean-Paul Gaultier

• Karl Lagerfeld

• Yves Saint Laurent

These portraits offer a rare glimpse of stars outside official events — relaxed moments, spontaneous laughter, candid expressions, scenes from backstage or exclusive soirées. The book becomes both a cultural archive and an intimate portrait of a generation that shaped global aesthetics.

The Bains-Douches & The Palace: Temples of the Night

Two legendary clubs are at the heart of the book:

Les Bains-Douches

A global hub of glamorous nightlife, frequented by models, designers, musicians and artists.

Le Palace

A symbol of creative freedom, eccentric fashion, and avant-garde culture — captured through Kan’s empathetic but energetic eye.

His images reveal much more than parties: they document a lifestyle, a spirit of experimentation and a cultural movement that left a lasting mark on Paris.

Ethnographic and Artistic

Described by the publisher as:

“A festive, ethnographic and chic art book.”

The book truly fits that definition. Foc Kan’s work goes beyond celebrity portraits, documenting social codes, fashion, trends and the rituals of nightlife. It is both an artistic object and a social record.

A Book Launch True to the Spirit of the Era

To celebrate the release, a cocktail and signing event took place at L’Appart Renoma — a venue linked to photography, fashion and contemporary culture.

The evening, announced by Foc Kan as a “make-up session for those who missed the Bains-Douches party,” brought together journalists, friends, former night owls and today’s creative scene.

It echoed the original spirit of the nightlife:
cocktails, conversations, memories, laughter, and personalised signatures from the photographer.

A Tribute to a Time When Everything Seemed Possible

The book does not simply glorify the past; it restores the memory of a Paris bursting with creativity and artistic freedom. An era when nightlife was a laboratory for ideas and encounters.

A Book Already Considered a Collector’s Item

With its limited availability and luxurious design, 80’s Paris Night is already regarded as a cult object among photography and fashion lovers, as well as historians of nightlife and visual culture.

©2025 – IMPACT EUROPEAN

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Gabriel MIHAI

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