Icon not always in vogue

For an icon in the business of selling beauty, confidence and glamour, Mario Testino is surprisingly honest about his own insecurities.

At a recent Beijing forum organized by Vogue China, the Peruvian fashion photographer talked about his shortlived early success, which stemmed from a lack of confidence in his cultural identity. As a London transplant in the early 1980s, Testino said he imitated British photography trends - which got him noticed in the local fashion industry - but hindered the development of his own style.

By the late '80s, he could no longer get work and considered quitting photography altogether.