[2] He studied at the High School of Art and Design, where he attended different courses but, as affirmed in an interview with Ingrid Sischy for Vogue France, he finally majored in fashion illustration.
[16] He also directed the music video for Deborah Harry's single "Sweet and Low" alongside fashion designer Stephen Sprouse.
[citation needed] Meisel has shot for Versace,[9] Valentino,[9] Dolce & Gabbana,[17] Balenciaga,[18] Loewe,[19] Calvin Klein,[20] Alberta Ferretti,[21] and Barneys New York.
[27] As one of the most powerful photographers in the fashion industry, Meisel is credited with "discovering" or promoting the careers of many successful models over the last 40 years, including Linda Evangelista,[28] Guinevere Van Seenus,[14] Karen Elson,[28] Amber Valletta,[29] Kristen McMenamy,[28] Stella Tennant,[30] Raquel Zimmerman,[14] Saskia de Brauw,[31] Sasha Pivovarova,[14] Jessica Stam,[32] Naomi Campbell,[28] Christy Turlington,[28] Lexi Boling,[33] Iris Strubegger,[14] Lara Stone,[14] Coco Rocha,[14] Natalia Vodianova,[14] Vanessa Axente,[14] Lindsey Wixson, Elise Crombez and Snejana Onopka.
Meisel's work often addresses social issues such as racism, addiction, and cultural self-absorption, and the photographer has a history of controversial photoshoots.
One example includes an editorial in 2007, where he depicted models in designer outfits being harassed by soldiers, drawing inspiration from the Iraq war.
One example is the editorial "Makeover Madness," which spanned eighty pages in Vogue Italia in 2005 and depicted models undergoing various body interventions, dressed in couture but wrapped in gauze.
In a July 2006 issue of Vogue Italia, he created a controversial photoshoot " described as "a fun take on rehab chic".
[35] A September 2006 photoshoot for the magazine, entitled "State of Emergency", was also criticized for eroticizing torture and police brutality.
In 2014–2015, Phillips held an exhibition called "Role Play" that featured some of the photographic work of Meisel throughout the years, and which took place in the cities of Paris, London, New York, and Miami.