Halston the Man, the artist.
I don’t have a quote regarding Halstons illustration process however I know he always had a black Pentol felt tip pen in hand and was always sketching his ideas on lined legal paper - so unarchival but he was frugal in this realm of his life. In a brief session he would sketch a million different versions of a “look”, as his right hand man Bill Dugan said “he could spin a silhouette for a month of Sundays”. He was sort of OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder) like that, however he did have an eternally expansive imagination and I guess this is how he channeled it. It was such a gift to witness my uncle at work either cranking out his designs with extreme precision or tying the perfect silk satin obi knot on the house model at his Olympic Tower atelier. His hands were beautifully graceful, expressive and precise as was his entire lifestyle. Everything was done with self assured Zen perfection.
Lesley Frowick, Founder and Director The Halston Personal Archives
Surviving as a Fashion illustrator
Fashion illustration is a dynamic form of contemporary image-making with a growing presence on social media, in print and in brand campaigns. But Patrick Morgan, founder of FIDA, the world’s first awards to promote fashion illustration and drawing around the globe, asks, “Could someone please tell me why a photographer should be paid so much more? The only thing I can think of is the production, the lighting, the team etc. We need to change the whole mindset.”
by Jackie Mallon - Fashion Editor
Copyright Aeffe
“We can truly state that fashion illustrations are a form of art. I am always excited to see how my creations will be interpreted by the creative and unprejudiced hand of an increasingly growing number of young illustrators.
Collaborating with Fida for my Fall Winter fashion show was very exciting. At a time when we were forced to unveil our collections behind closed doors and deprived of the human warmth that makes our work special, interacting with these artists meant that a precious moment was created, even if at a distance.
Alberta Ferretti
Copyright The Fible Vol.002
Earning your stripes
"Fashion illustrators should be paid more, says FIDA
Fashion illustration is a dynamic form of contemporary image- making with a growing presence on social media, in print and in brand campaigns. But Patrick Morgan, founder of FIDA, the world’s first awards to promote fashion illustration and drawing around the globe, asks, “Could someone please tell me why a photographer should be paid so much more? The only thing I can think of is the production, the lighting, the team etc. We need to change the whole mindset.”
Morgan is speaking during a panel entitled “Surviving as a fashion illustrator” in which he explains that there is a growing movement to replace the term fashion illustrator with fashion artist because the former suggests fast, low-budget work while the latter carries connotations of gravitas around work that requires days, even weeks, of labor. The career of a fashion illustrator often involves working at live events where the stress of creating quality work
on the spot falls solely on the entourage-free fashion illustrator. “Maybe our agility, our ability to be more accommodating, is our downfall,” poses Morgan. “Maybe we need to be more divas to command the fee and change the mindset of the commissioner.”
by Jackie Mallon via fashionunited.com
Copyright The Fible Vol.002
Copyright The Fible Vol.002
“Fashion illustration today has few rules. There is great energy and excitement and a palpable surge in interest everywhere. Social media has democratised the process and levelled the playing field (while not always raising standards)
But some things never change. Drawing is still paramount and at the heart of every successful image.”
David Downton, Master fashion illustrator
Copryright The Fible Yellow Neon
“I have had the honour to be a FIDA Ambassador since the very beginning and I am more than happy and proud to see how fashion illustrators keep creating such powerful images. FIDA is pushing fashion artists from anywhere in the world to rethink the impact of illustration within and outside the fashion industry.
I can see the amount of time, research, hard work and creativity behind every single entry to the Awards, FIDA is celebrating not only the winners but anyone who keeps challenging fashion illustration and its possibilities.”
Francesco Io Iacono - Fashion illustrator
Copyright The Fible Vol.001
copyright Michael Choi
“Oil painting does not have to be perfect at first, you can make changes easily the next day. It is okay to not be precise initially with this traditional medium, which has actually helped me explore construction in a creative sense. Almost like draping with a paint brush, a detail that is not working out at the moment can be designed a different way a few hours later, without having to start all over again. To me the clothing also feels more substantial and there is a better sense of the end product with this traditional form of painting.”
M. Choi, Fashion artist + designer
Copryright Jessica Bird
“Even if I am doing something a bit more controlled, I will loosen up first with some blind drawings of the subject, so that when I move onto the real thing I can take the essence and freedom of the blind drawings into that work.”
J. Bird
“As social media expands and we are inundated with images, fashion illustration has never been as important.
Not as a competition to photography, but as an alternative way for a viewer to process: fashion illustration lets us interpret, dream and fantasize in wonderful ways! Long live fashion illustration!”
R.Haines
Copyright Carfax Printers
“The first time I saw a fashion illustration I was an eleven-year- old peering over my grandfather’s shoulder as he read The New York Times. These black and white ink drawings of the Paris couture collections, circa 1963, hit me with a jolt—how could such crisp lines give so much information about the clothes, the kind of woman who would wear them, and the wonders of Paris?
by Richard Haines, Fashion artist/illustrator
As a child I always loved to draw—it was my escape to a world
I could create. But from that day forward my passion shifted to fashion illustration. The power to convey so much and transport the reader with a few lines is as inspiring to me now as it was then, possibly more so, in this age of oversaturated media images.
I hope if you’re reading this book you share my love of fashion illustration, and you’ll find it as magical, evocative, and enthralling as I did at eleven, and do now, so many years later.”
Joanna Layla, Fashion illustrator + glass artist
Joanna Layla, Fashion illustrator + glass artist
“I enjoy the immediacy of using the iPad as it’s very portable and soon after the show the images are ready to post or be sent to my client -- no need to wait until I get home to scan in pages of drawings and retouching them before they’re ready to be used.”
S. Percy, Fashion illustrator, model & Socialite
Copyright The Fible Vol.001
I found the standard to be very high , with some great examples of individual and imaginative work.
It’s really great to see that so many people still feel really passionate about fashion illustration as an exciting and important form of communication.
John Booth, Fashion illustrator and artist
‘It was exciting to see the variety in medium and technique, a mixture of traditional and contemporary which I think made this group of finalists a great grouping. It was also great to see not only current collections but fashion moments from past decades being recaptured and reinterpreted in new ways.”
Spiros Halaris - Fashion illustrator
Lacoste Event Launch
‘It has been a pleasure to collaborate with FIDA for the launch event of the L001 sneaker. Flaminia Rossi’s designs captured the essence of the Crocodile: strength, elegance and audacity, and it was beautiful to see the art come to life.’
Marcos Baecus Marketing director Lacoste
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“Fida Supports Be Well Collective, a Charity Raising Awareness for Mental Health in the Fashion Industry
From small beginnings and good intentions, the Be Well Collective was launched to provide mental health and nutritional support to young adults working within the creative industries. Fida members and artists generously donated their artworks for auction to raise much needed funds, keeping this great project alive and kicking.
“It has been a pleasure to collaborate with FIDA for
the launch event of the L001 sneaker. Flaminia Rossi’s designs captured the essence of the Crocodile: strength, elegance and audacity, and it was beautiful to see the art come to life.”
Be Well Collective Founder Sarah Macklin
Halston appreciated the craft of drawing, working closely with fashion illustrator Audrey Schilt
“Halston was extremely respectful of the art form. He supported it and promoted my art by using it as a means to design , sell from the sketches and introduced it to the bestinfluencersoftheday. Hefoundmemyfirstagent, got me my first account , Bigi at Bergdorf Goodman and introduced me to Salvador Dali as a great artist.
He worked with Joe Eula , an accomplished fashion illustrator and although Halston himself could sketch beautifully, was able to appreciate and collaborate for the
best outcome.” Audrey Schilt , Halston Foundation Creative Director
Featured Artists in the Book
“To think of fashion is to think about a drawing, an idea, a vision, an inspiration, a universe. Looking at someone’s drawing can tell so much about who they are. One can say that illustrating is dreaming with your hands. I certainly feel that way.
Living in a digital era, for me it is a necessity to sit down with ink & paper to create and let the hand flow, not only to create but also to illustrate the beautiful work that designers around the world put out there everyday. For illustrators around the globe, now we can all feel like a big family. Looking forward to see the future adventures you take us on! Draw until your hand hurts.”
Pepe Muñoz, Fashion illustrator