faShiOn
ilLustraTion
ILLUSTRATION
 A VISUALIZATION OR A DEPICTION OF A SUBJECT MADE BY AN ARTIST THROUGH
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cate-blanchett-kate-winslet.html
FASHION ILLUSTRATION
Fashion Illustration is the communication of fashion that originates
with illustration, drawing and painting. It is usually commissioned for
reproduction in fashion magazines as one part of an editorial feature or for
the purpose of advertising and promoting fashion makers, fashion boutiques
and department stores.
HISTORY
In the late 1800s and early 1900s, fashion illustration was as stiff as society. It consisted of 
figures draped in the elaborate costumes of the time period's upper class amidst classical 
backdrops with foliage. High fashion magazines used these to create industry standard 
fashion plates until around 1924. 
LATE 1800s TO EARLY 1900s
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1920s TO 1930s
By the 1920s, many prominent fashion magazines such as Vogue and Harper's Bazaar 
commissioned beautiful fashion illustrations to grace their covers. In 
the 1930s Hollywood glamour took a hold on the United States. Body conscious and 
romantic looks gave way to more curvaceous figures in fashion illustrations. 
http://fashillustration.blogspot.in/2009/05/fashion-
In the 1930s Hollywood glamour took a hold on the United States. Body
conscious and romantic looks gave way to more curvaceous figures in http://www.vam.ac.uk/content/articles/f/fashion-drawing-in-the-
1930s TO 1940s
The emancipation of women’s fashion in the twenties gave way to a new 
romanticism that inspired loose brushwork, experimental line, and varied washes 
of color. 
http://www.vam.ac.uk/content/articles/f/fashion-drawing-in-the-20th-
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1940s TO 1950s
1939 marked an abrupt end to the golden years of fashion illustration when Vogue 
magazine began replacing illustrations on their covers with photographs due to a 
craze of avant-garde photographers. Fashion Illustration has gone from being one of 
the sole means of fashion communication to having a very minor role.
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1960s TO 1980s
 The social and cultural transition that occurred at the beginning of the decade also gave 
way to a rebirth of expression in the arts. Pop music, film, and photography gained 
popularity. Following the wave of pop culture in the sixties, the arts in the seventies 
focused on delivering a quick and commanding message. 
Following the wave of pop culture in the sixties, 
the arts in the seventies focused on delivering a 
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1980s TO 2000s
By the 1980s, the simplified shapes and impression of the Art Deco and Art Modern 
movements of the 1920 came back in style.40  In fashion especially, a minimalist 
approach to drawing replaced much of the need for technical skills, placing emphasis on 
expression and exaggerated style. By the 1990s, the explosion of the computer and 
proclivity towards photography continued to diminish the field of fashion illustration 
before a feeble comeback in the 2000s. 
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PRESENT SCENARIO
In the second decade of the 21st Century the art of illustration encompasses its entire 
progression. While its roots are ancient, its present is defined by the ways that media 
and technology are experienced. Illustrators might still use the same kinds of colored 
mineral pigments that were employed two thousand years ago, but now for pictures 
that might be shown on pocket-sized devices, printed on hand-held paper pages, or 
displayed on immense electronic billboards. 
http://www.illustrationhistory.org/history/time-periods/the-
decade-2010-present http://www.illustrationhistory.org/history/time-periods/the-decade-2010-present
IMPORTANCE OF
ILLUSTRATION
• Medium to communicates fashion.
• Analyzing look of the garment on models when worn in a fashion show or for a photo shoot.
• Can review make changes to the ideas and create news one.
• Sketching a fashion illustration can take hours when you pay attention to every little detail. 
INTERNATIONAL FASHION
ILLUSTRATORS
DAVID DOWNTON
David Downton was born in 1959
in Kent, England. He studied at
Canterbury (Foundation year 1977-
1978) and Wolver Hampton (BA
hons illustration/graphics 1979-
1981).
In 1984 he moved to Brighton and
began his illustration career. He
worked on a wide variety of
projects ranging
from advertising and packaging to
illustrating fiction, cook books and,
occasionally, fashion. His drawings
from fashion shows have been
published internationally. In 1998,
he started working on a series of
portraits of some of the world's
most beautiful women. http://ilikeurblog.blogspot.in/2014/10/in-1996-was-
commissioned-to-draw-at.html
https://pulseatpink.files.wordpress.com/2012/06/shin-large4.jpg https://andthengodcreatedwoman.files.wordpress.com/2012/07/51369251970280469_eh4md86x_f.jpg
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NUNO DA COSTA
Nuno is a London based, self taught fashion
illustrator who has been developing his
contemporary and stylish work from a very early age
when his love of all things fashion and art was
already apparent.
In 2006 he was discovered by top international
editorial fashion hair stylist and Beauty Director Neil
Moodie who asked him to collaborate on an
innovative eight page spread for Wonderland
Magazine.
In 2010 he achieved his dream of being published
in British Vogue in their Christmas special
’Superstar Issue’ which has lead to collaborations
with The Telegraph, Christian Dior, Vogue Portugal,
The Sunday Times, L’Oreal Professionnel and
Clinique amongst many other well known names in
the Fashion, Beauty and publishing industries.
His illustrations are hand drawn and painted with
water colours and Gouache and then scanned, and
made print ready in Photoshop.
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DECUE WU
Decue Wu, born in Shenzhen, China. After
graduating from Maryland Institute College of
Art's Illustration Practice MFA program in 2014,
moved to Boston and started new career which is
working at Massachusetts Institute of Technology
as a Lead Graphic Designer, Illustrator and Motion
Graphic Artist.
Besides the full time job, focuses on fashion and
lifestyle illustration, collage, pattern design,
children’s book and other sequential arts. His work
has been featured in several blogs and
publications, including Fashionary Hand, Draw A
Dot, Dolce&Gabbana Luxury Online Magazine,
Milk X, L’Officiel Hommes, Vogue etc; also my
work has been exhibited in United
States, Mainland China, Hongkong, Taiwan,
Poland and other countries. He constantly
explores new techniques and different media in
order to develop new ways to observe and
enhance my creative process.
http://www.swide.com/art-culture/decue-wu-interview-with-the-illustrator-for-dolcegabbana-fw-2014-2015/2014/11/08
BERNARD BLOSSAC
Bernard de La Bourdonnaye-Blossac, also
called Blossac (April 29, 1917 – December 1, 2002) was a
French fashion illustrator.
Bernard de La Bourdonnaye-Blossac was born April 29,
1917 in Neuilly-sur-Seine.
Very early he was interested in the aesthetics of things:
furniture, paintings and clothing. He was passionate about all
creations "art nouveau" of that time.
He mixes his passion for fashion with his mastery of
drawings of landscapes and interiors. Sometimes he inserted
some drawings of models with previously worked interior
designs.
His drawings were published in magazines, newspapers,
sometimes more rarely displays. He ended his professional
activity in 1973.
He died on December 1, 2002 in his birth town. From his
death, the influence of his work is provided by the son of his
sister, he had adopted, Alain Matrand de La bourdonnaye-
Blossac. https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/73/Bernard_blossac.jpg
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LILA DE NOBILI
Lila De Nobili (Castagnola (Lugano), September 3,
1916 – Paris, February 19, 2002) was an Italian fashion
illustrator, stage designer, and costume designer. She
was noted for her work at Vogue magazine and her
collaborations with directors such as Luchino
Visconti and Franco Zeffirelli.
In Paris, De Nobili began doing illustrations of
the haute couture collections for various magazines,
especially Vogue.
Lila De Nobili created stage and costume designs for
many of the most important productions of her time,
including Angel Pavement (1947), Le voleur
d'enfants (1948), A Streetcar Named Desire (1949), La
Petite Lili (1951), Anna
Karenine (1951), Gigi (1951), Cyrano de
Bergerac (1953), The Country Girl (1954), The
Crucible (1954), La Plume de Ma
Tante (1958), L'Arlésienne (1958), Carmen (1959)
and The Aspern Papers (1961).
She went on to work on numerous collaborations with
Luchino Visconti, working with him at the La
Scala opera house in Milan, and Franco Zeffirelli, as
well as working with Peter Hall.
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NATIONAL FASHION
ILLUSTRATORS
TARUN TAHLANI
Tarun Tahiliani is a noted Indian fashion
designer. With his wife Sailaja 'Sal' Tahiliani, he co-
founded Ensemble, India’s first multi-designer
boutique in 1987, followed by Tahiliani Design studio
in 1990. Based in Delhi, he is best known for his
ability to infuse Indian craftsmanship and textile
heritage with European tailored silhouette. His
signature is to combine traditional aesthetics with
modern design. Over the years, he also became
known for his bridalwear.
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RAHUL MISHRA
Rahul Mishra (born November 7, 1979) is
an Indian fashion designer based in Mumbai
and Delhi, who won the 2014 International
Woolmark Prize at Milan Fashion Week. He is
first Indian designer to win the award. The 2014
"collection he designed for the competition will
be sold" in stores around the world.
In 2008, he was awarded the MTV Youth Icon
of the Year by MTV India.
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DHEERA JOSHI
Dheera joshi is a freelance fashion designer, Illustrator
and blogger. textile print and pattern designer based in
India.
http://www.intagme.com/stylepanorama/1047179839733524185_919034376/ http://stylepanorama.blogspot.in/2015/04/illustrationdolce-and-gabbana.html
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/169096160986146411/
PURUSHU ARIE
Purushu Arie is the pen name of R V Purusothaman, a
fashion designer, fashion illustrator, stylist and fashion
blogger who is presently based in Chennai, India. The
fashion blog Purushu Arie was created in 2009 in
order to record his journey as a fashion design student
while studying at NIFT New Delhi. Purushu's
expertise includes fashion illustration, draping,
creative pattern making, garment construction, history
of costume and fashion and surface development
techniques.
Purushu had written the official fashion show reviews
for FDCI Designer Node Magazine at Wills Lifestyle
India Fashion Week, New Delhi from Oct'11 to
Mar'13. He later relocated to Mumbai where he
worked as Menswear designer for Lee Cooper.
Purushu presently lives in Chennai and writes style
columns for India's national newspaper, 'The Hindu'
and Indian Terrain's official fashion blog Mansterrain.
http://www.purushu.com/2015/01/2014-year-in-fashion.html
http://www.purushu.com/2015/01/2014-year-in-fashion.html
http://www.purushu.com/2015/01/2014-year-in-fashion.html
JAYSHREE SRIDHAR
Jayshree Shridhar is a fashion illustrator, artist, graphic designer.
https://artwardrobe.files.wordpress.com/2015/09/dsc_0067.jpghttps://twitter.com/jayshreesridhar
https://artwardrobe.wordpress.com/category/ethnic-mela-collection/
BISWARUPA MOHANTY
Biswarupa Mohanty , from Odisha’s Baripada
district wears the hats of painter and art-
designer and creates dramatic images full of
colour and energy.
A fashion illustrator, who has worked with
popular labels like Satya Paul, JJ Valaya, Ritu
Kumar and Rohit Bal
She did a master’s research in fashion and
textile design from Istituto Europeo di design
Milan, Italy, after completing a graduate
diploma in fashion design from National
Institute of Fashion Technology, New Delhi.
She began her career as a painter from
School of Art and Crafts, Baripada, where she
pursued a three-year diploma in Fine Arts
specialising in water colour.
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http://www.drawdeck.com/content/breeze-love http://www.drawdeck.com/content/brown-girl-2

illustration history