MR. SLOWBOY: Portraits of the Modern Gentleman

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After witnessing and experiencing the awfully strange world without travel for two years, I certainly enjoyed every moment when I was working on the project collaborating with Radisson Collection as I could keep daydreaming those good old days when we were still able to jump on a plane for a city break.” comments Fei Wang. Bolin Webb is delighted to have engaged Mr Slowboy to create a unique personality for razors in our popular R1 range. Our man has a strong sense of style and a “twinkle in his eye”. He is well-dressed, dapper and, of course, clean shaven! Thank you! Yes, this is my first book and a summary of my first stage of working full-time as a fashion illustrator. I was approached by Victionary, a Hong Kong based publisher in mid 2020 about creating a men’s styling book which made me review and assess all the work I had produced in the last 6 years, and it’s quite interesting and refreshing to look at them collectively. I thought perhaps I should just use this opportunity to curate an “exhibition” that archives and showcases the development of my previous commissions and personal work in a book form! Claudia stretches, her slightly crumpled Merci sheets made of soft cotton gauze, a subtle mixture of Batignolles Yellow, Marais Blue and Gris Fusain, testify to the nocturnal excitement… Baby N°2 doesn't sleep through the night yet. Maren is a mix-and-match enthusiast who likes to mix the colors of her washed linen sets. She has just sent Hélène a photo of her latest assortment of colors, Anduze Green, Raku Grey, Clay Red and Light Kaolin Yellow. Judging by the "thumbs up" sent in response to her client, she apparently approved of her choice.

The illustrations I do for my own blog are entirely my ideas. For the paid work it varies. For example the work I did for Fox Brothers was based on their new AW collections of fabrics. So Douglas reached out to me and presented me with the collection. I then visualised our ideas on how to wear those fabrics and also added short stories to those illustrations. It might have been a comment, a thought or a funny face but there was something comic about it. That’s how the collection has been presented then, using my illustrations as a guide on how to wear them. Retro Sporty" from the series of "5 ways to wear sneakers"– Onitsuka Tiger x Slowboy #mensfashion #retrostyle #blazer #sneakers #fashionillustration #slowboy They are especially proud of their bedding, as they benefited from a 30% discount on cotton percale during the Merci Days!

Dressing conservatively with personality."-Jake Grantham @cadeandco #thearmoury #mensfashion #sartorial #fashionillustration #pittiuomo #slowboy I drew inspiration from all sort of visual sources, from the caricatures of Vanity Fair from late 19th century and Tintin of Hergé to Indian miniature paintings and Japanese Ukiyo-e as well as some influence from Chinese ink painting, but the initial idea of “Slowboy” was inspired and influenced by the “Ivy Boys” created by the great Japanese illustrator Mr Kazuo Hozumi, who also wrote the foreword to my recently published book “Mr Slowboy: Portraits of the Modern Gentleman”. At the end something I like to ask people I talk to. What does style mean? How do you understand it? At the beginning yes, it was this guy, dressed in a specific way and he looked very much the same on every illustration. Lately as I started doing more commission work I think the meaning is more about the style. So Mr Slowboy would be the style of illustrations rather than a specific person. They often have lunch at Flor, carrots, salsa macha, mascarpone that look nothing like carrots, accompanied by a grilled broccoli and herb salad.

Christophe scribbles his canvas sketches in Merci notebooks that he carries everywhere with him. He often strolls through the stationery department upstairs while his partner polishes her collection of corduroy pants from the eponymous brand and Rive Droite waist bags made of upcycled fabric. The only thing I can afford in an art auction is the catalogue." Illustration for @foxbrothers1772 #menswear #mensfashion #fashionillustration #foxbrothers #slowboy In celebration of our Made for Japan collection, we headed to Pitti Uomo earlier in the year with artist Fei Wang, also known as Mr Slowboy, to interpret our new collection in his unique style. Learn more about his illustration process and how he got into fashion illustration… As I mentioned above, I saw a very different picture when I was mapping all of my previous work on the floor, and they certainly evolved from time to time, not just the proportion of the figures or the drawing techniques, even the preferable styling is subtly changing along with the fashion trends. However, I could tell from the work that classic and traditional menswear was still my favorite subject and most of the sitters in my favorite portraits are in suits. Victionary You rely on your portfolio of commercial and personal client work for the book's contents. Do you have any favorite portraits in there? What did you realize about your work as you compiled it? Did you learn anything about your subjects?

We have been talking a lot about menswear brands and clothing. Do you maybe work with any other type of brands? At The Edwardian Manchester, McCor was inspired by the landscape, designs, and scenery around him, including the hotel’s mix of modern and Victorian architecture which he brought to life and captured from a new perspective with his signature brand of illustrative photographic art and humour. Go behind the scenes on YouTube below.