FIG at Fashion Week

The Fashion Illustration Gallery, usually accessible by appointment only, is opening its doors to the public during London Fashion Week. From Friday 16th – Wednesday 21st September, FIG will be at The Mayor Gallery in London, showing François Berthoud’s Superilluman portfolio, which includes some of his greatest work.

We caught up with FIG’s William Ling, to find out more about the project. In doing so, we were also lucky enough to gain a thought-provoking insight into the intriguing world of fashion illustration.

What is your background and what gave you the idea to start FIG?

I studied Sculpture at St. Martins and graduated in the late 80’s. I started organising exhibitions in the early 90′s and became an art dealer/gallerist working with Young British Artists. I mounted an exhibition of drawings made by my wife Tanya Ling, who I had met at St. Martins and who had studied fashion, in Gavin Turk’s studio on Charing Cross Road and because of this exhibition British Vogue asked Tanya to make drawings for them. Since that first commission, Tanya became well-known as a fashion illustrator and was included in a book published by Thames & Hudson. I got to know Laird Borrelli, the author of the book and she suggested I organise an exhibition to accompany the book’s launch. By organising the exhibition I got to know many of the artists working in this field and saw an opportunity to create a gallery that works with artists who would otherwise have little opportunity to exhibit their work.

When do you think fashion illustration becomes art?

Fashion illustration is fashion illustration. Some may say it’s art and some say it can’t be because it was commissioned and made for a magazine or an advert – although often it’s made only for the artist’s own edification. To me it really doesn’t matter (although I enjoy pointing out to the fine art purists and snobs that Andy Warhol started life as a fashion illustrator) and neither does it matter to my collectors who are motivated by the quality of painting, drawing and the sheer brilliance of the work we exhibit.

Is there a certain type of person that buys fashion illustration? Do the prints reach beyond a fashion audience?

Our experience is that the most sophisticated and visually discerning are drawn to it as are those with little in the way of an education in art. Fashion illustration is popular and its popularity is global. Our collectors come from all over the world. Some are working in fashion and others are working in the art world. We’ve sold to bankers and hedge fund guys, we’ve sold to artists and museum directors. The famous and not so famous. There isn’t a type that can characterize the group but the prints we publish enable the work to reach a much larger audience because we are able to offer them at a much lower price point than a unique drawing, painting or collage.

What is the most interesting rare magazine that you’ve come across and why?

Vogue Paris, Feb 1949, featuring work by Carl Erickson on the cover and in a twenty eight page portfolio of reproduced charcoal portrait drawings of designers including Christian Dior, Nina Ricci, Jacques Heim and Elsa Schiaparelli. I first saw the magazine on a plinth and protected by a glass box in the Design Museum and I was blown away when I was able to get my hands on a copy, which I quickly acquired for my own collection before finding another to sell on through our site.

You were given access to the Vogue archive for your first exhibition, how was that?

I was showing a huge photograph by Robin Derrick (ex-creative director of British Vogue) in my then gallery on Golborne Road and I spoke to him about the exhibition 100 Years of Fashion Illustration that I was curating and the launch of FIG that I was planning and he invited me to visit the archive and helped me organise the loan of the works.

Why do you think there is still a place for fashion illustration in the digital age?

The majority of the works that we sell are hand crafted and they are highly valued because of this. In the ‘digital age’ these works aren’t becoming obsolete, or irrelevant they are becoming ever more desirable.

You’re opening up your doors to the public during London Fashion Week, what are you getting up to and why should we pop down?

We are showing new work by David Downton, Richard Gray, Sarah Mower, Jason Brooks and Tanya Ling and prints from François Berthoud’s portfolio, Superilluman that have never before been presented in the UK. The portfolio contains 97 prints many of which will cover the gallery walls from floor to ceiling. The prints are made from many of Berthoud’s most well known images.

What does Superilluman mean?

Superilluman is a word created by the artist – it was supposed to be un-modest. Superman, Supermario…. Superilluman.