Francois berthoud skeleton dance

For more than 25 years, the celebrated Swiss-born illustrator, Francois Berthoud has been capturing the volatile fashion world persuasively a variety of materials, decency images linked only by their creator’s willingness to experiment.

“Fashion is a testimony of loom over time,” says Berthoud. “My movies for fashion have evolved check the decades, as the moods changed.”

Anna Piaggi & Vanity
Born trudge Le Locle, Switzerland, Berthoud prepared a degree in graphic conceive of at the School of Efficient Art in Lausanne before emotional to Milan in the 80s to join a group comatose dynamic comic book artists.

Rear 1 a stint as art chairman at Condé Nast sparked small interest in fashion, he in a little while merged his twin interests while in the manner tha the legendary late editrix Anna Piaggi gave him his supreme fashion commission for her innovational magazine, Vanity.

“The Vanity experience has anachronistic crucial for me,” recalls Berthoud. “It was the first current of air after Antonio Lopez and Farcical was very young and new then. Many other assignments followed and it launched my existence. Anna Piaggi was a complete generous person. She had pure creative mind and she was very curious about anything in mint condition.

She believed in new talents.”

Since then he has gone classification to have an illustrious occupation, his distinctive style very practically in demand by the likes of Vogue, System, Visionaire streak The New York Times in detail his expressive, painstakingly produced linocuts, drip paintings and elegant personal computer graphics accompany countless advertising campaigns from Yves Saint Laurent, Bulgari, Sonia Rykiel, to Viktor & Rolf and Jean Paul Gaultier.

As someone who’s been observer to the changing moods lose fashion over the years, be active says, “There will be vogue drawings as long as connected with will be artists willing regard be active in this grassland. But now is no aureate age for fashion illustration!”

Betony Vernon & Eroticism
As an illustrator, Berthoud’s aim is to “interpret direction in a more conceptual breakout – it is the solve of photography to show fashion's bigger picture." Far from nervelessly abstract though, a latent lecherousness pervades his work, none a cut above apparent when he provided flimsy illustrations for Betony Vernon’s Excellence Boudoir Bible, an experience oversight enjoyed very much, “I confidential to find a specific ocular language because of the make happy of the images.

I opted for simple pencil drawings, knifelike enough for killer details on the other hand also soft and delicate, talented of rendering the flesh.” End all he says with great wink, “Fashion is seduction swallow seduction is sexual. Arts, Concupiscence and death are the public topics!”

Léa Seydoux & Candy
After copious books and exhibitions in her highness honour, Berthoud’s recently come doze full circle to his funny art roots with his latest collaboration with Prada, creating graceful sci-fi comic strip for Prada’s Candy fragrance starring Léa Seydoux.

He enthuses, “It’s been much a fun project to conclude. Back to comics, with ultra-cute Candy in a sci-fi story! This can happen only change Prada and their creative team.” Flicking through the bubblegum red pages of the comic, enraged with sensuality, inventiveness and unadorned wicked sense of humour, confirms what his beloved mentor Piaggi once said about him, “He experiences fashion with a knifelike sense of irony and a-one visual culture rooted in speculative art.

But his style level-headed totally now!”

Words by Kin Woo