Fashion illustration is the #OG of fashion designing. Every idea and every thread you stitch are born on the paper. It encapsulates the design element in Fashion designing. The transition from paper to the mannequin is only a matter of effort and time, from mannequin to the needle is again a matter of logistics. Let’s have a quick glance of 5 ways fashion illustration plays a crucial part of fashion designing.

Gives life to your idea

Fashion illustration brings your ideas to life, quite literally. The cute lace bow you wish you could add that would enhance the look of your own flowing summer dress, might work just right but lace is not the easiest thing to make. You know that. So, the best way to know if it really works for you, is to simply sketch it out. The fashion illustration helps bring your ideas to life as you curate the collective ideas to know what works best and what detracts the look of the piece. Fashion illustration is the first and the foremost when it comes to learning fashion designing.

Medium of communication

Seldom are your ideas marketed for yourself. Fashion illustration is not just a way of curating your ideas and improving upon them, but it is also a medium of visual communication. The client you are inking the idea to needs to understand and should be able to visualize every element of the fabric, the design and the complete look of the garment before it goes under the needle. This amount of detailing and understanding of a design can be achieved only through fashion illustration, a medium both you and your client can mutually understand and improvise. It is a simple way of visual communication with your client of the design you envision.

Margin of error

Every design comes with it’s share of errors and improvements. Client is not going to be impressed with your very first presentation. All of these improvements, variations in the design, the design elements that goes into the design needs attention and detailing. The amount of investment in terms of money, time and effort is way less, when the improvements and errors happen on paper, rather than fabric. Fashion illustration greatly helps in reducing the amount of time, money and effort that you spend on a specific piece of work, as per your client requirement.

The logistics

It is not enough to make it rain money with just your creative side of your brain kicking in to work, although I know you would be happy to do just that. Well, the bills don’t pay themselves. Gear up your other side of the brain for fashion illustration. The pleats, the seams, the fabric, the length, the lace, the trims, the handwork, the beading, they all mean time and money in the fashion business. You should be adept at costing your design as you do the fashion illustration. The logistics of your fashion illustration should be on your fingertips, not just the pencil.

A Personal style

Fashion illustration might look very similar and generic on a first glance but is a very personal art that is very unique to each fashion designer as they explore the vast world of fashion designing and find ways to express their art. One might prefer water colour while another might prefer the sharp point of a pencil. Fashion illustration, in time, reveals a very personal element of a fashion designer.

Hand drawn illustration vs digital illustration

Fashion illustration although is a very personal artform, digital space has managed to seep into the little crevices for fast fashion and such. The digital illustration has certainly evolved from one-size-fits-all and is slowly evolving to become more personal and therefore an integral part of fashion designing for those who struggle with a flat sketch or a detailed illustration. But hand drawn fashion illustration is still very much at large and is highly sought-after skill set and talent in the fashion industry. The hand drawn fashion illustration is the way to go, if you need real flexibility and a creative horizon only your talented hands can explore.

Fashion Illustrator, A career choice 

If you are highly skilled at the art of fashion illustration, you have a wholesome career choice waiting just for you. The hand drawn illustrations and the flat sketches that make, means a payday, if you choose the right places to work in. The truly skilled fashion illustrators in the market are currently far and few in India, especially for Haute Couture, that it is almost a rarity. The coveted roles of being a fashion illustrator is a career choice that is waiting for you, if you develop the right skill set for it.z

Fashion Illustration – Perks in Fashion Designing