In the fast-paced digital world of fashion, illustrator Richard Haines is carving out a niche for himself one sketch at a time. One of the fashion industry’s most sought after illustrators, Haines is paving the way for the rise of street-style sketches. The designer-turned-illustrator can often be found sitting front row at some of the most prestigious shows in the world, or on the streets of New York City with a sketchpad in hand. Chronicling his journey in the fashion world on his blog What I Saw Today, his old-fashioned drawings are creating a modern-day sensation within the menswear industry. HR had the opportunity to sit down with Richard to get the inside scoop.
HR: You are constantly surrounded by amazing fashion, what does great style mean to you?
Haines: Great style and amazing fashion are two very different things: it’s when they cross paths that the fireworks start. I think, and I am confident most designers would agree, that great personal style is really more about the individual and less about the designer. I grew up reading Diana Vreeland’s Vogue and the message was larger than life—people mixed with fashion and lots of personal style and pedigree. For instance, this morning at my local hipster coffee shop in Brooklyn, a guy came in wearing a vintage Burberry trench coat, yellow knit cap, grey heather sweatshirt, indigo jeans, and Toms cotton shoes. He probably spent under $100 on the whole outfit and looked like a million bucks! A picture is worth a million words…
HR: In the hi-tech digital world, what makes your sketches so relevant?
Haines: I think people are photoshopped out. I love photography, but I think there is a saturation of images, and something hand drawn gives the eye some relief. The more smudged and messier the work, the more people respond to it. I also think what I do captures a moment in time in a different way than a photograph does, and I try to inject an element of humor and lightness to it as well.
HR: What’s the best part about what you do?
Haines: There are three parts to this: 1) I love to draw and the fact that people appreciate and respond to my work is pretty amazing. 2) I have access to what interests me. If I see someone interesting on the street or at an event I’ve become pretty comfortable introducing myself and getting them to pose for me 3) I get so many messages from kids all over the world asking about illustration: what materials do I use, how did I get started etc. The fact that the internet puts me in contact with so many people still boggles my mind, and if it gets people thinking about drawing and art, then I feel like in my own small way I’ve made the world a calmer, more serene place.
Oh and there’s one more 4) when I’m running around the city on occasion people stop me and say how much they enjoy the blog. It usually happens when I’m with my daughter, who inevitably rolls her eyes as if to say “don’t let this get to your head” but I know it also makes her very proud, which I totally love!
HR: Who is on your list of people/designers you’d most love to sketch?
Haines: There are so many people that I’d love to sketch that I get overwhelmed by it. Walking through a subway station, I’ll catch a glimpse of someone with a nose or profile that’s so magnificent. Then they disappear into the crowd and I feel like I lost a wonderful moment.
I’m working on a new series of local Brooklyn guys—artists, gallery owners, performance artists—people who really interest me. I love what’s happening here. Last week, I was in Milan and I spent the afternoon in the Prada showroom sketching the new collection (the day after the show). That was my idea of heaven. I’d love to do a series of portraits of designers who really put themselves out there— Miuccia Prada, Alber Elbaz, Rei Kawakuba.
HR: You began your career as a designer, why did you make the transition into illustration?
Haines: I actually moved to New York to become an illustrator, but that’s ancient history, so I don’t expect anyone to know it! I moved to NYC in the mid 70′s and everything was switching from illustration to photography so I went on to plan B and spent my career designing. I loved designing. I worked for some amazing people—Calvin Klein, Bill Blass, Perry Ellis, but I think I’m a better artist than designer so it’s kind of amazing that my career has come full circle.
Tags: career, illustrator, interview, Mens, New York, Richard Haines, What I Saw Today
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