Q&A: Illustrating MFW S/S 24 Womenswear With Tracey Smith

Before fashion film, there was fashion photography, and before fashion photography, there was fashion illustration. Dazzling the pages of many of fashion's most revered publications, wondrous illustrations adorned the covers (and continued to decorate the inside pages) of Vogue, Harper's Bazaar, Flair, Tatler and many more throughout the first half of the 20th century, proving quite an asset to the quintessential style bible. Having always believed in the power of illustration, primarily when used to communicate a mood or palpable presence, SHOWstudio have long been inviting fashion's most talented illustrators, on and under the radar, to offer their unique talent in interpreting the latest season's collections.

To celebrate Milan's womenswear collections this season, SHOWstudio invited the illustrator Tracey Smith to reimagine her favourite fashion looks from Prada, Jil Sander, Fendi, Etro, Tom Ford and N°21. Adding her own stamp to the brief, Smith's illustrations are a joy to look at, not least because of cheerful drawings but also because of her unusually detailed depictions of the crowd.

Playing with texture while seamlessly fusing watercolours with pastels, Smith simultaneously reimagines the mood of the collection she's depicting as well as the audience's reaction. Her unique perspective provides viewers with a fresh and unconventional angle as if she were sketching right from the heart of the fashion show itself. We spoke to the artist to learn more about her illustrative style, inspiration and working process.

SHOWstudio: How would you describe your illustrative style in three words?

Tracey Smith: Expressive, evocative, energetic.

Ss: Can you remember where your love of fashion started? 

TS: I think my mum was a big influence. I remember desperately wanting hot pants for my 6th Birthday - it was the seventies after all - and was over the moon when I wore them for my birthday party.

Ss: Have you always been illustrating or did you only pick it up when you started designing? 

TS: I have always drawn from an early age, especially people, but it was only when I went to study fashion design that I really realised there was such a thing as fashion illustration. I loved John Galliano's illustrations of his collections. We drew everything by hand then and drawing the design boards was my favourite part of the whole process. I then went on to have a career as a designer, but I continued to draw and attend various drawing and painting classes before finally deciding to concentrate on illustration during the pandemic.

Ss: I’ve noticed that your style doesn't just focus on the clothes but on the whole picture inclusive of the audience and set design. Was this a conscious choice?

TS: For me, a catwalk show isn't necessarily only about the clothes. I love the drama and the theatre of a catwalk show. The set, the venue, the models and the crowd can really inform the mood of a show and the collection, and I really want to try and capture that in my illustrations. I take screenshots from the live show to work from which gives me interesting perspectives and angles that are not usually photographed.

Ss: What do you think makes fashion illustration relevant in 2023? 

TS: In a digitally-driven world, I think fashion illustration can offer a more emotional and personal response which gives new perspectives and viewpoints to help create a bridge between fashion and art.

Ss: How did you choose which brands you wanted to illustrate and what is it about a collection that makes you excited to draw it?

TS: I definitely have certain favourites that I'm always drawn to but it's usually an immediate emotional response which I can't always predict. Quite often, it's the drama and theatre of a show that I love and the characters that the models portray, but it can also be particular colours, shapes, or combinations of patterns or fabrics.

Ss: What do you want to express with your work?

TS: That's a tricky question - I don't always know! It's quite an emotional thing that is not always easy to plan or predict. In terms of catwalk illustration, I try to express the dynamism and excitement of a show.

Ss: Do you think having an individual artistic style is important as an artist? Is this something that's set in stone for you or constantly adapting and evolving?

TS: I think it is important to have an individual style, and that happens naturally over time, but as an illustrator, you are often responding to what you see and by the very nature of looking, your response is not always the same and is constantly adapting. I'm at a pretty early stage in my illustration career and definitely feel that my personal style is still developing.