Humor Chic Illustrator Alexsandro Palombo Skewers Fashion Icons Anna Wintour, Rachel Zoe, Karl Lagerfeld, MoreWhile most in the fashion industry would consider it blasphemous to speak ill about the likes of
Anna Wintour,
Marc Jacobs, and
Tom Ford, Alexsandro Palombo is building his career on making fun of fashion's elite through his racy illustrations.
The 36-year-old artist, who splits his time between Italy and France, has done everything from imagining French Vogue editor
Carine Roitfeld and
Valentino on the toilet to having
Andre Leon Talley play pallbearer at
Karl Lagerfeld's fictional and fabulous funeral ("The greatest funeral that the world of fashion will witness," explains Palombo).
He also recently exposed some controversial tweets from Stefano Gabbana in which the designer called
Stella McCartney a "nonentity" (
read it all here) and has released a series of illustrations dubbed
"I Love Anorexia" starring
Victoria Beckham, spiny stylist
Rachel Zoe, and
Marie Claire editor-in-chief Joanna Coles, who has been criticized for publishing an article that speaks harshly of heavier people.
Just why is Palombo so fascinated with putting fashion world players in dicey situations? StyleList caught up with the artist to find out.
StyleList: You've kept quite a bit of mystery about yourself. Is your background in art or fashion?
Alexsandro Palombo: I move between both worlds. At 18 I went to Milan to study fashion design, but I was born with a gift for illustration. With Humor Chic, I've managed to bring together the two worlds of art and fashion.
StyleList: Have you worked at any major fashion companies?
AP: I've been a creative director for leading firms in Milan, Paris, and Hong Kong, devoting myself to luxury knitwear for men and women. The clients of the companies I worked for included Hermès, Bottega Veneta, Jil Sander, and so forth. I ended up being targeted by LVMH for some time. They mentioned me to the international press as a great talent to keep an eye on. But let's just say things changed and I decided to keep an eye on them and others!
StyleList: Did you ever have your own collection?
AP: From 1998 to 2007 at Milan Fashion Week, I showed under my own label aleXsandro Palombo, becoming the founder of the Italian avant-garde, but then I decided to devote all my time to my artwork.
StyleList: Why are you so fascinated with fashion world personalities?
AP: They offer a lot of scope in terms of vices, virtues, and vanities, and this becomes crucial when my pencil decides to capture and immortalize someone.
StyleList: Have you gotten any response from the people you've portrayed?
AP: Many messages and all of absolute affection. Out of respect I can't reveal who, but there are some who are still angry they haven't yet been immortalized.
StyleList: Who is your favorite subject to draw?
AP: I'm very fond of Anna Wintour, who is certainly one of my favorites, but Karl Lagerfeld and Valentino are no less. I think my first piece was of Karl Lagerfeld. I did it as shock therapy against boredom. I'd say it was excellent!
StyleList: Can fans buy your work?
AP: The launch of the Humor Chic T-shirt collection is planned for autumn. We've also had offers to collaborate from leading fashion brands and we're currently considering who will be our partner in developing a small and refined limited-edition capsule "Humor Chic for..." collection. It'll be fun!
StyleList: Can people buy your drawings or commission them?
AP: I get endless proposals for purchases and crazy requests from private dealers, but nothing will ever be put up for sale. But if tomorrow the
Obama family were to ask me for a portrait, I'd be happy to oblige!
Interview by Katie Hintz-Zambrano
Source:
AOL Stylelist
