Interview: Mr Slowboy, Artist "How to Live & Work as a Well-Dressed Modern Man"

The wonder of Instagram is that artists with real talent will get noticed and so it was that I came across Mr Slowboy's exquisite drawings of stylish men many months ago and determined one day to feature him on the blog. 

Unlike a fashion illustrator, who merely records a look, Fei Wang (Mr Slowboy's real name) has the ability to capture character and mood in his simple drawings. He shows us style to be aspired to. This ability has been widely recognised and many brands and sartorial gentlemen have been captured by his pen.

Image Mr Slowboy

Fei Wang kindly agreed to an interview.

"I am keen [on] the idea of how to work and live as a well-dressed modern man, which I believe it’s an appreciation to the values of our society and the politeness to others". Fei Wang

GF: Fei, Mr Slowboy seemed to blossom over the last twelve months or so - tell us a little about yourself and how Mr Slowboy was started.

Mr S: Long story short, I am a Beijinger born and bred, went to college in Singapore and England, then worked as a Creative Director and Head of Art in an American advertising agency, However, the success in my agency life didn’t quite satisfy me as my ‘superficial’ fashion illustrator dream gradually became vivid in my mind and finally encouraged myself to jump off the boat by moving to London, and that’s where Mr. Slowboy started.

 Mr Jeremy Hackett - image Mr Slowboy

GF: The illustrations are exquisite, so deftly capturing personality: what training have you had as an artist?

Mr S:I had the privilege of learning traditional Chinese ink from an early age, I did graphic design in undergraduate school, then printmaking during my MA in Illustration. In particular, my study on Indian miniature painting and Japanese Ukiyo-e were great influence too.

Seersucker - image Mr Slowboy

GF: You also have a keen eye for style, capturing the nuances and humour of a well-dressed man - have you always been interested in clothes and dressing well? How did this develop?

Mr S: Yes, I have always been interested in clothes, not so much about following fashion, but I am keen to the idea of how to work and live as an well-dressed modern man, which I believe it’s an appreciation to the values of our society and the politeness to others. My early awareness of clothes raised when I was in primary school, my mother always dressed me in very simple attire: white shirt, navy or blue pants, and white trainer or black slip-on, on top of that, the compulsory ‘young communism pioneer’ red scarf (Don’t be alert by its name, to me it’s merely function like the tie for the school boy uniform here in UK). If you think about the colour palette - white, blue and red, it’s actually pretty French! I guess this coincidence shaped my aesthetic on fashion in certain ways and subconsciously influenced my preference on classic/traditional menswear.

Mr Jeremy Hackett - image Mr Slowboy

GF: How do you do the drawings?

Mr S: The procedure doesn’t sound very artistic, but rather scientific, I research first, then develop the creative ideas and make sketches, finally execute the ideas with a combination of watercolour, gouache and colour pencils.

GF: What brands and styles do you like to wear yourself?

Mr S: Oh...where do I begin? I like Preppy/Ivy looks the most, but I’m open to different styles too. I like American brands- Brooks Brothers, Ralph Lauren, English brands like Drake’s, Margaret Howell, Mackintosh, and of course some Japanese brands - Beams, Haversack and Anatomica.

GF: Do you draw other subjects or use other artistic media?

Mr S: A bit of everything, I experiment a lot.

GF: How do you see Mr Slowboy developing in the future?

Mr S: Future is always unpredictable, I simply wish that I will be able to continue to work on menswear's illustration until I’m too old to pick up a pencil.

******

With many thanks to Fei Wang, some of whose images illustrate this feature. Follow Mr Slowboy on Instagram and visit his website here.

Drake's - image Mr Slowboy