All images owned by Dadu Shin
Dadu Shin is a freelance illustrator based in New York who's clients include The New York Times and Simon & Schuster amongst many others. I came across his fashion illustration work earlier this year and fell in love with his use of shape and color. Each piece looks as though it is cocooning the body, which is something I have also noticed in a lot of the runway shows this year.
Colour Palette
I decided to email Dadu and conduct an interview with him to find out more about what makes him tick:
What is your ultimate goal as an artist?
To enjoy making my work. Most of the time I do, but there are those times in which I find myself looking at a piece and thinking "Why am I doing this? It's really not very fun." The less moments like that I have, the better I'll feel.
Name three of your favorite musicians/ bands
Oh man, so hard to choose just three. I tend to go through phases with music. One week I'll listen to the same few songs over and over and then the next week I'll do the same with a different set of songs. Lately I've been listening to:
-Grizzly Bear
-Fleet Foxes
-Yeasayer
Do you believe in aliens? If so what do you think they would look like?
I definitely believe that there is life out there. How can there not be? In a universe so vast it would be silly to think that we were the only planet that is home to life. Hmmm I think they would look similar to us, but I think it would really depend on the environment of the planet they were on. Who really knows with these kinds of things though.
What was the first thing you can remember drawing and what made you decide to become an illustrator?
One of my earliest memories of drawing is when I had to do a project on Birds of Prey in elementary school. We had the choice to use photos or do drawings for our presentations. I drew hawks and eagles for days. I didn't really know what illustration was until my sophomore year of college. All I knew was that I liked drawing pictures and stories and illustration was the most accommodating for those interests. Looking back now, a lot of the stuff I was drawn to as a kid was illustration, I just didn't know it then.
On your tumblr you have a variety of different pieces that vary in style, what drew you to create fashion images?
I always like trying new things and working in different ways. I really enjoy experimenting with my work and I thought having a consistent subject might help me focus on just playing around with process. It's kind of like drawing the same thing over and over, eventually you start trying different ways of doing things. I'm interested in fashion and clothing, so I thought fashion would be a great subject for the blog. It's helped me develop my work in ways that I didn't foresee, so I'm really glad I started the series.
What is your favorite film?
I keep a top 10 list of my favorite films, but in no particular order. I'll put the first three on the list here:
-City of God
-Amelie
-The Truman Show
If you could work with any fashion house, who would it be and why?
I'm not too informed on all the houses and their aesthetics, but I'll do a little research every once in awhile. I've always found Raf Simmons really amazing though, the stuff he did for Jil Sanders a couple years ago was great. The things I've seen from Kenzo are really interesting as well.
What is the meaning of life?
To be comfortable with yourself, and to enjoy the people and places around you. Easier said than done that's for sure.
10. Are there any blogs that your read regularly that you could recommend?
Hmmm I don't follow blogs regularly besides all the random ones I follow on tumblr. I check these ones every once in awhile though:
http://www.itsnicethat.com/
http://www.thesartorialist.com/
http://www.booooooom.com/
To find out more about Dadu Shin and to see more of his fantastic illustrations visit his website, tumblr, and follow him on twitter.
