Piet Paris started out as a fashion illustrator after his graduation from the Arnhem Fashion Academy in 1988. Illustration has been his core business since then, but he also presented his ideas about fashion in other ways, like for instance as creative director of the Arnhem fashion biennale.

Here, at a presentation for the Dutch fashion designer Jan Taminiau, Paris is doing what he has done for years while attending the big fashion shows in Paris: summarizing the show in a single drawing for Holland’s major newspapers and magazines. Interpreting the central idea of the entire collection rather than merely depicting one of its designs.

Recently Piet Paris published a beautiful book about his work. It’s an overview of the last 20 years.

The drawing for fashion designer Alexander van Slobbe is akin to the work of the famous Dutch graphic artist Hendrik Werkman, one of Paris’s heroes. Just like Werkman, Paris likes to work with stencils. And just like Miffy creator Dick Bruna, he likes clear contours.

Besides his fashion illustrations, Piet Paris is known for his numerous advertisement drawings – for example for Saks Fifth Avenue with its 54 luxury specialty stores worldwide… or the French Tourist Office. Nowadays he’s expanding to other fields, small as well as large-scale projects.

Viktor&Rolf asked Piet Paris to design gigantic decors for their “Show Face” show. The result made a big impression on the illustrator.

CREDITS: Director: Katelijne Schrama, Camera: Wiro Felix, Sound: Steven van Dijk
Editing: Tim van der Maden, Kleurcorrectie: Maurik de Ridder, Music Sound Design: Pastelle Music, Commissioning editor Submarine: Geert van de Wetering , Producer Submarine: Olivia Sophie van Leeuwen, Research assist: Liselot Francken, Produced by Submarine, Commissioned by DutchDFA