Richard Kilroy doesn’t argue that illustration is better than photography – more pure, or premium, say. But he suggests that it can offer, unlike digital mediums, artistry, and it’s something that he documents in his new book, Menswear Illustration. Comprising the work of some 40 illustrators from around the world, the impressive tome demonstrates the breadth and popularity of the field today but also offers a new take on the clothes and collections that we already know.

What prompted you to write this book, and how do you hope that it might be received?
I approached Thames & Hudson about putting together a new volume on the work of illustrators that I write about and keep an eye on anyway. We went through a few ideas before looking back at Decoy, a magazine that I put out independently that’s focused on menswear (as is my own work) and we realised there were no books focusing on that particular area.

How did you go about selecting the illustrators to be featured?
The vast majority I already followed or knew and wanted to put together in a single title. There were a small handful of new discoveries for myself along the way as it took a few months to put together, like Chinese illustrator Jiiakuann. I like to think I have a good sense and knowledge of who the most relevant and engaging illustrators established or new, and one or two designers who are great at drawing in their own right.

How broad is the diversity between those illustrators that are featured, and what are some characteristics that define them?
The styles are fairly broad in range, it would be a bit of a crap survey book if it wasn’t! It’s got the likes of Helen Bullock’s paintings which are fairly simple and abstract, and more of a response than an interpretation, then at the opposite end there’s the super sharp renderings of Ricardo Fumanal whose work is adaptable to any context and has worked for pretty much all the big mags like V and GQ. There’s the digital work of Jack Hughes and the loose ink sketches of Amelie Hegardt. Putting it all together it does seem that a focus on details and realism are fairly prevalent in portraying menswear, and that’s not just in relation to my own work which people might assume helped define my selection, which isn’t the case in the slightest. But as menswear has traditionally been about detailing and specifics, it seems that this seems to be the dominant approach currently. That’s not to say it can’t be challenged either.

Why has illustration become so prominent in menswear in recent times?
Menswear in itself has become more prominent. It’s simply a direct response.

What can illustration offer us that new, digital forms, like photography, cannot?
I never argue for a case that one is better than the other in creative mediums Illustration can’t sell clothing directly like photography can, but also fashion photography can’t offer the contexts that illustration brings in terms of artistry, the strength of singular artistic vision, the range of imagery possible.

You are personally also an illustrator – tell us about your work method and style of menswear illustration.
My method is usually to get the model and samples ready and work with them directly, sometimes with hair and make up even though often I tend to just suggest the hair rather than fully render it. It’s pretty figurative, I don’t draw much outside of the model and clothing themselves though this isn’t an exclusive rule. I work from the photographs I take, I have major issues with being handed someone else’s images to work from. Although I do use photorealist pencil in sections, I like to balance it with looser line and ink and paint work. Everyone always asks how long a piece of work takes. It can range vastly from maybe 3-20 hours depending.