Mr Slowboy - the Artist behind the Name
Bolin Webb has in recent years commissioned two distinctive characters from London-based Mr Slowboy: our Man from Mayfair and our Gentleman on Tour.
Now we have had the pleasure of interviewing Fei Wang, the artist behind the famous series.
Here are his answers:
BW: How are you inspired?
Fei: I draw inspiration from all sorts of visual sources, especially through the observations and studies of the stylish people I come across on the street. I love to capture and celebrate their originality and authenticity.
BW: What is your background in art?
Fei: I used to work in advertising as an art director and creative director for about 13 years. After achieving most of the desirable “goals” in the industry, I realised It wasn’t quite fun anymore and my true passion still lay in drawing.
The first “Slowboy” as a semi-fictional character was created in June 2015 to share my personal fashion tips with colleagues and friends on my blog for a hobby.
The early Slowboy illustrations were well received among my friends and gained me a lot of followers and attention from fashion brands almost instantly, that’s where I started my career as a professional fashion illustrator.
BW: How do you like London?
Fei: London is probably the most diversified city both culturally and demographically with a perfect balance of being both old and new, classic and contemporary, timeless and fashionable, conventional and inventive, conservative and liberal. I can always see people dress up sincerely and stylishly around almost every corner in the city and each one of them is absolutely original and unique. I found nowhere else is comparable.
BW: What is changing in fashion taste?
Fei: I think fashion is getting more relaxed and self-pleased, the focus is no longer how clothes make us look like in other people’s eyes, but how clothes make us feel like, seeking individuality has become the major driving force for us to engage trends or styles.
BW: What do you see in Bolin Webb as a UK shaving brand?
Fei: I think Bolin Webb carries the qualities of the British brands, which is highly design oriented and focusing on the aesthetics and craftsmanship, it certainly inherits the tradition and understandings of men's grooming in the UK and knows how to find the best approach of balancing appearance and performance.
