Particularly in the 70’s and 80’s if you asked about fashion illustration you would receive a one word answer: ‘Antonio’. Antonio Lopez and collaborator/partner Juan Ramos worked under the name Antonio, with Lopez doing the illustrations and Ramos the research. The pieces that they both worked on set the tone during that time of what fashion illustration should look like — use of color, movement, composition and overall style. Antonio was as well-known as any designer working during that period and many went to him to create beautiful illustrations for them.
Both men were born in Puerto Rico and met when they attended the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York. Antonio worked as an illustrator for WWD and The New York Times while still attending school and his work appeared in such publications as Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, Elle, Interview, The New York Times among others. He is also credited to have discovered Jessica Lange, Jerry Hall, Grace Jones and Tina Chow.
El Museo del Barrio in New York has a wonderful exhibition of the duo’s work that is more than worth taking a look.
Featured image: Maria Synder, 1983 – gouache, metallic paint and pencil on paper.
