Glenn Tunstull on His Influential Career

DECEMBER 30, 2020 17 ILLUSTRATING WWD FASHION Glenn Tunstull On His Influential Career OThe fashion illustrator discussed what it was like at Women’s Wear Daily. BY TONYA BLAZIO-LICORISH Fashion reflects the mood of the times, and fashion illustration can still define those moments. Although a rare inclusion in today’s fashion publications, it created a niche career for the artists working at Women’s Wear Daily in the second half of the 20th century at the height of a fashion explosion. Glenn Tunstull was one of those artists. “As a fashion illustrator, you wanted to work with WWD. It was the center of the world for fashion art,” said Tunstull, who was the first Black fashion illustrator hired at the printed daily in 1972. He spent the early years of his career working with a team of artists, many still friends who left an undeniable mark on fashion’s visual where he was being trained in commercial language. His work can be seen in the art — the catalyst of computer-generated pages of WWD from 1972 to 1975. graphic design today. After one course in Tunstull’s work captured the essence the art form, he knew he wanted to pursue of fashion in an elegant painterly style. fashion illustration as a career. Tunstull Still, fashion illustration was actually not attended the fashion illustration program at the top of his career list. “I didn’t think at Parson’s the New School of Design but being an artist was something I could do. left early to pursue his career. I actually was going to study business,” Learning the art of fashion illustration A YSL promo sketch. he told WWD. Luckily a conversation with is quite different from fashion design an uncle changed that trajectory. The drawing. There is a strong distinction Detroit native got hooked on the art form between the two. “You aren’t creating creating that fantasy, the desire which artist assignments, and I remember my by taking a class at CASS Tech High School, something exacting. It really is about captivates the fashion ethos. Knowing the first California market supplement. Being placement of a seam isn’t something you sent to California by myself to sketch can displace in interpretation, I didn’t what the designers were going to show know that at the onset,” he said. was a lot of pressure,” he said. “But it Before applying at WWD, he learned was some of my best work during my a lot about garment construction from time there.” freelance work at Vogue and Simplicity As the field of fashion illustration Patterns. The training helped evolve his grew, Tunstull moved on to pursue his style and understanding of how fashion in love of the arts. Moving to Paris in 1975 illustration, although not required to be could have proved daunting for a young exacting, felt more realistic for the viewer artist. He recalled his arrival in Paris and with those details in place. the need to find freelance work, which “I came into the world of fashion wound up reinforcing WWD’s influence. illustration just after the Civil Rights “I went on an interview to acquire Movement.” Getting hired by WWD at freelance work, and the interviewer that time, out of all the applicants who knew me because of my editorial work would have applied, was amazing. “It was with WWD. I was astounded by the reach a moment of change for my career. I went the journal had. I was hired on the spot. from being anonymous to having a tagline Thanks to Women’s Wear Daily, my work in the most influential fashion publication now had a global audience. I felt like the to date. I was now a name in the world luckiest person in the world and continue of fashion as a part of this niche set of to pursue my art,” he said. illustrators. Working with WWD was a Tunstull’s fashion illustrations are great way to establish yourself as a fashion an influential piece of fashion’s visual artist,” Tunstull said. history. His work with WWD helped him “Of course, we all wanted to cover garner a successful career as a fashion everything, especially the couture, but that illustrator, something he doesn’t regret. was all Kenneth [Paul Block], respectively.” His fashion illustrations have also been Fashion, especially the American industry, featured in Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, The offered many opportunities. Tunstull, like New York Times, and several books, his colleagues, would illustrate multiple including a compilation of his work, categories and social portraits. A three- “Tunstull — From Fashion to Fine Art.” page editorial titled “Betty Ford Buys He teaches fashion illustration at Parsons American,” published in 1975 during her and continues his artistic pursuits term as first lady, not only compliments as a fine artist, with work featured his style but envisioned Ford in wearable in yearly shows at galleries around American fashion. “It was always a great the country and Europe. His fashion opportunity to have a page one assignment illustrations were recently included in because it was the urgent image of the the Society of American Illustrators day,” he said. “Fashion Illustration: The Visionaries,” Other assignments included the highlighting his and other WWD double-fold layout on pages four and five, illustrators’ work post-pandemic. He is which was an opportunity for the fashion represented by one of the few galleries illustrators to showcase their style. focused on selling and collecting fashion “Those were the most precious to me,” illustrations as fine art, Gray M.C.A “Sweater Girls, the Inner Fashions,” featured in a 1975 issue of WWD. Illustrations by Glenn Tunstull. Portrait illustration by Jillian n Sollazzo by illustration Portrait recalled Tunstull. “We also did feature of London..

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