I used to draw a lot when I was a child. Really, drawing was (and still it is) one of my passions which helped me express myself and tell stories I was never able to speak out with words. Fashion mannequins were pretty common on my sketchbooks but their stylized figures and lines mutated eventually into buildings and façades, and so it has been until today. That's why I always feel so fascinated meeting new designers who like to draw their own sketches, professional artists who are not afraid of failing on a pair of lines, because the final piece would look good anyway. And they know it.

David Yza was born in Mexico and studied at La Salle University. He works as a graphic designer and fashion illustrator. I discovered his illustrations thanks to my friend E. Jairycovich and Chapelle Magazine where I write and contribute from time to time, as he's been featured on the issue as artist too. "Apart from being a fan of cartoons, I had (still have) a great inclination and admiration for the world of style and beauty (...) On my sketches there was a certain focus into clothing, stylized figures and daring positions, as they were taken from an editorial" he says, stating that his drawing style originated as he realized he couldn't be 100% true to the images he wanted to emulate.

David has been a self-taught artist, but he says that thanks to his graphic design studies he's been able to have a better approachment to illustration and different techniques which have enriched his work and made it complexer and funnier as well. His work is unique, as he plays both with traditional and digital media to create his elegant shaped drawings mostly sketched with chinese ink, watercolor and then post-produced on the computer. He took inspiration from old drawings of Yves Saint Laurent or clean lines and slight touches of color master Rene Gruau, although David's style is more into quick traces and incomplete figures, which make his work dynamic and able to be interpreted from different sides. Like if everyone could complete the sketch on their own minds making thousand of different versions of it. His art took the essence and simplicity of classic fashion illustrations but adapting them into a 21th Century outfits which he has achieved through a long process based on practice and hard work.

I want to thank David for being so friendly and enthusiastic on taking part on this feature at Something Fashion, and hoping to see his designs soon at the biggest publications! Good luck!

All images belong to David Yza. You can also follow him on his Behance portfolio.