The 54-year-old is calm and collected, quite unlike the character he draws. French illustrator Jean-Philippe Delhomme stands amidst a bevy of Thai editorial faces - people with really nice houses and who are upper-class event hoppers - and easily blends in with the classy luxuriance of the Sansiri Lounge at Siam Paragon. He meticulously sharpens his colour pencils by hand before thoughtfully drawing his character The Unknown Hipster into each inside cover at his very first book signing in Thailand.
His chirpy and vivacious style has drawn big names to work with him, including Saab, Barneys New York, The Mark Hotel in New York, Maison Kitsune and Le Bon Marche in Paris, and magazines such as American GQ, French GQ and GCasa Italy have featured his work. In fact, it is his illustrations for Sansiri's "Life Comes Home" campaign that has brought him to Thailand for the third time.
Asked about how he feels taking on his first ever project from Asia, Delhomme replies: "I'm very happy to do this because I am interested in how they conceive their buildings, how they plan their buildings, as well as the architecture."
Although he is mainly recognised for his illustrations for the fashion industry, Delhomme admits that when things get to a certain magnitude, everything can be intriguing to him.
"When you work with a company that is working on a very big, huge development, it's all very interesting to see how everything works," he says. "I have been working with people in the fashion, design, architectural and financial worlds, and it's all fascinating. It's one of the great things about my work _ I get to meet people from so many fields. When you meet different people, it gives you more chances to go from one thing to another, and also the opportunity to navigate in different sections in society."
Being a Frenchman who has worked with the fashion industry, he is dressed impeccably: his perfectly fitting navy suit rises just the right amount to show his crisp striped shirt every time he raises his arm, and a pair of dark-cuffed jeans reveals the bright-red socks he wears under polished, black leather shoes. It is ironic to see that someone worthy of appearance on The Sartorialist is the mastermind behind the hilarious blog, The Unknown Hipster. Following the success of his website, limited editions of his book, The Unknown Hipster Diaries, has been released.
His popular website, which started in 2009, is a chronicle of culture, where a fictional, party-crashing character meets larger-than-life icons (by inviting himself, of course) such as Queen Elizabeth, Karl Lagerfeld and Stella McCartney. The illustrations are a variation of paintings when he wants to command more emotion, but mostly, they are spontaneous and lively through the use of colour pencils. The main character, a long-haired, tall and lanky hobo-looking bloke that carries around a flimsy tote on his escapades, is actually "kind-of" Delhomme himself. But the man mostly differs.
"I'm a bit more serious than this character. He's really more like a hippy. He's not sloppy, but it might take him two months to do the smallest things and he will usually also forget something along the way." He laughs at his own creation and says: "I'm much more efficient than that. He would never be able to put a book together."
Delhomme first started this side project in 2009 when influential blogs, such as The Sartorialist started to explode on the internet.
''At that time, there were lots of fashion blogs and also very serious blogs. They were telling people how they should be dressed, or how they should be, and I just wanted to make fun of those blogs.
''I was living in New York and everyone was also so serious about work that had to be done, everything had to be efficient and my character was just the complete opposite of all that. Ultimately, I think everyone should be free and you shouldn't be controlled by people photographing you. You shouldn't let anyone tell you what is good or not and you should just dress the way you want.''
Although The Unknown Hipster is almost like a parody and pokes fun at everything, it is never mean.
''It's slightly satirical, but never judgemental,'' Delhomme explains. ''When you spend time doing something such as talking to people, you want to communicate something that has a beautiful side, or in this case, the humorous side. The point is to show something beautiful or funny that people can relate to.''
As the man behind the blog that can generate laughs effortlessly, he hopes he is also funny in real life.
''I don't think it's a good idea to try too hard to be funny, but I'm interested in the funny side of things.''
It is almost ironic to hear this from the illustrator with a seemingly no-nonsense, demeanour.
''I feel closer to people who have a funny take on things, rather than people who take things very seriously. Sometimes people who take things very seriously are missing something.''
But while Delhomme may prefer the funny side of things, you won't be seeing him inviting himself to parties he wasn't invited to the way Unknown does.
He prudishly insists: ''I would never go to a party or event I am not invited to, unless a friend is taking me. It's too upsetting because you'd feel so bad when you get rejected, so I would never do it.''
In fact, Delhomme doesn't like parties with too many people and chooses not to attend them.
''If you need to queue for something, I wouldn't go. Parties should be nice and intimate and they should be happy to have you.''
Parties and world-class events are undoubtedly a melting pot for exchanges with others, and Delhomme notes the importance of travel and meeting new people.
''Travel is good for anybody, so you aren't dependent on one country. It's exactly the same with how photographers must travel a lot. See as many people as you can. You aren't going to work with everybody, and a lot of people might not be interested in what you do, but you will also meet the right people with whom you can do something.'' For Delhomme, there are no rules for success.
''Just find something that is exciting to you and may communicate to others as well. When you're into something and excited by the project, and you do your best, there really is no rule. You have to be the first to believe in it though!''
