There's something so cool about fashion illustration, even through this is not classified by many galleries as a saleable art form, which is of course ridiculous! Personally I'd happily display fashion illustrations all around my house in London if I could and this is precisely what I have asked the very talented fashion illustrator Rachel Chiu to help me with! I caught up with this very talented little lady while she was visiting London recently from the big apple.
What do you do and why do you love your job?
I
work as a fashion illustrator in New York. I love my job! I
actually started my career as a fashion designer, but the longer I worked, the
more I realised how much I love the illustration aspect of the design process.
I love being able to capture someone's personal style, render the way the
clothes move and fall on a figure, and express the way I see fashion through
hand drawing. Personally, I think it's so fun and interesting to be able
to put down on paper what I see in my head and be able to share that vision
with an audience.
What inspires you and who is your biggest
inspiration?
I am really really REALLY inspired by travel. I can't think
of a better way to find inspiration than by visiting and spending time in a new
corner of the world. I like to study different cultures, meet new people,
and get lost in all the ways it can be new and familiar at the same time.
It's a combination of all these experiences that I start to visualize new
drawings and get inspired for the next project! I don't necessarily have
one specific person that is my biggest inspiration. Instead, inspiration
comes from the people I meet, and the conversations we have. My friends
and I get really excited when we're together about ideas and can get carried
away catching up on life. It's more like I get my inspiration from them
as people and the stories they share with me.
Who is your style icon?
I absolutely love Mary
Kate Olsen. I would wear everything she owns, but all in black. Black is
just practical when you live in NYC and you draw for a living. There's
too many opportunities for your clothing to get dirty what with taking the
subway and slushy winters to accidental pen marks and pencil smudges, haha.
If you could live in another city where would it
be and why?
I would LOVE to spend more time in London. I've lived there
before, but only for very short periods of time, and I've always craved more!
There's something about the energy and the people I've met in London that
I really love. It feels peaceful yet boisterous at the same time, dynamic
but also passive - it's the perfect combination of being in a metropolis that
still retains the feeling of being in a town. Also, the architecture is
absolutely beautiful!
Five items you can't live without?
This one's going to be tough!!
1) My black leather jacket from All Saints - I wore it to the shoot, proof of
my not being able to go a day without ;) It literally goes with everything, and
the white accents on the zippers and inside of the lapel really brighten up my
normally all black (without fail) wardrobe. Okay, on rare occasion I wear dark
green and burgundy, haha.
2) Carol ring from Pamela Love's Where The Wild Things Are x Opening Ceremony collection. It's such a statement piece! The talon also makes me feel safer walking through NYC late at night.
3) Rag & Bone black and white varsity "Jillian" stripe scarf - it was gifted to me for my birthday from one of my best friends and I can't seem to stop wearing it!
4) KARA Large Stowaway cross body bag in black leather - this bag matches literally everything and is the perfect size to fit all the necessary on the go things with plenty of pockets and a secure zip so nothing gets lost!
5) Black Toga Pulla buckled ankle boots- absolutely can't live without them. They are the perfect boots for everything, so comfy to walk around all day in and just enough of a heel to make me feel a little dressed up.
STALK THE STALKER ON
Wow I saw her website and her illustrations are stunning! I love fashion drawings, they are a beautiful art form!
ReplyDeleteBella Pummarola
In love with her style and illustrations!
ReplyDeleteWhat’s on my iPhone 5S+ How I edit my instagram photos
wowzers!
ReplyDeleteImpressive lady
ReplyDelete