12 Fierce Female Fashion Illustrators You Need to Follow
While the glitz and glam of the fashion world are usually limited to the designers, celebrities and models who strut in fashion weeks around the world, illustrators are making their way into the spotlight. These talented ladies share their creative prowess on social media for their admirers to enjoy, and are garnering impressive followings as a result. Find inspiration in the unique sketches, thriving colors and detailed doodles of these 12 incredible fashion illustrators.
1. Garance Doré: No fashion illustration list should ever start without the one and only. Hailing from Corsica, France, Doré’s beautiful work has been featured in GQ, Vogue, French Elle, and Harper’s Bazaar. She arguably paved the way for all fashion illustrators and bloggers to make their way online, and has one of the most popular blogs on the Internet. She also has launched a YouTube series, is a regular columnist for VogueParis and has her own collection of stationery and greeting cards — talk about #girlboss material!
2. Nicholle Kobi: Also known as Niki’s Groove, this Parisian illustrator dreams of owning her own studio to promote black artists and female art. She works in both traditional and digital mediums and is unafraid of taking risks. Her artwork is fun, a little outrageous, colorful and filled with afros.
3. Lena Ker: Lena Ker began her career in fashion as a stylist, but then she discovered her passion for drawing. With nothing more than a few strokes of a ball-point pen, she creates sophisticated high-fashion models out of thin air. Suave and domineering, these ladies jump out at you from the pages of publications like Vogue Russia and GQ.
4. Markers and Microns: With a catchy blog name and even catchier illustration style, Walton uses line in a bold and eclectic way. Strong, vibrant and boundary-defying, her sketches stand out from the crowd by using markers in defining slashes of color, giving her models an edge and uniqueness that you’ll love.
5. Sarah Hankinson: With A-player clients including Harper’s Bazaar and Maybelline, Sarah Hankinson is an illustrator to be reckoned with. Her delicate and intricate line work paired with soft splashes of color perfectly captures the pulse of modern style.
6. When I’m an Old Man: Don’t be fooled by this blog name — Michelle Yu is not actually an old man. She’s an illustrator, travel and fashion writer and just an “old man” at heart. Yu is both entertaining in her writing and a beautiful creator of everything from portraits to high-fashion magazine covers.
7. Lovisa Oliv: After studying fashion design and illustration in the likes of Florence, Italy and New York City, Oliv is masterful with her watercolors. This illustrator perfectly expresses the beauty, grace and ethereal nature of fashion through vibrant paints. Her chic silhouettes exude style and confidence.
8. Fifi Lapin: This furry fashion icon is a spoiled-rotten rabbit and in-demand blogger who knows her couture from her carrots. With thousands of fans, style tips and interviews with top designers like Anna Sui and Paul Smith, no-bunny can deny her popularity.
9. Samantha Hahn: Hahn clearly stands out from the crowd. An international illustrator extraordinaire, she has exhibited her eye-catching pieces everywhere from New York to Hong Kong. Her clients list includes Marc Jacobs, MAC, Victoria’s Secret and more.
10. Ennji Lw: Steering away from traditional illustration mediums, Ennji prefers working in the digital world. She uses striking colors and abstract splashes of “paint” to portray a vibrant sense of movement in her pieces. The dynamic layers contrast beautifully with the clean-cut lines of her models.
11. Jessica Durrant: You’ve likely already seen Jessica’s work, as she has collaborations with Target, QVC.com and Glamour.com. Her watercolor paintings are elegant and whimsical, framed by bold lines and shocks of color that draw your eyes to the fashionable pieces her models wear.
12. Birdy and Me: Kelly Smith is a talented Australian illustrator who has worked with the likes of Valentino, Armani, H&M, Net-A-Porter and Vogue. Taking inspiration from fashion, film and fairytales, Smith’s work captures her subjects with textured strokes of her pencil, adding fantastic bursts of colorful ink and digital elements for a subtle contrast.
Which illustrators are your favorites? Let us know in the comments below, or by tweeting us at @britandco.