Q&A: MFW Illustrator Anjelica Roselyn

by Christina Donoghue on 24 September 2021

Christina Donoghue speaks with fashion illustrator Anjelica Roselyn, who worked to reimagine this season's offerings of Milan's S/S 22 collections.

Christina Donoghue speaks with fashion illustrator Anjelica Roselyn, who worked to reimagine this season's offerings of Milan's S/S 22 collections.

Before fashion film, there was fashion photography, and before fashion photography, there was fashion illustration. Dazzling the pages of many of fashion's most revered publications, wondrous illustrations adorned the covers (and continued to decorate the inside pages) of Vogue, Harper's Bazaar, Flair, Tatler and many more throughout the first half of the 20th century, proving quite an asset to the quintessential style bible. Having always believed in the power of illustration, primarily when used to communicate a mood or palpable presence, SHOWstudio have long been inviting fashion's most talented illustrators, on and under the radar, to offer their unique talent in interpreting the latest season's collections.

To celebrate Milan's spectacle of glitz and glamour this season, we invited the incredible Anjelica Roselyn to reimagine her favourite looks by transforming them into stylised pieces of art in their own right. Kicking off her wonderful portrayals with an illustrative depiction of Kim Jone's Fendi womenswear debut, Roselyn reinvented the decadent ethos of the Antonio-Lopez inspired S/S 22 collection through her eye-catching aesthetic. The result was greatness mirroring greatness as Roselyn's illustration mirrored Lopez's divine work.

Taking inspiration from editorial and street style fashion, Roselyn's designs perfectly capture the very essence of true luxury. Loose lines are left to roam free as the illustrator gently works to unravel elegance after elegance in her work, all painted with varying degrees of vibrancy and translucence, each illustration more luminous than the previous. Enamoured by Roselyn's arresting use of colour, Christina Donoghue posed Rosleyn a few questions via email regarding the artist's illustrative style, inspiration and working process.

Milan Fashion Week S/S 22 by Anjelica Roselyn

Christina Donoghue: How would you describe your illustrative style?

Anjelica Roselyn: would describe my style as free and instinctive. I love to draw a striking face while also focusing on motion and silhouette poses.

CD: Have you always wanted to be an illustrator? 

AR: I have always loved drawing ever since I was a child, especially drawing clothes. There was a time when I studied Womenswear that I thought I would go in the design direction but throughout it all, fashion illustration has meant the most. Drawing fashion as a subject has always spoken to me.

CD: Can you talk a bit about your artistic process?

AR: I have realised over the years that my process relies heavily on being inspired. Fashion shows, editorials, street style photography and clever uses of colour always enthuse me. If I see something striking, my ideas for a drawing tend to be immediate. I usually start with which pose I want to use and take it forward from there. Everything else is very much in the moment.

Milan Fashion Week S/S 22 by Anjelica Roselyn

CD: Do you go back and add to your works often? Or are you someone who knows when an illustration/piece of work is completely finished…

AR: I can say that to date I have only gone back to rework one or two drawings. My illustration style is very spontaneous so going back to a piece is not generally part of my process.

CD: Your works are characterised through a variety of bright colours, do you always plan the colours you use in your illustrations before you start a piece or is it more of an instinctual process?

AR: Yes when I have a vision for a piece It always includes the colour palette as a whole and how I am going to ratio the colours. I think a strong concept for a drawing should include how you want to use colour

CD: What relevance do you think illustration has in today's world?

AR: I think illustration is so important in that you have an opportunity to look into someone’s perception of the world, a collection, a piece of jewellery, and so on. Our emotional artistic responses are important.

CD: Any illustrators you particularly look up to? Dead or alive?

AR: There are so many illustrators in our community that I look up to and admire. I particularly enjoy works by Alex Mein, Jacky Marshall, and Bijou Karman.

Milan Fashion Week S/S 22 by Anjelica Roselyn
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