Creativity, glamour and freedom
Niki Groom talks to Marie-Claire Westover, director and founder of Lipstick of London illustration agency whose expertise means she understands the requirements of clients in the fashion industry and beyond. The agency represents specialists in fashion, beauty and lifestyle illustration, and the agency’s clients in 2024 have included Gucci, H&M Home, Tiffany & Co, Hauser & Worth, Choose Love, LA Times and Swarovski.
What sort of clients do you work with and what sort of projects are they? I think people presume fashion illustrators always work with fashion brands, but that’s not always the case, is it?
As an agency Lipstick is known for fashion illustration; fashion / beauty / lifestyle is what it says on the tin. But we do so much more than that. I guess lifestyle really is about life in all its glory, and that encompasses so much. Our clients come from the luxury fashion market, but also travel and hospitality, the corporate world, start-ups – it’s so varied.
We did a lovely project recently with Mastercard. By working with a watercolour artist to created travel imagery, the brand aligned themselves with creativity, glamour and freedom. It was the perfect partnership and great to see fashion illustration being used in this way.
How do you think your clients benefit from using illustration?
The beauty of illustration is that it can be anything that’s in your mind’s eye, it doesn’t necessarily need to be something that exists. It’s just so flexible and the possibilities are limitless. It’s also quick and accessible, you’re usually hiring one person in a studio and so there are often ways to make a commission fit a budget. To create a comparable image with photography you might need to travel, hire a model, wait for the right weather. But illustration is easier to art direct and still has an obvious human touch.
I know that you deal with lots of live event work, is this an area that’s growing for you and if so, how do you see it moving and developing in the future?
Yes, we are doing a lot of live event work and we have been for some time now. It’s very seasonal, so Christmas and fashion week have historically been busy for us. What I am seeing is live event illustration being used outside of the sector; it’s coming in from PR agencies, corporate clients, everyone and anyone. Weddings, high end dinner parties -it’s booming out from the area that it started in and it’s a lovely sideline for an illustrator to have on the go. I see it being more and more ubiquitous, which is great.
We did recently do something with Expedia that felt especially new, the brand worked with Chiara Perano to do some table-scaping for an event and the results were beautiful.
You’ve got some incredible artists on your books, do commissioners come to you with an idea of who they would like to work with based on their profile or is it usually up to you to decide the best fit?
I’d say it’s 50/50, some artists have a profile that brings work in and we look at it and see if it’s the right fit – so on those occasions it’s more management. Sometimes it’s more of a general enquiry though and I’ll suggest an artist that I think suits the brief.
If someone was wanting to work in the area of fashion illustration then what advice would you give them in order to create a brilliant portfolio. Any do’s and don’ts?
I would say my do’s are always keep your portfolio fresh and relevant and draw from real life.
I don’t think anyone needs to see stand alone figures strutting down the runway any more. I’d rather see this season’s bag in a street style environment – I think putting something in context is always better. You can then tell more of a story and add more character in; for example you could show someone holding a bag in a supermarket or a coffee shop. Everyone can illustrate that beautiful Chanel bottle of perfume, but put that bottle in an interesting situation and it elevates it.
It’s so important, too, to make your portfolio diverse and be aware of the global market. This is relevant for the people you’re drawing, and for landscapes and cities too. It’s good to show you can illustrate different ethnicities, ages, body types and it’s important to draw different faces well and be able to express emotion in them. People need to connect with your artwork.
I can see on your website that there’s quite a mix of styles and materials used, rather than a house style. Do you think it’s important for an artist to be able to offer lots of ideas of how their work could look, or focus on a niche?
I’m quite anti lots of styles in a portfolio really, I know that’s some people’s USP but it doesn’t work for me and it doesn’t work for clients. I think they like to see consistency of style as they don’t have time to explain what style they want. If you’re a client you want to feel you know what you’ll get, so it’s risk free.
How interested in fashion does someone need to be to get in to that side of the industry, is it important to be up to date with trends / designers / the seasons’ colours etc?
I don’t think you need to be that interested in it, it’s not a necessity. I do believe it’s important to be aware of trends, designers and the seasons colours though, because you can so quickly bring a portfolio up to date by introducing a few new pieces that are on trend. It’s about having a good eye and being aware.
If your ultimate project could land in your inbox today, what would it be?
I love this question! I’d like to do a beautiful Harvey Nichols or Bloomingdales Christmas window, something that takes illustration into a different dimension. We do so much for digital, and then it’s gone. So, to have something in a window on a large scale would be really exciting. Ideally a project with a healthy budget and lots of usage!
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