ANJELICA ROSELYN CIROC / INKD

CREATIVE CONVERSATIONS: ANJELICA ROSELYN

This summer, TIRADE WORLD has come together with INKD to champion creatives from London, focusing on female artists with exceptional unique artistic talent. Using the CÎROC’s new limited-edition bottle Summer Citrus as a canvas, both hand-picked artists have created unique bottle designs,

Anjelica Roselyn’s designs have left her pad and paper and made their way to the pages of magazines. She is making waves within the illustration world for her bold, bright fashion-forward pieces that champion diversity. Her clientele includes notable titles such as Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, Christian Dior, Net-a-Porter, and more. Anjelica created unique sketches of various women to form a design that represents the idea of summer is for everyone.

Interview by SOPHIE EMMETT

Edited by CHARLOTTE ROSIE CREIGHTON

Hi Anjelica, how are you today?

I am really good thank you!

You began in a degree of womenswear, when did you make the transition into illustration?

So I have always been drawing and to do a womenswear degree you have to have some skills in illustration. So it is something I have done throughout my degree and enjoyed. However, after I graduated, I began to hone in on it and explore it more. The last project of my degree was actually an Illustration project and I just loved it, I wanted to take it forward and focus on my style and here I am!

Would you ever consider going back to fashion design?

Yes definitely, I love design so much, I love fashion week and am still drawing collections. I would never say never, as it is so possible and with my love for it and having studied it for so long, from my foundation to my degree. So definitely, however not just fashion design would love to do homewares and even accessories.

What was your favourite catwalk show thus far?

I actually haven’t been to that many shows, I mostly work from Vogue.com. Well, I tell a lie, I was actually at a Ryan Lo show, that I was interning at, his breakout show and it was so magical and feminine and girly. I also got to be backstage at a few Marc Jacobs shows and seeing the resort 2014 was really, really cool!

Back in 2017 Elle magazine said you were one of the best illustrators & more recently you won the Harper’s Bazaar x Caran D’Ache fashion illustration competition, what do you think it is about your pieces that resonates so much with people?

I think, well I am honestly still trying to figure that one out myself. I think it might be the fact that I use a lot of colour and have a lot of feeling when I am drawing which seems to translate really well. People can get a sense of who I am when I draw. I have also been drawing women of colour, before many others began too, because I am one, by putting my own narrative into my illustrations. I think there is a lot of energy in my illustrations, I love movement, you know for basic fashion illustration’s it’s a catwalk pose, yet there is so much movement in that and there is so much you can do with the clothes. For example, Blue Marine had an amazing show recently and it had so many tasselled elements within the pieces, which I loved to capture. These things can obviously be captured by photography, but it’s so special to capture them within drawings. So perhaps it’s the originality angle that I come with.

Where do you get your inspiration from?

Changes a lot, however, my primary resource is street style photography and an old website called Jack & Jill was my favourite for a while, unfortunately, it doesn’t exist anymore. So yeh a lot of street style, a lot of vogues street style and again with the movement it’s so inspiring, drawing people at an angle, it’s a way to really challenge yourself, as you’re not just doing a front or back pose like you would have in womenswear as those were always static. I became more and more interested in drawing the side or from an angle, cause then you can deal with foreshortening in drawing and tackle that in a style.

You’ve done a lot of live illustrations. What do you prefer drawing in person or from a photographer?

I do love being there with the person, especially if they have a great outfit and I have been very fortunate to do some great live events. Where the guests have been in fantastic pieces, like some amazing Gucci. It’s great, however, it really is 50/50 in terms of what I like to draw, coming out of lockdown and restrictions, I am excited to get back into live drawing as it is an interaction that I have missed.

You’ve illustrated for some of the works biggest fashion brands, do you have a favourite project thus far?

Gosh, ok so in 2018 I went to Paris for the Dior Resort press event, it was amazing because I met all these editors, some of whom I still speak to and a lot of them were wearing Dior. It was just so much fun, such a great atmosphere as well being in Paris. Everyone was so chic, there was champagne and it felt very fashion! Beautiful set-up within a garden. I also do a fair few events with the Net-A-Porter group and they are always a good time and in places like Mayfair, I just love a chat and a draw!!

You also recently created a mural for Bicester village, how was it taking your designs to such a large scale?

This was my first project on such a scale and I was so excited about it because I had never seen my work that big before and had no idea how it would look! So that came about through an open call to my agency. So my portfolio was put forward and I think I was chosen because they told me that my work represents multi-cultured women. They could see that there are Asian, black and white women clearly represented. They referred to wanting to represent that at their location, so it was such a mutually beneficial project to be a part of and it still astounds me... Still!

ALL PHOTOS: Angelica wears, Top, ACNE STUDIOS, Pants, ZARA, Shoes, MIISTA, Earrings, BY ALONA, Necklace, LAYDI AMSTERDAM — ALL PHOTOS: Angelica wears, Top, **ACNE STUDIOS**, Pants, **ZARA**, Shoes, **MIISTA**, Earrings, **BY ALONA**, Necklace, **LAYDI AMSTERDAM**

As your now a special lecturer back at LCF, what advice do you find yourself sharing with your students?

Find your style, a lot of young illustrators look to me for my style or other illustrators working in the industry right now to find/base their style off ours, which is not the right thing to do. We all take inspiration from each other in creative fields. As we bounce off one another, that’s just what we do, however you really have to look within and ask what do I want to bring to illustration, because I feel thus far with all the jobs I have had, even really prevalent jobs, I get told ‘Just do what you do, so you’re not going to get a job while you’re trying to be someone else.

What was it about this collaboration with us, INKD and Ciroc, that made you say yes?

A lot of things made me want to do this collaboration and I was actually quite surprised to be approached, as it such a major, well known recognised brand, I thought I could bring something interesting to it, as I haven’t seen my type of illustrations, on a bottle before, let alone in the mainstream. I thought it would be, a really great challenge and a fun experience, especially when I heard about the new flavour Summer Citrus. I feel like it’s going to be great, even when I was creating my design, I envisioned a bottle that would represent summer being for everyone and I hope my final design portrays that! A fashion show you would love to attend?

What designer would you love to work with?

Well, It changes all the time, but I think Jacquemus would be amazing! I’ve been following his work since 2013!

Favourite spot in London?

The Tate Modern and the shop there is heaven. Also the Whitechapel gallery shop, I love books and imagery. I also love the Southbank area!!

Plans for summer?

A lot of restaurants, a lot of eating -catching up with friends – FREEDOM

What’s your favourite cocktail?

Negroni