LIDOprofile - Emma Cowlam

You might remember us sharing the beautiful stationery from Just Add Style in our Christmas gift guide.

Allow us to formerly introduce you to Emma Cowlam, the brand’s illustrator! Find out more here about her impressive career and sources of inspiration.

What is the most exciting part of your job?

I love the variety of my fashion illustration career. Ultimately, every day in the studio I draw beautiful models who I’m inspired by but all client commissions are unique and no day is the same. I’ve been fortunate to draw for iconic international fashion glossies such as Elle and Glamour and have collections of original works exhibited at prestigious venues such the V&A Museum and Liberty of London. Just when I think studio life can’t get any better ... something else wonderful happens!

What challenges do you usually encounter?

My biggest challenge is juggling all the different aspects of my career. I draw ink fashion illustrations for editorial clients, brands and fashion editors as well as hand stitch figurative thread originals to hang in private art collections world wide.

In addition, alongside my design partner Lisa Kew, I co-founded a luxury silk scarf brand - Just Add Style. Last year ‘London Fashion’, the first in a capsule collection of silk scarves, launched to critical acclaim and began our brand journey. The scarf prints are adorned with fashion illustrations inspired by the stylish women I witness while working in the fashion and design industries. The collection continues to evolve and is gaining a dedicated and loyal following.

A lot of my time is spent at the drawing board however there is also much time spent at the laptop responding to client enquires, liaising with the agency in New York who represent me globally - Renee Rhyner - and sharing my portfolio, website and lookbook to potential clients I would love to draw for.

What is a typical day?

I begin each day with an hour of fitness - running, swimming, yoga - to give myself a positive and healthy mindset.

My days are always extremely busy! I spend time at the drawing board, meeting with clients, working on all things Just Add Style with Lisa, engaging with followers on Instagram, planning future client collaborations and much more.

At the end of my time in the studio I take a walk in the fresh air with Dot, my golden retriever fashion hound, who spends her days in the studio too.

What do you like to do in your spare time?

I feel lucky to have achieved my dream career by working hard. It is more of a lifestyle than a job. When I’m not in the studio I love seeing friends in London, going to bars, restaurants and galleries. It’s inspiring to observe stylish London life and it fuels my career. Life has changed a lot for us all over the last year as we live through a global pandemic. My friends and I have discovered the joy of picnics in beautiful London parks and long dog walks around the city. Things we want to continue in the brighter days ahead.

What album/track are you listening to at the moment?

I listen to a wide range of music as I draw in the studio ... anything and everything!

Lately I’ve been listening to more podcasts than music. A highlight to share is 'How To Fail With Elizabeth Day’ and her interview with singer Alexandra Burke.

bio

Emma Cowlam is a multi-award winning design graduate of Chelsea School of Art in London and the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York.

After gaining a wealth of experience working in the fashion industry both sides of the Atlantic, she took all she had learnt and combined it with her lifelong passion for drawing. She founded her own studio and launched her first collection of fashion illustrations to global critical acclaim, both in the world of fine art and the famous fashion glossies.

Emma takes inspiration for her refined and beautiful illustrations from the everyday images observed throughout her fashionable daily life and transforms what she witnesses into lasting snapshots. Her work is sophisticated, stylish, elegant and aspirational. She is endlessly influenced by traditional fashion illustrations yet draws with a contemporary, realistic twist.

Her portfolio combines two signature styles which appeal to both fine art and commercial clients. One involves a highly unique and intricate hand stitched illustration technique which elevates a traditional craft to posses a luxury status. Captivating hand stitched collections have been sell out successes at the Victoria & Albert Museum, Liberty of London and Somerset House, to name a few. The second illustration style showcases Emma’s highly skilled talent for pen and ink drawing. Emma has collaborated with major international fashion magazines including Elle and Glamour, as well as a myriad of luxury brands such as Radley. Her work hangs in private art collections worldwide.

Each of Emma’s illustrations is a one-of-a-kind original to be admired and treasured. Emma’s work is a visual representation of her everyday stylish life. Sartorial style stories stitched and inked.

Emma is the co-founder of Just Add Style a luxury womenswear label with a capsule collection of beautifully illustrated silk scarves.

Follow Just Add Style on Instagram, and shop on the beautiful website.