Domestika Diary: Connie Lim

The professional fashion illustrator shares her daily routine and the process behind her unique fashion collages

Fashion illustration is part fantasy, part reality. Translating the artistry of high fashion into typically two-dimensional pieces of work, it records the details of actual garments while also infusing them with a dreamy, imaginative quality.

Connie Lim (@_connielim_) is a London-based fashion illustrator whose work with fashion collages literally adds new layers to the traditional fashion illustration. Her distinctive style incorporates illustration and mixed-media to create unique textures and details, and her collaborations include work with brands like Louboutin, Bulgari, and L’Oreal.

In this Domestika Diary, she shares her routine, gives a tour of her studio, and talks about her creative process and sources of inspiration.

Fashion illustration is more than simply creating a record of a piece of clothing or a trend, explains Lim.

“I’ve always drawn fashion since I graduated from university. I loved it because there was so much passion, so much creativity, so much energy. I love the storytelling, the emotion, the facial features, and what you can express through them. And the character behind it, who's wearing the clothes.”

Her favorite sources of inspiration include issues of Vogue and the work of artists like Aubrey Beardsley and Klimt. After looking at references, she creates a fashion illustration where she defines the pose, expression, and attitude of her character, before cutting them out and adding tape, paper, and other materials to create three dimensional garments.

By further fleshing out her characters and their garments, Lim creates powerful pieces that have won her a large audience, representing a new style of fashion illustration.

“It’s really important for me as a fashion illustrator to try to capture the emotion and expression and the feeling. Because sometimes fashion can be so superficial, I want to express [those things] more in my work,” she says.

If you'd like to learn how to create dynamic and expressive fashion illustrations using collage, keep an eye out for Connie Lim's upcoming Domestika course!

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