Hattie Stewart – drawn to fashion

Hattie Stewart, ID magazine cover (part)

East London-based illustrator Hattie Stewart is a rising star in the worlds of illustration and fashion, embellishing everything from teacups to designer dresses with her trademark style. She talks to Rosie Higham-Stainton about working with fashion designers and her relationship with East London.

So how did you get into illustration?

From an incessant need to draw. I can’t function normally if I can’t draw.

You have a very distinct style. How would you describe it in short, for people who haven’t seen your work?

I seem to have developed a little tagline, “Hello Cheeky,” that describes it well. It’s fun, playful – but not too cute.

You work in a variety of forms, from shop window displays to illustration for clothing. Does this variety feed your craft?

Absolutely. It’s probably the most important part. I have to have variation and options or I go crazy. I don’t just want to do a nice print and a zine and draw stuff, I want to expand to human skulls, Russian dolls, magazines, porcelain, print.

What was you first impression of the area and what is your relationship with it now? Does East London feed your creativity?

You get those that just love the idea of East London, being a part of the creativity, and then those who are really pushing to make their mark on it. Both are great and both are what make east London the creative hub it is. People who moan about hipsters annoy me. I like ‘em (hipsters), they are a part of its brilliance.

You have worked with numerous fashion labels and brands. What is your relationship with fashion?

When I was 19 I worked with Luella for the first time and it has developed from there. I’ve always had a love for fashion, ever since I used to carry Vogue on top of my school folder, thinking I was super cool! Right now I’m working with House of Holland and a Spanish brand called Soda Pop.

What has been your most exciting or rewarding fashion-based project?

They all are, in their own way. One wouldn’t have happened without the other. I always say that the one I’m working on now is the most exciting and rewarding as that will lead to the next possibility.

Tell us a little about illustrating for garments. Does the movement and functionality of clothes demand that you to approach it in a different way?

It’s more the development and the way the collections are created that really makes the approach different. I look at the mood boards; then I draw as many options as I can.

What’s next for you in 2012 and beyond?

Everything! I’m just going to keep doodling, professionally and otherwise.

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For more go to Hattie Stewart.