All images by Erin Petson for Vivienne Westwood
London-based Erin Petson discovered fashion illustration at the age of thirteen and hasn’t lost this interest ever since. After attending art school in Liverpool, her very first commission came from Stella McCartney – the beginning of numerous collaborations with designers and brands such as Dior, Swarovski,Lanôcme and Selfridges to name a few.
The Victoria and Albert Museum have archived 50 of her drawings and she is increasingly exhibiting fine art prints, paintings and mixed media collages in galleries rather than in magazine pages. Her work has been described as ‘bondage leaning glam fashion-vintage’ as her illustrations are powerful and edgy, yet simultaneously ethereal. Her genuine love of drawing, montage and mark-making comes through in all her pieces, which are both delicate and provocative, with an almost paper doll-like effect.
Today Erin spends her days drawing in silence at her studio in London Fields, Hackney, where she enjoys spending time in the area and taking visits to the lido, even in winter.
ZR
