Elyse Blackshaw

Elyse Blackshaw is a London based image maker redefining fashion illustration for the present day to highlight changes surrounding fashion and the environment. Her dissertation ‘Fashion looks so good, no wonder we over consume’, was awarded a distinction by The Academic Board for Concessions and Discipline, discovering how environmental effects are not acknowledged through this art of communication. After illustrating London Fashion Week for nearly 10 years, Elyse bridges the gap between the fantasy of fashion and the reality of it’s challenges through three main roles:

Illustrator of fashion and figures for gallery and commercial contexts.

Educator of fashion illustration through workshops promoting consideration for the environment. 

Activator of change in retail and gallery spaces to support environmental improvement within fashion and consumerism.

 Awards

Winner of Westfield London Future Fashion award for illustration 2021

Signature Art Prize 2020/2021 Finalist

RE-ROMANTICISE // WORLD ISSUES KILLED MY IMAGINATION

The need to hold on to the freedom and hopefulness of childhood during times of environmental crisis forces me to reimagine my practice; reimagine my existing works, my use of materials, and my method of communication through a variety of visual contexts.

Romanticising was something I did as a child when I lay in bed at night, or when playing with Barbie dolls alone in my room. This need to romanticise has been particularly prevalent during this last year, searching to escape overwhelming world issues through my imagination. Feeling nostalgic about my childhood dreams enabled me to re-imagine the world from that perspective. I have often idealised the past for its simplistic, technological aesthetic and moments of revolutionary change.

My work offers a personal and autobiographical approach to change making, utilising illustrative techniques from my experience as a fashion illustrator to create evocative yet playful imagery. I want to reimagine the way we approach sustainability in commercial contexts whilst still conveying excitement and hope.