“Mayfair is a place to be your best self”
Anjelica Roselyn is a London based Fashion Illustrator and illustrator for the ‘Let’s Mayfair Summer 2022 Campaign.
Born to St Lucian parents, Anjelica grew up in London and attended the London College of Fashion. In recent years, she has worked with an extensive list of designers and brands, including Dior, The Outnet and Bamford.
Anjelica will also be joining the festivities for Mayfair’s Platinum Jubilee Street Party on June 2nd and 3rd to create 70 live illustrations to commemorate the event.
We sat down with Anjelica to discuss her work and why the ‘Let’s Mayfair’ Summer 2022 campaign is so important to her.
Anjelica, thank you for taking the time to speak to us. What drew you to working with Mayfair for the ‘Let’s Mayfair’ Summer 2022 campaign?
That was such a no brainer for me. I’m a London girl, I’ve grown up in London. It was an easy ‘yes’ for me. I grew up here, I went to school and the London College of Fashion here.
It was really special for me to be able to cultivate something for London and really bring London’s energy. It’s something I know so well. This isn’t my first summer campaign, but it is my first one in London so it’s so exciting for me and to work and collaborate with these high-end brands and designers that I love so much. The collections that are out now, some I had already covered for SHOWstudio, so I knew what I was going to draw, and it was great to work with Sophia Katyea (Stylist) as well. I’m feeling quite buzzy right now, feeling quite excited for it!
What inspired your love of art and fashion and how did that develop into your career?
It happened very naturally and very organically. My love for everything put me in the right place. I have always had a really strong interest in colour, clothes, shape, and I was always expressing it through drawing. I have been drawing my whole life. I think it is the same for a lot of us professional artists, you don’t really think about it.
The brands that I have worked with have just found me. It’s been great to work with such great creative minds and cultivate something great each time. That’s one of the blessings of being self-employed – you can do something different each time. You don’t have to do the same thing over and over again. You can really grow. All of that has led me to working with Mayfair, where I can bring a bit of everything to the summer 2022 campaign and to this project.
How has growing up in London influenced your work and career? What part has Mayfair played in that?
My dad used to live in Ladbroke Grove. So, I used to go to West London and Mayfair with my parents a lot, as a child and in adolescence. My parents are so excited for this. London is my home and to have a piece of my art outside is very surreal to me. I don’t think it is ever going to set in.
It’s great to grow up in London, especially when you hit adolescence and teen years. When I was 14 or 15, I spent every single weekend – this isn’t even an exaggeration, going to Camden Market with my friends. I was heavily influenced by individuality and that is something I want to highlight in my work. I feel extremely fortunate to have grown up in London, where you can really express yourself, especially with the way you dress. There is space for that, and it doesn’t clash. It influenced me to look at who I am, my own personality and identity.
With all the girls I draw, I like to create that sense of identity – all the hair is different, the make-up, the earrings and jewellery, the clothes are different. That is really the London woman. Myself and my friends, we all have our own style. I was channelling that sense of individuality even in a group of girls. The women I went to London College of Fashion with, my friends, my sister, my mum – the London women that are in my realm – that have their own individuality – that is what London really means to me.
Where are your favourite places to eat/shop/go out in Mayfair?
Simone Rocha is my favourite designer in Mayfair. I made it a point to draw Simone Rocha in this campaign because I have been following her work since her graduate collection. I remember when she first started making shoes, for example. Also, she went to Central Saint Martins, and I went to London College of Fashion, so another University of the Arts London girl. Simone Rocha, being biracial herself, I wanted to bring that because London is such a melting pot. I just made it a point to draw her and to have a Black girl in Simone Rocha was important to me.
I have also followed Marni very closely; I draw Marni at every opportunity. Going to the Marni store and meeting the manager, Jacqueline, who is also a Black woman, was so great. I also love Bamford. I did a live event with Bamford in December which was so much fun.
I love NAC. They have very cool drinks and a great vibe in there.
I just love to walk around Mayfair and just be. I just love the vibe of Mayfair and it is so multicultural as well. Its London. I like that it has a good, fun energy. It’s a place to be your best self. I like the version of myself in Mayfair.
At the Mayfair Jubilee Party you will be doing 70 live illustrations to commemorate the event. What qualities do you look for in a subject for your live illustrations?
Oh! A great outfit! That’s all. Just look really good. Consider what you’re wearing. It can be anything, I’ve been doing live drawing for about five years and have done Skinny Dip, Dior, The Outnet, a lot of different things but at the same time I’m drawing well dressed people. So just look good and have good energy! I’d like to underline good energy actually! I love drawing everyone, younger people, I’ve drawn a couple of people with their dogs – I love drawing dogs, older people – there was an event I did for The Outnet last Christmas and there was an elderly couple who had the most exquisite outfits. They were so cool. So, good outfit, good energy!
What do you hope to capture in your illustrations of the event?
A fun vibe, a bit of splendour as well – with the clothes and/or the environment. Just positivity. This is a celebration, so everyone is going to be on a high. And that is the best environment to do a live drawing in. Also, it is going to be June, its summer, everyone is so happy. Especially when the weather is good!
You have worked with some amazing brands, as well as being a Fashion Illustration Associate Lecturer at the London College of Fashion, what excites you about the brands and students you work with?
All the students I teach are between 18 and 24 years old, most are 21 when I see them. To get their outlook on life and fashion right now is extremely special to me. Just to see where they’re at and talk to them about their ideas. Being 21 now is different to when I was 21, almost 10 years ago.
I love being there because when I was at London College of Fashion, I didn’t have any Black lecturers and there weren’t really any Black students. But now the course leader of Fashion Illustration is Black – Alex is his name and he’s fantastic. Just to have that representation and relatability is really important to me – just to be there for them. I don’t want to come off as super maternal when I say that, but I love just listening to them and helping them figure it all out.
I remember being 20/21 and being so scared all the time, thinking ‘I don’t know what to do’, having my ideas shot down and not feeling confident as an artist. I was invited to teach at the London College of Fashion, everywhere I’ve taught I’ve been invited, which is crazy to even say because for my professional opinion to be valued is wild to me. But it is something I take very seriously.
It’s very special to be approached to work with brands. I’ve been approached to work on stuff after this and I feel blessed to have that. Every brand and every student mean the world to me. Even the fact that we can just discuss fashion, art, colour, and scale, all the beautiful things that come with it.
Not everybody understands what I do or what we do. I care about championing illustration; I care about the life of an illustrator and an artist because our talents are very special. It’s difficult to do what we do and do it well and if I can be somebody involved in that then I feel like I am in the right place.
It’s been a journey and its just dawning on me again that the campaign is launching! It has been a ride and I feel very, very grateful for this moment. It can be easy for things to get a bit lost in the day to day, but you don’t do a London summer campaign every day. Even though this is a huge thing for me, I still feel like the girl who just started drawing when she was five years old. That never really leaves you. All the progression has come to this point. This is for London; this is for illustration. That’s my bottom line here.
You can follow Anjelica Roselyn on Instagram: @anjelicaroselyn
Click for information on Mayfair’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations.
