Los Angeles-based illustrator Bijou Karman has fashion running through her veins. Her understanding of color and textures is evident not only through her art, but simply by scrolling through her beautifully curated Instagram page, where she also shares photos of her fashionable attire and apartment.
“My personal style as an artist is really reliant upon bright colors and [the] mixing of different prints,” she relayed in an interview with Vanity Fair. “And a lot of clashing patterns that you don’t think would work together harmoniously.”
Such clashing combinations make for a playful effect that has caught the attention of brands as prominent as Apple and Google. Karman’s work also features frequently in fashion publications like ELLE and Harper’s Bazaar.
But her most high-profile collaboration has been with singer and fashion icon Rhianna. “I was intimidated to work with [her] at first because I am such a big fan,” admitted Karman, “but it was cool to take her suggestions and her style and bring my own style and sense of fashion to it,” she adds.
The collaboration included a series of illustrations of Rhianna, which reflected her edgy style. “This is the most high-profile job I’ve ever done,” said Karman, “and it showed people what I was capable of.”
Other than Rhianna, Karman’s work often features powerful women, exploring the relation between style and identity. Some of her more recent work includes illustrating the Delta Sigma Theta sisters (the first black sorority at Brown) as well as a sorority magazine cover that celebrates the inspiring women who have come out of KKG.
