Armed with a camera and a sketchbook, Nicole Helf is always on the hunt for the next fashion trend. Having earned a bachelor’s degree in fashion design from the University of Applied Sciences in Trier, Germany, she now works as a freelance fashion and textile designer in fashion, in addition to graphic designing and trend hunting.
But it’s her illustrations which first caught our attention. Bright, bold and more often than not, pink, her illustration style fits in nicely with her aesthetics in general. “I get inspiration from my many travels, museums, paintings, nature, fashion shows, magazines, pop culture, different songs, and music,” she noted in an interview with Talenthouse. “Sometimes when I am doing nearly anything, or simply even people watching, I get great ideas for textile design and illustration.”
“I always have my camera and sketchbook with me,” adds Helf, relaying her creative process. “When I see an interesting outfit, textile design, trend or color combination, I usually take some pictures to capture it or I sketch the idea. After this I brainstorm and put all my ideas together.”
Currently based near Frankfurt, since graduating Helf has worked with brands like C&A, Street One, Blutsgeschwister, and Zalando. She has also won the international fashion design competition Style X at the SWSW Festival in Austin, as well as had an outfit she designed worn by the singer Maya Azucena on the runway. In other words: this is only the beginning for this young trendsetter.
