There is beauty in what Mother Nature creates each season, and one fashion illustrator captures that every day in her gorgeous art work. Meet American fashion illustrator Meredith Wing from Moomooi.
Image by Marcy Castelgrande
With a background in fashion design and architecture, Meredith Wing is a fashion influencer with a difference. Her love of fresh flowers has seen her become one of New York's most celebrated illustrators - finding exquisite beauty in the most simple of forms. Wing is also enjoying some career highs right now. From being an artist-in-residence at Soho House for Coachella, to her images gracing the walls of Tokyo's public plazas. She has created bespoke portraits for designer Tory Burch, and with a high-profile client list growing by the day (Coach, Rebecca Minkoff and beauty brand Becca to name a few) her most recent collaboration with natural brand Burt's Bees has gone global. With her move from the big apple to sunny Sydney, Australia, editor Trudi Brewer caught up with the mixed-media fashion illustrator to find out more about her brand Moomooi and the inspiration behind her exquisite illustrations.
Wing's gorgeous illustrations.
Your work is so unique and inspiring where do you get your ideas?
A diverse range of sources - from walking through the Chelsea Flower Market in NYC to shopping for fruit at the market. I am inspired by natural materials and enjoy finding an application for them that celebrates their femininity. Haute couture and ready-to-wear fashion are equally inspiring, and I often seek to mimic the volumes of a dress or skirt from the runway in a petal, orange peel or broccoli flower. Placing a simple, everyday object in an unexpected context is a cheeky tribute to these great designers.
Who are the fashion designers that inspire you?
Masters of volume and feminine silhouettes are a natural fit for my work. Oscar de la Renta, Carolina Herrera, Marchesa are the houses that mastered this.
Are you influenced by different seasons?
Yes! When peony season hits I immediately run to the florist and pick out the best blooms. When autumn rolls around in New York I like to use leaves, spices, pumpkin and other autumnal pieces. People like to get excited about the changing of the seasons here, so it's fun to play on that and celebrate this seasonal passage.
What do you love most about your career?
Being able to share something so personal to such a broad audience. Connecting over a shared aesthetic or artwork means so much to me and I feel that with every image that is shared I am sharing a piece of me too. When people react it’s like we are having a conversation from the heart.
Image Meredith Wing.
What has been your most exciting project to date?
Working with Burt’s Bees has been one of my most exciting projects to date. The company was originally started in Maine, a place where I spent summer vacations as a kid and just a few hours’ drive from my childhood home. Burt’s Bees is all about natural ingredients, the launch of their new colour palette based on fruits and florals was a perfect marriage with Moomooi - everything about this collaboration felt so organic.
How did this collaboration come about?
Burt’s Bees contacted me to discuss a potential collaboration. I went to their offices, and we all clicked right away. The natural fit of our work made it a no-brainer – we had to make something fun together.
And did you get a tight brief or were you allowed the freedom to create whatever you wanted with Burt's Bees?
I felt lucky to be given a lot of freedom with the project. The Burt’s Bees team told me the ingredients that would be featured in each product, and I was free to interpret the illustrations from that. My best work is done when I have this type of encouragement to experiment so this meant a lot.
What is your favourite flower?
That’s a tough one! I just adore the density and colour of peonies, but a fragrant David Austin rose will steal my heart every time.
What about your favourite colour?
It depends on the context; all colour is relative to me.
What does beauty mean to you?
Simplicity and symmetry.
What would we always find in your beauty bag?
Burt’s Bees coconut lip balm, Eyeko eyeliners and Nars Bronzer in Laguna.
Images Moomooi Instagram
Our picks from the Burt's Bees x Moomooi #someflowergirls series.
Burt’s Bees Moomooi Lip Balm Trio Tin,$20 and Burt's Bees Moomooi Intense Hydration Night Time Treats Collection, $60. Available at Farmers and selected pharmacies.