In September, Shoes of Prey announced their The Inspirer Collection series created to celebrate women who have forged a path for themself in the world of fashion, beauty, business, and art. October’s Fleur-de-lis capsule is designed by renowned illustrator Megan Hess, who turned the displeasure generated from a chain unfulfilling assignments to inexplicable joy ones’ career should be. Hess has even composed illustrations for Prada, Dior, Tiffany & Co., Cartier and First Lady Michelle Obama… to name a few.
Though busy with Milan Fashion Week, Megan took time to discuss her collection, career, and the artistic masterpiece that is Milan.
Women have been such a huge focus in many industries, as we strive for equal rights while empowering one another along the way. Tell us how “The Inspirer Collection” plays into this movement.
Shoes of Prey encourages women to express their own style and have fun in the process. The ability to be able to choose from literally trillions of design combinations represents Shoes of Prey’s core value that women should be free to express their individuality and uniqueness, without compromise or restriction. I want my collection to ignite that creative spark in women all around the world to become part of an ever-expanding community of change-makers.
Women now have the option of purchasing the exact styles from my collection or customizing any of the shoes to suit their own unique style.
Each of your designed shoes are in shades of gold or a beige nude, can you elaborate on why these colors? And why the choice of silhouettes?
This was such an exciting opportunity to design my own shoe collection. I really wanted it to be something that felt authentically in my style but also be something that other women would love to wear. Gold has always been a big part of my designs as an illustrator and a personal favorite that I’m always drawn to. I actually see gold as almost a neutral so I felt an entire gold collection could really work across all casual and evening outfits. The silhouettes all vary from flat to high but there’s a signature point to each toe. There’s also a ‘fairy tale’ like feel to the overall collection – I wanted each pair of shoes to feel like you were adding a little touch of magic to your outfit!
You’re currently taking part in Milan Fashion Week, and though the fashion is great to see, you can’t miss the people and architecture. Has there been any street style, architecture or collections that have really gotten your creative juices flowing?
I love illustrating at Fashion Week in Milan, seeing all the latest fashion creations is always so inspiring to me – This year I sketched live at FENDI and it was such a beautiful collection. I’m also just as inspired to see the street style and I often find that I can fill a complete sketch book from just sitting at one great cafe and sketching all the chic and eclectic people that I see. The architecture is another aspect that I love. I’ve always found that the more I travel and see the more inspired I am. Sometimes you just need to step out of your everyday to get a new spark of inspiration.
You went from creating artistic content based on others’ needs, to creating content that really spoke to your abilities allowing more artistic freedom. How do you think this has changed your views on illustration/graphic design having now been on both sides?
I’ve learnt that I actually love both. Working with big iconic luxury fashion brands is so exciting and such a wonderful collaborative experience. Sometimes it’s challenging and can involve working with other creatives all over the world but it’s so rewarding to bring it all together. It enables me to meet, work with and learn from so many different creatives. Then in complete contrast I work completely in an intimate way on my own personal designs. I love the freedom of completely creating whatever my heart desires and having no client or deadlines is a complete luxury. I feel really lucky to now be in position where I get the opportunity to do both – large luxury collaborations and my own smaller projects. It keeps my work varied and certainly keeps me on my toes!