Nicole Helf’s Instagram page oozes with cool. The ultimate it-girl, she combines a passion for fashion with a love of illustration and design. Having studied fashion design at the University of Applied Sciences in Trier, Germany, where she graduated with a bachelor’s degree in fashion design, Helf works as a freelance designer in fashion, textile design, illustration, graphic design, and trendhunting.
Since graduating, Helf has worked with well-known labels such as New Yorker, C&A, Street One, Blutsgeschwister, and Zalando. Currently based near Frankfurt, her accolades include winning the international fashion design competition Style X at the SWSW Festival in Austin, in 2012, as well as having an outfit she designed worn by the singer Maya Azucena on the runway.
With so much going on for her, inspiration comes easy. “I get inspiration from my many travels, museums, paintings, nature, fashion shows, magazines, pop culture, different songs, and music,” she relayed 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.”
Like most creatives, Helf’s love of art sparked at a very young age, and she recalls sketching at only 4 years old. “I always have my camera and sketchbook with me,” she says. “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.”
Follow her creative journey on Instagram:
