{
  "id": 12995612,
  "title": "How Ema Gaspar Became One of Fashion’s Go-To Illustrators",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/09/how-ema-gaspar-became-one-of-fashions-go-to-illustrators",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-10-09T01:00:36.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Tokyo Weekender",
    "slug": "tokyo-weekender",
    "url": "https://www.tokyoweekender.com/art_and_culture/ema-gaspar-art-fashion/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Ema Gaspar, a young illustrator from Portugal, has become one of fashion's go-to artists, creating unique and whimsical designs for musicians, brands, and the general public. Her workspace, Kiyosumi Park, is a peaceful oasis where she finds inspiration for her creations. She draws from a variety of influences, including 60s psychedelia, Japanese anime, and Y2K Harajuku fashion, giving her artwork a distinctive charm that resonates with Zillennials.\n\nGaspar's work has been featured by notable musicians such as Gracie Abrams, Mura Masa, and Mei Semones, as well as high-profile collaborations with brands like Hysteric Glamour, Coyseio, and Heaven by Marc Jacobs. She recently reimagined the Nike swoosh with her signature floral patterns for a kidswear line.\n\nThe rise of luxury brands like Hermès, Loewe, and Dior Beauty seeking out independent illustrators and animators for campaigns has contributed to Gaspar's growing success. In a world dominated by AI-generated art, originality and effort have become increasingly valuable, making Gaspar's handcrafted approach all the more appealing.\n\nBorn and raised in Lisbon, Gaspar studied painting at university and has been drawing since she was a child, often spending time in her grandparents' garden talking with plants. After working various odd jobs, she focused on her illustrations during the pandemic, eventually moving to Tokyo in 2023. Despite the cultural shift, she found solace in the city's fast pace and Japanese pop culture.\n\nGaspar's studio, Plant Drawing Club, offers free workshops in which she draws and colors with friends and fans, providing a therapeutic space for self-expression and connection. She believes that the human touch is what sets independent illustrators apart and makes them attractive to brands and consumers. Her dedication to vulnerability and connection is essential to her work and has become a defining aspect of her artistic ethos.",
  "summary": "On a sun-drenched summer afternoon, I accompany Ema Gaspar to one of her go-to studios: Kiyosumi Park. It’s an unassuming local green space, one that most people would walk right past, but in her eyes, it’s an enchanted forest teeming with characters waiting to be brought to life. Sitting on a wooden bench, she pulls […] The post How Ema Gaspar Became One of Fashion’s Go-To Illustrators appeared…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}