Renowned fashion illustrator revisits former college

British fashion illustrator and designer Hayden Williams has over 1 million followers on Instagram and is one of the most recognised fashion illustrators in the world.

His little black book reads like a ‘who’s who’ of the rich and famous. Chatting to Hayden, who is quietly spoken, unassuming and down-to-earth, unearths what seems like a never-ending list of famous people he’s met and collaborated with; “Oh, there was that time that Margot Robbie said she loved my drawings of her, and my sister and I ended up at the Barbie film premiere.”, he drops into conversation.

Hayden started drawing at the tender age of three; he would frequently sketch Disney characters, particularly his favourite characters, the princesses. Older sister Serena reminisces about how the family were wowed by his talent. Young Hayden loved styling his Barbie and Bratz dolls, using them as inspiration for his drawings.

As he got older, he became ever more interested in fashion and so enrolled on a BTEC in fashion design at Barking & Dagenham College in 2008; it was there he met an inspirational teacher who encouraged his burgeoning passion for fashion.

Whilst studying, he would regularly share his fashion illustrations on social media. It is there that the work of the then 20-year-old Hayden, grabbed the attention of Rihanna, when she spotted his drawing of her on Twitter (X); Rihanna replied to his Tweet, later meeting up with him, sparking a relationship that has endured for years and catapulting him into the spotlight.

Since then, his work has been recognised and praised by the likes of Oprah, Beyonce, Mariah Carey, Ariana Grande, the Hadid sisters and many more.

Major brand partnerships and collaborations have followed over the years; he’s worked  with Kate Moss, Naomi Campbell and also for Disney, for whom Haydendesigned a modern interpretation of Cinderella’s gown.

He has worked with brands such as Rimmel London and was commissioned by Kylie Jenner to create artwork for Kylie Cosmetics packaging. “The phone rang and it was Kylie calling from LA.” he muses.

He was also asked by the CEO of MGA Entertainment to design his own collectors line of Bratz dolls; originally on sale for $50, these now sell for $400-500.

Then came a request to design a Clueless-themed fashion collection for Missguided; later featuring on the Channel 4 TV show ‘Inside Missguided’ that showed a behind-the-scenes look at how he created it.

In recent years, Hayden has collaborated with designers, stylist and celebrities to see his sketches turned into real outfits, with some of the most famous  models, singers and other celebrities wearing his designs on stage and TV.  

To date, Hayden’s designs have been worn by major stars such as Kim and Khloe Kardashian, Kendall and Kylie Jenner, Jennifer Lopez, Lizzo, Doja Cat, Gwen Stefani, Winnie Harlow and Jourdan Dunn.

The Kardashian’s wore his Clueless-inspired Bratz-style designs last Halloween and he explains, his designs have since become a “Halloween thing”. He’s currently working on some (top secret) designs for well-known celebrities this coming Halloween.

This September, Hayden saw another of his fabulous designs become reality when Megan Thee Stallion wore his custom design for her performance at the inaugural Athlos event in New York.  Hayden explained: “It’s so surreal to see something I designed, being worn on stage!”

His work has also been featured by major publications including Vogue, ELLE, Harpers Bazaar, Vanity Fair and the Daily Mail.

On 3^rd October, Hayden revisited Barking & Dagenham College for the first time in 10 years and met with fashion students and teachers and recorded a podcast with them.

Fashion lecturer, 23 year-old Kayla Hassan was completely unaware that her “idol’ Hayden Williamson was an alumni of the College; she has followed his career ardently, even getting a tattoo of the famous Rihanna picture that kickstarted his career on her forearm. On meeting her, Hayden said “No waaay! Can I see it?!”

Thrilled Kayla rolled up her sleeve and said: “I didn’t even know that you came to this college. I’m obsessed with you! I’ve always loved your work.”

Head of Fashion at the College, Sinem Kiazim-Hassan – who also happens to be Kayla’s mum – joked that when finding out that her daughter was getting her first tattoo, that she was “glad it was a good one!”.

Fashion student Kwame Boateng Adu has been deeply inspired by Williams’ work and has used it as a basis for his final project for his BTEC. He was delighted to meet Hayden and get the opportunity to show him his work.

This September, he published his first book – ‘Hayden Williams: The Fashion Activity Book’; featuring a selection of new and favourite past designs, the book has been praised for showcasing real women’s body shapes. Prior to its launch, Ariana Grande commented, “Congratulations my friend, you deserve the world!! So excited for you & cannot wait to purchase a copy!” The book is already a bestseller on Amazon. 17-year old fashion students Kaianne-Marie Katiisa and Marcia Barikzia were thrilled to meet Hayden and took a look at his book.

Of his time at the College, Hayden said: “I had a great experience at Barking & Dagenham College. It was my first time ever studying fashion design from scratch and learning how to sew, pattern cut and everything in-between. My tutor was very hands on, and allowed me to utilise my strengths, but also made sure to get me to focus on aspects I wasn’t as confident in.

“It was so much fun learning new skills, but also a lot of hard work. When I left, I felt much more prepared and ready for the next phase in my pursuit for a career in the fashion industry. I definitely have many fond memories!”

As for the future, Hayden says: “I would like my own fashion label; more and more celebrities are starting to wear my work, and I would like to be seen as a designer as well as a fashion illustrator.”

Hayden plans to visit the College again in February, when he will be a special guest at their annual Skills Show.