By Melanie Reim in Manchester, England
I was so very honored to be an invited speaker to The Big Issue: What's Next? Conference at Manchester Metropolitan University in Manchester, England, in March. During my presentation, I chose to speak about Accidental Fashion Illustrators, focusing on those greats from the Golden Age of Illustration. You know, the likes of Al Parker, Coby Whitmore, Jon Whitcomb, Jack Potter, Joe Bowler and Bernie D'Andrea, to name a few and what "accidental fashion illustrators" do today.

I was asked to illustrate my head shot, in lieu of a photo.
And, to bring an umbrella.
I was so very honored to be an invited speaker to The Big Issue: What's Next? Conference at Manchester Metropolitan University in Manchester, England, in March. During my presentation, I chose to speak about Accidental Fashion Illustrators, focusing on those greats from the Golden Age of Illustration. You know, the likes of Al Parker, Coby Whitmore, Jon Whitcomb, Jack Potter, Joe Bowler and Bernie D'Andrea, to name a few and what "accidental fashion illustrators" do today.

I was asked to illustrate my head shot, in lieu of a photo.
And, to bring an umbrella.
I soon realized why the umbrella was my best accessory- it NEVER stopped raining!
Here are a couple of drawings from inside-where else, a pub!.
Once on campus, the rain mattered little, when I had a prime time seat to the sewing studio.
So exciting to see the designs come to life!
The sound of scissors cutting and sewing machines humming sounds the same throughout the globe.
Fashion transcends language and culture!
But, perhaps the best part of my trip was meeting Simone Ridyard in person!
Here we are- not drawing, just , well, you can imagine….