Today we’d like to introduce you to Emily Westenberger.
Hi Emily, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I’ve always been drawn to creating beautiful things, especially through fashion, art, and illustration. I studied fashion design and began my career in Los Angeles, where I lived for seven years and built my own clothing label. Designing clothing taught me so much about color, proportion, craftsmanship, and the details that give something personality, and that background still shapes the way I approach everything I make today.
After Los Angeles, I spent some time back in Pennsylvania, where I grew up, before eventually making my way to Charleston, SC. Moving here felt like the beginning of a new chapter creatively.
Illustration was always part of my work as a designer, but over time it began to take on a life of its own. What started with fashion sketches gradually expanded into artwork inspired by the entire world surrounding fashion — beautiful objects, interiors, travel, architecture, beauty, and the little details that create a sense of place or personal style. I work primarily by hand in watercolor ink, pastel, copic marker, and mixed media, and I love work that feels refined and considered while still leaving room for playfulness and imperfection.
Today, my work exists somewhere between fashion, art, and illustration. I continue to design and make clothing, create original artwork and commissioned illustrations, and work as a live fashion illustrator at weddings, brand activations, and other events. I’ve also been developing collections with licensing and commercial applications in mind, imagining my artwork living on everything from stationery and textiles to beauty packaging, books, and other beautifully designed objects.
I think the biggest evolution has been realizing that I don’t necessarily have to choose between being a fashion designer, an illustrator, and an artist. They all come from the same point of view. Whether I’m designing a dress, drawing a storefront, or creating a collection of illustrations, I’m interested in style as something bigger than what we wear — it’s in the rooms we create, the places we travel, the objects we keep, and the small details that make everyday life feel special. I’m still building and evolving that world, which is probably the most exciting part of where I am today.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It has definitely never been a smooth road. Building something of your own often requires taking leaps of faith into the unknown, and I’ve taken quite a few of those over the years. But I’ve also found that those leaps tend to come with a net. The chances I’ve taken have almost always worked out in one way or another — sometimes exactly as I hoped and sometimes by leading me somewhere I never expected — as long as I’m continuing to put in the work and trust my intuition.
When you’re an entrepreneur and constantly trying something new, you also hear a lot of “no’s.” Rejection can absolutely get to me sometimes, especially when I’ve put a lot of myself into an idea or opportunity. But I genuinely love what I do, and that has always been what keeps me moving forward and trying the next thing.
When I think about the harder parts of the journey, I especially think about the beginning. I had a demanding full-time job as a personal assistant while trying to build my fashion business on the side. For a long time, it essentially felt like working two jobs because every evening, weekend, and spare moment went toward the thing I ultimately wanted to do full-time. Making the decision to finally leave that security and work for myself was incredibly scary.
Looking back, though, I think learning to become comfortable with that uncertainty has been one of the most important parts of the journey. There is always another challenge, another idea to pursue, or another part of the business I’m figuring out as I go. But I also love the excitement and constant growth that comes with building something of your own. I wouldn’t trade that for a smoother road.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
My work today sits at the intersection of fashion, art, and illustration. I design and make clothing, create original artwork and illustration collections, take on custom commissions, and work as a live fashion illustrator at weddings, private events, and brand activations. I also have a small collection of products under my label, including art prints, silk scarves, stationery, and a signature perfume that is made locally in Charleston.
For a long time, I was probably most known as a fashion designer, but I can feel that shifting. Live illustration has become a significant part of what I do, and because it is such a client-facing experience, it’s often how people encounter my work now. Much of my other work happens more quietly in the studio, where I’m focused on creating the things I genuinely want to create and then finding ways to share them with others.
One of my biggest goals right now is to continue building a body of illustration work with a recognizable point of view and to see that work exist out in the world in new ways. I love the idea of someone encountering one of my illustrations on beauty packaging, alongside a magazine or newspaper article, in a children’s book, across a silk scarf, or even painted large-scale in an interior. I’m really interested in how artwork can move beyond the original piece and take on a completely different life depending on where it appears.
I’m especially proud of how much I’ve grown as a live illustrator. Starting that part of my business was a real leap of faith. I initially reached out cold to local boutiques offering live illustration before I had much experience actually doing it in that environment. Drawing someone in front of them, on a time limit, with a room full of people watching is very different from working alone in a studio! It was intimidating at first, but I kept saying yes and doing it anyway. Over time, my style and the quality of my work have grown tremendously, and something that once made me nervous now feels natural and genuinely fun. I love the interaction and energy of it.
What probably sets me apart most is that I don’t put many boundaries around where or how I’m allowed to be creative. My background means I have the technical skills to design and construct a dress, but I might spend the next day illustrating, working on a mixed-media collage, developing an art print, or thinking about packaging for the signature fragrance I created for my brand. I’m a fashion designer, illustrator, artist, and entrepreneur, but I don’t feel particularly attached to staying within the boundaries of any one of those labels. If an idea excites me, I want to figure out how to make it.
I think that freedom is becoming an important part of my creative identity. The medium or end product might change, but the point of view connecting everything stays the same.
Do you have any memories from childhood that you can share with us?
One of the first things that comes to mind is watching Project Runway with my mom. I loved seeing the designers get a challenge and then watching an idea go from a sketch to something they were actually creating on the dress form. There was something about that process that completely lit me up.
After the show, I would try to take on the challenges myself, coming up with my own versions of what I would have designed. I especially loved the sketching part, and I still have a sketchbook filled with those drawings today. Looking back at it now is really special because I can see how genuinely excited I was by fashion and the process of creating something from an idea long before I knew it would become my career.
Pricing:
- Custom Illustrations — starting at $50
- Haven Eau de Parfum — starting at $18 travel size
- Art Prints — starting at $30
- Illustrated Stickers — starting at $5
- Illustrated Stationery — starting at $8
Contact Info:
- Website: https://emilywestenberger.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/emilywestenberger/
