Corby illustrator's Asda collection ready for Women’s Day launch

A Corby-born-and-educated illustrator's work will soon be for sale across the country after she helped to design to a children's clothing collection to be launched on International Women’s Day.

Illustrator Angela Mayers has collaborated with Asda’s popular brand George to create a new collection of girls’ clothing that celebrate empowerment and inclusion.

The 34-year-old said she’s thrilled to have been asked to design the thought-provoking new garments for toddlers and create an exciting new line of girls’ clothes for a supermarket giant.

She said: "I’m really looking forward to it, I can’t wait. It’s very exciting to be working with a name and a brand as big and as nationally well known as Asda’s George.

“My designs help to celebrate diversity and inclusivity. It’s vital that they reflect children from different races and different heritages. It’s so important and so fulfilling for me that we try to portray children from all sorts of backgrounds. They are very powerful symbolical images – and hopefully will be so influential as well."

Angela who went to Studfall Infant and Junior School and Lodge Park Academy has already checked that Corby Asda will carry the range. She has put her love of art to the education she received especially from her A level Art teacher Abbie Owen.

She said: "She really encouraged me. She was a really good art teacher."

Angela expects a good deal of support from her relatives in Corby and although she has moved to neighbouring Market Harborough, she's a regular visitor to her home town.

When Angela's illustrations appeared in the award-winning, international-selling picture book My Mum's a Tiger written by Kate Claxton, sales were especially high in Northamptonshire.

She said: "I'm a Corby girl.

"Corby people are just great. We had a good deal of support from Corby. I checked with George and the collection will be available in the Corby store which is really exciting."

The eagerly-anticipated will be launched by Asda on International Women’s Day on Tuesday March 8 and aims to encourage young girls to aim high, be proud of who they are and reach for the stars.

As well as illustrating My Mum's a Tiger, she has provided the drawing for My Wonder Line, written by Vicky Gooden, a children's picture book representing and empowering children with scars from surgery in which ten per cent of proceeds go to Tiny Tickers the baby heart charity.

Also being published in March is And Me, In The Middle written by Annette Demetriou which is a wonderful exploration of children’s heritage and family tree’s published by Owlet Press.

Angela, who studied illustrating at Loughborough University, is also soon to release a small collection of nursery themed illustrated prints which can be purchased along with her children's style illustrated pet and people portraits through her Etsy, Facebook and Instagram pages.

She said: “I’m determined to encourage girls and young women to aim high and be proud of who they are, to be strong individuals. I want to help empower them, to urge them to go out there and be a huge success in what ever they choose to do.

“These are values and aspirations that I also push forward in my children's book illustrations and art across the board.

“I’ve been drawing since I was just three or four and my parents are both talented amateur artists – so I guess it’s in my blood."

You can check out Angela’s work on her Instagram page or her Facebook page.