Aija [ay-ya], noun. A ridiculously fabulous woman, who boogied with a Marsala & Coke in hand. Whatever that says about her, it was her BoneyM vinyl, lashings of thick mascara and backcombed hair that continue to resonate and influence Nicole Onslow's sketches of sassy women over and over again.
Nicole adores being an illustrator, and is really proud of her label aija which brings her fashion work into your lives. She hopes her work brings you a little joy too. She is really conscious of the ingredients and methods employed in producing her wares, and who she calls on along the way to make them possible. It's really important to her to create for you goodies which are of the highest quality, whilst being conscious that they are ethically and environmentally responsible.
She's been illustrating for long enough now to realise that it's actually her job, despite it being so much fun it seems more like a hobby. Nicole's clients have included Alannah Hill, David Jones, Tatler, Marie Claire & Cosmopolitan magazines, Virgin Music, The Australian Magazine, The Sunday Herald Sun, Air Canada, The Kirketon Hotel Sydney, ANZ Banking, Shell Australia, White Room Paris and a weekly column for YOU magazine; The Mail on Sunday UK.
For her, there's something about the 60's, but in a modern day environment. Nicole's always sketching all sorts of things, but she's more often commissioned for the pretty girls she illustrates.
You might recognise her work from her cover of The Devil Wears Prada novel. She followed that with a re-release of the novel in France, with a new cover, complete with a clutch purse box and book mark. On a recent trip to Paris she saw it featuring in an entire window of a book store which brought an excited smile to her face from such an unexpected moment.
Today, busying herself more than ever, she turns to her much adored ragdoll Mika to keep her amused during tight deadlines with her silly antics. Purrr.