ABOUT
Fashion illustrator and live sketch artist based in Orange County / Los Angels CA. Wedding live sketch, Magazine editorial fashion illustration, store opening event, fashion beauty event
I see beauty in every face and every moment.
I transform presence into art.
I’m Akiko — Japanese-born and Orange County–based — a live sketch artist and fashion illustrator who partners with global luxury brands to capture guests at their most radiant. With each stroke, I translate presence, style, and emotion into art.
After earning a bachelor’s degree in graphic design from Joshibi University of Art and Design in Japan, Akiko moved to California and began her career as a graphic designer in the apparel industry.
Years later, Akiko expanded her creative practice into live sketch artistry, attending and illustrating at numerous high-profile events. Her clients include luxury brands such as CHANEL, Hermes, GUCCI, MIUMIU and Burberry, among others.
In addition to live event sketching, Akiko works as a fashion illustrator and has collaborated with numerous publications and brands, including ELLE Magazine, Anthropologie, and the Los Angeles Times.
For all brand or editorial inquiries or booking information for live- sketching events, Please email info@akikokatoruiz.com
akrDesignStudio
in late 2014, Akiko launched akrDesignStudio, a lifestyle and stationery brand featuring her original illlustrations. She began by offering a curated collection of paper goods and accessories, including greeting cards, art prints, notebooks, planners, keychains and more. Today, her line is carried in more than 200 stores worldwide including Anthropologie.
Akiko was selected as one of the '22 Stationery Designers to shop' by Domino Magazine. Her work has been featured in various magazines and media outlets, including Fox 21 News, Stationery Trends, Collective Hub, Her Campus, Mollie Makes, JJ Magazine, among others.
神奈川県横浜市出身。女子美術大学グラフィックデザイン専攻卒業。
大学在学中、友人とのアメリカ旅行をきっかけにカリフォルニアに住むことを決意。大学卒業後すぐにロサンゼルスへ渡米。最初の数年間は語学を学びながら現地大学でイラストレーションを学ぶ。その後、企業勤務を経てフリーランスのデザイナーとして独立。
イラストレーターとして、Los Angeles Times、カネボウ、ELLE Magazine、JJ Magazineなど国内外の多くの企業、メディアに作品を提供。
2014年にはグリーティングカードやギフト雑貨を展開するブランドakrDesignStudioを立ち上げる。５種類のカードからスタートしたブランドは、現在では100種類以上のカードデザインを始め、手帳やキーホルダーなど幅広いアイテムを展開。現在は、アメリカで人気のセレクトショップAnthropologieを含む全米およびヨーロッパの200以上の店舗で取り扱われている。
又GUCCI, MIUMIU, Fendi, Jimmy Choo 他ブランド店舗のイベントやファッションショー等に招かれ、その場でゲストのポートレイトを描くライブスケッチアーティストとしても活躍中。
2023年より地球の歩き方 カリフォルニア特派員としてイラストと共にロサンゼルス生活を紹介中。