That was until the wonderful Joseph Larkowsky wandered into the Gather.ly office after illustrating a beautiful piece of work for us. Sitting with Joseph was enlightening; his view on the creative industry, fashion in particular, was not only incredibly honest, but smart and succinct. While most graduate students will be about to start enjoying their summer holiday, Joe is straight on the job hunt and even considering a bold move to Paris for a job.

A born planner (maybe his least creative trait), Joe has always planned his life and thrives off structure and organization. Growing up in “sleepy, sleepy” Norfolk, he set his sights on London at the age of fourteen and used a move to the big city as his driving force and inspiration to get through his GSCEs and final years of high school. His illustrations are distinct and somewhat otherworldly, and it comes as no surprise that he has never had to chase work - all his freelance work has come from being found on social media. Joe’s big break came when, at 19, he was approached by Draper’s magazine to illustrate for their 125th Anniversary coffee table book. Receiving an offer like this at such a young age was his motivation through his studies of the kind of work he could achieve. School took a back seat, it was a platform, and it simply needed to be done to get to the next level.

After seeing Joe’s eye-catching sketches it is not difficult to see where his inspiration comes from. For Joe, it has to be the most beautiful fashion for him to draw it. Fabrics and materials get his mind ticking and his pen moving, he concentrates on the fluidity and feelings of the garment in his illustrations. His highlight at a catwalk show is watching the mesmerizing swish of a hemline and the bobbing of a collar. Joe’s eyes light up and his speech quickens as he relives finding a vintage Prada dress in Edinburgh made almost completely of metal. Scrunching his hands excitedly, he describes with elation the illumination of the metal, the feeling of it against the skin, and the way it keeps the shape you form. At friends' suggestions to frame the beautiful dress, Joe gets defensive - he would never dream of it, he gets far more joy out of the pleasure of touch.

This fascination for fabric and the way it can move and be manipulated began at a young age, when visiting his parents' friends' houses with them, he would make a beeline for their curtains. Joe would touch and weigh the material and experiment with the way the hanging tassels moved and formed different shapes. This tactile sense has stayed with him and closely relates to the way he draws.

Joseph informs me proudly how he has sketched every day for the last 15 years of his life and when he discovered that you could actually study fashion illustration, his sights were quickly set. After a brief flirtation with fashion design, he discovered that he didn’t appreciate the conceptual side of fashion as much as the commercial, branded side, citing designers such as Giorgio Armani and Ralph Lauren as icons for their classic and consistent styles.

Although Joseph credits the London College of Fashion for his confidence in setting up his business and website, university was another stepping-stone to earn qualifications and validity. The College is also responsible for his style evolution, awaking in him a love for the technical aspect of fashion. He often creates 3D work to make sure he knows how things are made and to assist him when he is struggling with a particular illustration. Through this evolution of style, he has become less free and far more technical, reflecting his structured personality and love for the craftsmanship of fashion.

With such a strong desire to learn, work and be in the fashion industry, Joseph begins to explain to me how he doesn’t want to work as an illustrator. It’s his passion sure, but it’s also his release. He doesn’t want to ruin it or end up despising it because he can’t draw what he wants and has to do everything his client demands. Joe goes on to describe how he would love his illustrations to be the "bow to his fiddle", and I suddenly begin to understand. After a long, stressful day at work, instead of heading home and pouring himself a drink and sitting in front of the TV, Joe will draw to unwind, and to me, that’s pretty damn special. He’s certainly a planner - he’s planning to avoid the inevitable, that he’ll probably end up hating his work as an illustrator if he can’t do it the way he wants to do it.

As a child, Joe tells me he grew up wanting to be the first male editor of Vogue. He doesn’t know where his future lies now, but with this guy's determination and relentless willingness to work hard, he’s certainly one to watch.