The Road to Recognition with Valya Papadopoulou

March 24, 2025

Among the most striking names in this year’s IFIW Top 100 Fashion Portraits prize is Valya Papadopoulou, an artist whose evocative and expressive work secured her a place in the coveted top 10. Her portraits blend the worlds of fashion and fine art, creating pieces that transcend mere illustration and instead capture the spirit and essence of her subjects. We connected with Valya to find out about her artistic journey, inspirations, and her winning piece.

Valya first learned about the IFIW prize through FIDA’s website. “I found out about the TOP 100 prize...and then I started investigating. I discovered that this wonderful initiative is held every year,” she shares. Having already participated in the 10th FIDA Fashion Illustration Awards the previous year, she felt inspired to enter a competition again. “It’s a great opportunity to be seen, even if one does not win a prize.”

Upon discovering that her work had made it to the Top 100, and was also chosen for the Top 10, Valya was overwhelmed. “When I enter contests of this kind, I enter with optimism, but never with certitude,” she explains. “I was once told that when you enter any kind of contest, it is good to try to forget about it, so that if you are not chosen, it’s not the end of the world. This way of seeing things has worked for me up to now. I just enjoy the process and the buzz.”

In 2024, Valya was the winner of the FIDA Excellence in Fashion Illustration Award, and believes the FIDA Awards have given her a boost. "I’ve participated in many Open Calls for Art Magazines or graphic design awards, but none have given me the exposure and fulfilment that FIDA’s community presents. FIDA has been pivotal in helping me improve my skills and encouraging me to look inward at what I can do better. I do not have words to express what this recognition has meant to me."

Valya’s journey to becoming an artist was not straightforward. “I’ve grown up with the myth of the ‘starving artist’ (I can still hear my mom’s words in my ears), so it was not initially in my plans to become a professional artist,” she reveals. Instead, she studied Chemical Engineering, despite her lifelong love for drawing. However, the pandemic provided her with an opportunity to reassess her passions. “When I started understanding how the creative scene in general had evolved into what it is today, there was no turning back.”

While Valya aspires to be a full-time artist, she is mindful of the realities of the industry. “I completely aspire to be a full-time artist/illustrator, that’s my dream. But as I’ve heard so many times over from various professionals in the industry: ‘Don’t leave your day job until you’ve established yourself!’ I guess this is my situation.” However, she sees an advantage in this. “The good thing is that my creativity is not hindered by the pressure of financial security, and I believe this plays a role in how freely we make art.”

When it comes to inspiration, Valya finds it everywhere. “Film, lots and lots of magazines - not only fashion, but architecture, art, photography, and even graphic design magazines and books,” she says. “It’s amazing the amounts of stimuli one can find if they have the patience (or the time!) to stop and take in the scene for a while.”

For her submission, Valya was inspired by a fashion trend she noticed in Prada’s FW24 collection. “I had seen at some point that Prada had all these strange, feathered caps in the FW24 collection (as did also other designers, I guess that was a trend for the season), and I really felt like drawing them.” She combined this with an image of a woman from a magazine she found while traveling in Montreal. “I painted the entire image with watercolours and then added the background in Photoshop. Photoshop in this sense is an amazing tool. Even if you make ‘mistakes’ while painting, or if there’s something that you feel needs to be changed, it’s all doable in Photoshop. This also makes the painting process more liberal and free.”

As for her next steps, Valya is committed to growth and exploration. “Keep on practicing and working at my craft. FIDA has made a huge difference in this area, with all its projects. I am constantly pushed to create and investigate new techniques and broaden my subject matter. I now have lots of new material to add to my portfolio!”

She also has one clear wish: “If one wish could be granted, it would be to get a commission for fashion illustration. Now that would really send me over the moon!”

Valya Papadopoulou’s distinctive style has established her as a rising star in contemporary fashion art, and with her recent success, it’s clear this is just the beginning.

See more of Valya: