Sri Lankan born Nadeesha Godamunne aka Mokshini, left her hometown of New Zealand and travelled to New York in a bid to make her career dreams a reality. Inspired by an Andy Warhol documentary and street style fashion photographer Bill Cunningham, Nadeesha’s job is the kind that many people dream of a successful fashion illustrator living in New York and working for Ralph Lauren.
She followed her childhood love of art and gained a MA in Art, Design and Illustration from the Auckland University of Technology. Her eccentric and raw portrayal of characters, which aim to push the boundaries of traditional fashion illustration. Her direct and spontaneous approach to drawing has gained her recognition in the live drawing arena, where you’ll find her at any given fashion event, spitting out in rapid fire, her humorous, and distinctly signature fashion sketches. Clients include Prabal Gurung, Alice and Olivia, Erin Fetherston, Neiman Marcus and Unilever to name a few. She has won a clutch of awards in New Zealand for her creativity, Nadeesha was selected to showcase her work in Italy at the Mittel Moda Fashion Awards in 2010. A regular at New York Fashion Week, Nadeesha’s fashion illustrations done at the speed of lightening captures the intricate details of the clothes and also the mood of the show.
Her body of work has appealed and lead to collaborations with publications such as V Magazine, The New Zealand Herald, The Huffington Post, and Afropunk. Following her big move to New York in 2013, Mokshini broadened her repertoire and explored textile design, working as a textile artist for brands such as Siladora, Abby Lichtman and Calvin Klein. In 2014, she worked as an in-house illustrator and colorist at Ralph Lauren. Other brands such as J- Crew, White House Black Market, and Oxosi, have profiled Mokshini in campaigns and social media, to cross-promote their products. Her latest collaboration is with fashion icon Tziporah Salamon, where she is the principal illustrator for Tziporah’s new publication, ‘The Art of Dressing’, published by Rizzoli Books, and soon to be released in March 2017.
