Today we’d like to introduce you to Angela Thouless.
Hi Angela, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I graduated in 1999 with a BA (Hons) in Painting, going on to receive a Postgraduate Diploma/Masters in Art & Design in 2000.
I have exhibited my artwork across the UK as well as all over Europe, Asia and North America. Moving from painting large scale street art inspired canvases to walls Tribe All began as an idea for a street art workshop painting and producing artwork on old spray cans which would have otherwise been thrown away.
In 2019 I was invited to take part in Aberdeen Fashion Week where I was exhibiting some of my paintings. The organizer who owned an orphange in Kenya at the time asked me to produce a piece that could be auctioned at the event to raise money. I therefore produced a spraycan mask piece inspired by African tribal masks and the colours of the Kenya flag. Encouraged by other designers at the event I began to produce more designs and put these onto t-shirts foe the next fashion show on 2020.
The Tribe All spraycan series incorporates the vibrant palette and compositional elements of graffiti with the traditional aesthetic of tribal masks. Celebrating the wonderful diversity there is in this world, while promoting a sense of togetherness. Despite our many differences, we are all one beautiful tribe.
There are a number of designs in the collection available in various colours. Sizes available from Small to 4XL. Each piece comes with the spray can face on the front and Tribe All Logo on the back.
Tribe All is about multiculturalism connecting people on a global scale, a theme which has seen the t-shirts being featured in editorials such as Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, Esquire, Elle, Red, Cosmopolitan and 3 separate editions of GQ, Wired and London Life. The brand has also been promoted at the Urban Music Awards in 2020 and 2022 and the first ever National Social Media Awards in 2022. The brand has participated in the Aberdeen, London, Japan, New York and Milan Fashion Weeks.
In 2020 Tribe All won Barclay’s Bank Entrepreneur Awards, Rising Star 2020, Diverse Company Of The Year at the International Runway Achievers and Recognition Awards in Ireland and Scotland’s Top Fashion Designer Of The Year at the 2020 Arts, Media and Fashion Award – Aberdeen Fashion Week. In 2019 Angela picked up Top Creative Designer at Aberdeen Fashion Arts, Fashion and Media Awards followed by Top Emerging Designer Of The Year 2019 at The Prestigious International/Your Brand Fashion Show.
This October I shall be taking part in Paris Fashion week.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Sadly just as I started my brand the covid lockdowns hit. It was difficult to get the pieces printed, sent and shows were all cancelled. Luckily at the end of 2020 my work was see by Fashion Crossover London – an award-winning London-based designer service platform that connects global emerging designers with international fashion buyers and industry professionals by providing an online showcasing service, e-commerce function, a London-based PR showroom, advertorial print magazine publication feature, and fashion event management. They really helped me during that period so actually my work began to build up a good online presence. I also has the time to start creating more paintings so the art side of things really took off to. Therefore what could have been the end of my journey was just the start and things have continued to go from strength to strength ever since.
Fashion Crossover London still works with me and there help and support has been invaluable. Without them I may have well given up.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I am a Scottish artist and designer with a solid background in Fine Arts. I have over the past 6 or 7 years developed a distinctive artistic language that blends the energy of street art with profound ancestral symbolism. My passion for urban art was sparked during a trip to Amsterdam in 2012 and was solidified with my participation in the NUArt festival in Aberdeen in 2017, where I worked as a volunteer and later joined the “ThrowUp Gallery” collective. This experience marked a turning point in my work, leading me to explore new techniques and media.
My style, often described as “Tribal Pop,” manifests itself through colourful compositions and an immediate and vibrant pictorial gesture, reflecting the energy of mural painting. An iconic element of my work is the series of masks painted on old spray cans, an idea born from the desire to recycle and give new life to objects otherwise destined for waste. The spray can belongs to the language of the street: industrial, inexpensive and ultimately disposable. Associated with graffiti, intervention and the temporary nature of urban expression the spraycan undergoes an unexpected transformation in my hands. It becomes an object to preserve, contemplate and reconsider.
Across my Tribe All series, the cylindrical surface becomes a meeting place for visual languages drawn from different cultures, geographies and natural worlds. References to Mexico, China, India and Africa coexist with dragons, elephants, jaguars, chameleons and botanical forms. Rather than reproducing these traditions literally, I combine and recontextualizes their visual energy within a distinctly contemporary object. These motifs are then transferred to canvas, using acrylics and sometimes spray paint, creating works that celebrate the world’s cultural diversity.
Nature plays an equally important role. Animals, vegetation and organic patterns repeatedly enter her compositions, creating a symbolic vocabulary in which mythology, ecology and identity overlap.
My work has become instantly recognizable and I have been able to consolidate my international reputation over the past few years, exhibiting my work across the UK, Europe and North America. This year I have had several solo shows through 2026 in Rome, Venice, Denmark, Barcelona with more to some in London, Florence and Cannes.
I am most proud of how people in various countries have loved my work and given me lots of opportunities to exhibit the work in countries that have inspired lots of the pieces. I am therefore proud of how many countries my paintings have been seen in and the fantastic fashion shows my clothing has been shown in too. When I started this I never thought I would achieve any of this.
I think my unique style sets me apart.
If you had to, what characteristic of yours would you give the most credit to?
Resilience has been very important as I was able to bouncing back from the inevitable setbacks I faced when I first started this due to the covid lockdowns.
Consistency. I don’t do this full time so doing small, daily tasks compound and make a difference over time.
Adaptability. I think I have been very good at adjusting my approach when conditions change.
I am also very passionate about what I do so this helps to develop an excellent work ethic and submit high-quality work. Passion can also give you the confidence to take risks when necessary to be successful in your position.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.angelathouless.com
- Instagram: @angela_thouless_art @tribe_all_tees
