In Conversation with Kirra Edited

With a signature style rooted in Y2K nostalgia, vintage magazine aesthetics, and a deep understanding of branding, Kirra Edited is a creative force who seamlessly fuses art, culture, and fashion through graphic design and content creation. As the artist behind our July cover, we sat down with Kirra to talk about creativity, style, and inspiration.

Your aesthetic is such a captivating blend of early 2000s energy meets editorial. Where did your love of graphic design begin, and how has it evolved over the years?

Growing up in the early 2000’s – what I often refer to as the magazine ‘gold rush’ – left a lasting impression on me from a very young age. My Mum was a devoted reader of Vogue and had a deep appreciation for high fashion, which naturally influenced me. By the age of seven, I had started collecting magazines like Dolly, Girlfriend, and Pop. I was captivated by the editorial photography of that era – the originality, boldness, and unapologetic creativity of the concepts truly inspired me.

As I moved into my teenage years, platforms like Tumblr opened the door to my interest in digital design. Around the same time, I was introduced to The Hills, and seeing Lauren Conrad and Whitney Port working at Teen Vogue was a defining moment for me – I knew then that I wanted to be part of that world.

While my time at university certainly helped refine my creative skills, I credit much of my artistic foundation to those early experiences; flipping through magazines, curating inspiration online, and constantly engaging with fashion and visual storytelling in any form I could find.

Kirra and one of her recent designs

You’ve collaborated with a variety of fashion and beauty brands including I am Delilah, It’s Now Cool and more. Which brief has been your favourite to work on so far and why? 

That’s a tough question! I genuinely thrive on a challenge and I enjoy working under pressure. I get particularly excited when I receive a brief that pushes me to think outside the box and approach things from a new perspective.

That said, some of my most rewarding experiences have come from collaborating with clients and creatives with whom I’ve built strong personal connections. One example is Capri Swim, an Australian-owned swimwear brand I’ve worked with since the very beginning of my design career. Over time, our collaboration has evolved from structured briefs to an intuitive, shared creative language. Gabby, the founder, can now send me something as simple as an image of an object as inspiration, and I’ll immediately understand the vision and feel confident in translating it into a final design. It’s that level of trust and creative alignment that makes a brief most fulfilling. 

Print design for Capri Swim, La Mer; featuring intricate woven water colour motifs inspired by a European summer & spread across both bikini and one piece styles. 

Let’s talk about our July cover! Can you walk us through your creative process for the design, from concept to creation?

Yes! I had the opportunity to work closely with Lauren, the founder of The Modern Muse, to ensure the cover design remained true to the magazine’s Melbourne roots. I came across striking photo of the Melbourne skyline and was inspired to incorporate flowers into the scene – creating a visual fusion that reflected both the city’s identity and my own surrealist style. If you look closely, the flowers interact with the image itself, blending seamlessly with the architecture. This approach helped reinforce the ‘The City of Art’ theme while also adding a unique, dreamlike quality to the final design. 

The July cover of The Modern Muse Magazine designed by Kirra

You often draw on early 2000s aesthetics and vintage magazine layouts. What is it about these eras that continues to influence your work so strongly?

For me, it’s the originality of the entire process – from concept to execution – that’s most inspiring. I’ve always been drawn to the creative journey behind vintage magazines. Beyond their bold, playful, and often unconventional editorial references, it’s the spirit of those publications that resonates with me. They remind me of my childhood – rushing home from school just to grab the latest issue of Girlfriend Magazine and feeling instantly inspired. 

Drawing from the early 2000’s and vintage references allows me to stay connected to that sense of wonder and imagination I had as a child. It keeps my creative process grounded in curiosity and nostalgia, which I believe is a powerful and often underrated tool when it comes to creating original work.

Your work often combines typography, texture, and imagery in unexpected ways. What are your go-to tools or techniques when bringing a graphic concept to life?

I have a large collection of textured overlays that I love incorporating into my visuals – especially paper-like layers that help evoke that authentic ‘real magazine’ feel. I’m also drawn to using elements like stickers, barcodes, and scrapbook materials to bring a tactile, collage-inspired aesthetic to my work.

Balancing your signature style with a client’s brand guidelines can be challenging. How do you ensure your personal aesthetic shines through while meeting a brief’s objectives?

It can definitely be a challenge at times, but I’ve been fortunate enough to work with clients who value my creative input and are open to giving me a degree of creative freedom throughout the process. I always remind those I collaborate with that my role is to creatively interpret and translate their vision – so I keep that at the forefront of everything I do. That being said, I believe it’s equally as important to bring a sense of authenticity to my work, so there’s always a subtle sprinkle of Kirra in every design I create.

How do you stay creatively fuelled as a designer? Are there particular artists, designers, or movements that continually influence your visual approach?

Absolutely! I’ve had the opportunity to connect with some incredibly talented designers – both here in Australia and around the world – who continue to inspire me. The digital art community is full of innovative creatives, and I genuinely find inspiration in the work of so many of them.

To stay creatively fuelled, I make a habit of visiting my local art gallery and exploring mixed media through painting and drawing. I also find a lot of inspiration in film – particularly horror. I think horror movie posters are often underrated; they’re visually striking, conceptually bold, and always leave me with fresh ideas to explore in my own work. 

What’s your favourite part about creating for the digital world, and what’s one piece of advice you’d give to emerging artists looking to build a visual brand of their own?

What I love most is knowing that I’m contributing to keeping creativity alive – especially in a time where technology is advancing so rapidly. While innovation is exciting, it can also feel overwhelming, so continuing to champion creative expression feels more important than ever. If I can inspire even one person to pursue a creative path, I feel like I’ve done something meaningful.

My advice to emerging artists is simple: just go for it. Don’t overthink it – art doesn’t need to be complicated or perfectly calculated. Your vision is valid, and that’s enough. Try not to worry about what other people might think of your work. Instead, think about your future self – will they regret not sharing it? That perspective shift is all you need to start. 

Follow Kirra on Instagram here.

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