Tyrrell Katz

My name is James Tyrrell and I draw the characters that you see on the Tyrrell Katz stuff.

I feel unbelievably lucky because I have always loved drawing and doodling and now it’s my job. I started Tyrrell Katz with a friend 15 years ago in a tiny studio in West London where we shared with other young designers, and artists. We started by persuading tourist spots like ‘The Natural History Museum’ and ‘The Tower of London’ that they needed fresh new t-shirts designed specifically for them by us. Luckily people seemed to like my designs and we’ve steadily grown from there. I have gradually become more and more interested in creating designs and products for children and we’ve enjoyed adding themes like pirates and fairies, and new products like bags, towels and fleece blankets.

We now have a great team working from London who enable me to work on new designs and spend more time with my wife and 2 boys (cheeky monsters aged almost 4 and 5 – a constant source of inspiration).

Last year my business partner Nicky Garretty moved to New York and opened a Tyrrell Katz office there, and we’re really excited about some of the great shops that are now selling Tyrrell Katz in the US.