Sue Cadzow is a Sydney-based freelance print and pattern designer and retro illustration specialist, operating under the brand 50s Vintage Dame. With over 20 years of industry experience and a background in graphic design and print production, she creates vintage-style artwork with a sharp modern attitude. Represented by The Illustration Room (Australia). Selected Instagram images confirm a richly illustrated retro pattern and surface design practice, with strong coverage across apparel, homewares, and publishing applications.

Mid-century inspired illustration and surface pattern, characterised by joyful nostalgia and saturated colour. Aesthetic draws heavily on 1950s design - informed by Sue's own Sydney home furnished with period pieces. Work spans tiki/Hawaiian illustration, Wild West imagery, retro pinup, retro comic, sci-fi/retro-futurism, and paper dolls alongside floral and decorative surface patterns. Colourful, densely detailed, and thematically consistent across a large body of work.

Digital illustration and design. Background in graphic design and print production ensures professional, print-ready output. A surface pattern licensing library is now live on the website, available to buyers on request.

Broad market reach: books and editorial, packaging, maps, events, marketing, stationery, homewares, cocktail bars, entertainment and hospitality, apparel and textiles, personal commissions. Published projects include Tiki Cocktails (book), Keep Coolidge and Carry On (Jennifer Coolidge), and Tinseltown Tarot (Hollywood-themed tarot deck). The portfolio features apparel and product surface applications. A dedicated surface pattern licensing library signals active commercial licensing activity.

Over 20 years in graphic design and print production before establishing the 50s Vintage Dame brand. Lives in a classic mid-century Sydney home, directly informing the aesthetic direction. Surface pattern licensing library launched as a dedicated commercial offering. Represented by The Illustration Room for licensing and commission enquiries.

The portfolio features illustrative surface patterns - retro florals, character-based compositions, and vintage-themed all-overs consistent with the mid-century register. Pattern work integrates closely with illustration commissions, spanning surface licensing and editorial contexts. Tiki, pinup, and retro-floral are the most prominent pattern categories.