Walking into Margot Bowman’s studio from a grey day in Hackney is something of a Dorothy-in-Oz moment. Neon papier mache dogs' heads adorn the walls; yellow and blue GIFs dance on computer screens; rainbow pots of acrylic dribble everywhere and, just to add to the effect, Margot shrugs on a paint-splattered jacket that doubles as a technicolour dreamcoat.

'I was wearing this to paint a mural in Shoreditch House and someone was like ‘Oh I love your coat, where’s it from?’' She laughs. 'I was half tempted to be like ‘Yeah, it’s Margiela’ rather than my skanky overalls from art school.'

Underneath all the paint, Bowman is wearing a patent Christopher Kane skirt 'from ages ago, one of my student loan sample sale purchases', Whistles heels ('go Jane Shepherdson, she’s done so well!') and a green peace sign T-shirt found in a Madrid flea market.

And her Oz-like studio (which she shares with the equally colourful accessories designer Fred Butler) is no happy accident. 'Colour is really important to me,' she explains, 'especially living in London where it can be pretty drab and depressing sometimes. People respond so viscerally to bright colours. I’ve got a Jeremy Scott puffa jacket that’s inspired by the TV colour test and when I wear it people are always really nice to me.'

Before graduating from Central Saint Martins in 2011, she already had massive brands such as Kiehls and Topshop queueing up for an injection of Bowman-brand quirkiness. From illustrations to screen-prints, funny GIFs to painted phone boxes, this is one artist who refuses to colour within the lines.

'I’m always trying to push the medium and take it to a new place,' she explains. 'That’s why I’ve never been drawn to working on canvas – it feels a bit done. My two skills are drawing and thinking, and it’s just about finding ways for those two things to appear, in unusual combinations.'

Although as Creative Director of the BFC’s magazine Esthetica, occasional DJ ('me and Bip Ling used to have a club night together') and with her own ethical swimwear collection made from recycled plastic, Bowman might be being a bit modest when she claims to possess just the two skills.

'It’s just nice for things you make to be part of the world and make people’s lives better, whether that’s in clothing or furniture or music or whatever,' she smiles. 'Otherwise everything stays behind this glass cabinet. And that’s alright if you can afford the glass cabinet. But if you can’t, what’s the point?'

Next up are 'a couple of films' and a three week trip to Mozambique. 'When your work’s visual, it’s important to get a change of perspective.'

Dorothy would definitely agree.