The Remarkable Creative Life of Helen L Simmons and Her Resilient Family Story

A Brooklyn Childhood Shaped by Love and Imagination

When I look at the life of Helen L. Simmons, now known as Helen L. Collen, I see a story shaped by creativity, resilience, family, and an unusually strong ability to notice what others might overlook. Born Helen Lucille Simmons on December 26, 1967, at Lenox Hill Hospital in Manhattan, New York City, she was raised primarily in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, under the loving care of a woman who became the central figure in her world.

That woman was her grandmother, Hattie Simmons.

Hattie brought Helen home from the hospital and raised her as her own daughter. Helen has spoken of Hattie not simply as a grandmother, but as her “Mom,” a distinction that says more than a family title ever could. Hattie’s own life carried the weight of an earlier America. She had experienced agricultural labor and sharecropping conditions in the South before moving north and building a life in New York.

For Helen, that history became part of an inheritance of endurance.

Her childhood also revealed an early artistic instinct. By the age of 10, she was drawing regularly and creating and editing comic strips for her classroom. She seemed to understand instinctively that images could tell stories. Long before she carried a professional camera, she was already arranging characters, expressions, details, and scenes on paper.

She attended Prince of Peace Lutheran Day School before enrolling at Brooklyn Technical High School. As a member of the Class of 1986, she studied Industrial Design, a field that gave structure to the visual imagination she had been developing since childhood.

Her teenage and young adult years also placed her in the vibrant New York City house music scene. From approximately 1986 through 1993, she experienced a cultural world filled with music, fashion, movement, nightlife, and visual energy. Those experiences would later become surprisingly useful in a career that moved between theater, film, concerts, photography, and the entertainment industry.

From Costume Design to a Life Behind the Lens

Helen’s professional journey did not begin with photography alone. Costume design became her first major creative language.

In May 1996, she earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Costume Design from the Professional Conservatory of Theatrical Design at SUNY Purchase College. It was her third university, and graduation quickly led to professional work. She began working as a Broadway dresser, theater costume designer, and wardrobe supervisor in film and television.

Her career developed across several creative worlds. She worked with the Harlem National Black Theatre and spent approximately 18 years, from 1997 to 2015, associated with Brooklyn’s Billie Holiday Theatre as a resident costume designer and still photographer.

Her accomplishments in Black theater were especially significant. In 1999, she received the Vivian Robinson Audelco Judy Dearing Costume Design Recognition Award for her work on The Trial of One Short-Sighted Black Woman vs. Mammy Louise and Safreeta Mae. She also received multiple Audelco nominations for costume design and a New York City Mayoral Citation for Artistic Service.

Her wardrobe career expanded into film and television. Her credits and related work included The Wire, Third Watch, Tar, The Reunion, Remembering Sex, Kite, and Hit and Run. She also contributed wardrobe work to productions such as Body of Lies and Burn After Reading.

Her work was not confined to scripted productions. She served as wardrobe supervisor for the Dancing With The Stars 2008 to 2009 tour and worked around major performers and entertainment institutions connected with artists such as Wynton Marsalis, Nona Hendryx, Sting, Bruce Springsteen, Billy Joel, and Beyoncé, as well as Alvin Ailey and Radio City Music Hall.

The skills of a costume designer eventually became the foundation of her photography.

Helen has described the connection in simple terms. A costume designer must visualize a character, understand an atmosphere, and recognize how visual details work together. A photographer, in her view, can encounter an atmosphere that already exists and then capture it.

That philosophy explains much of her photographic style.

Helen L Simmons and the Art of Seeing Life

Helen’s photography emphasises observation over technical showmanship. Her artistic mottos, “See Life” and “Create Your Space,” reflect the idea underlying her work.

Her photographic subjects include live concerts, portraits, landscapes, seascapes, skyscapes, fashion, travel, ordinary life, and experimental visual art. She has photographed performers such as Def Leppard, KISS, and REO Speedwagon, but her eye is not confined to celebrities.

She searches for moments that could become memories.

Concert photography is especially well suited to her experience because she understands performers physically. She understands how posture, movement, expression, timing, and anticipation may all contribute to a remarkable shot. Instead of merely recording a performer on stage, she seeks for a position that could become famous.

Her work with Phil Collen and Def Leppard has given her a deep understanding of performance rhythm. At a concert, she may recognise when a guitarist is about to move, spin, jump, lean toward the audience, or create a recognisable position. This familiarity enables her to anticipate rather than react.

Her landscape photography has a similar philosophy. She has captured settings in Maui, Singapore, Kyoto, and Australia. Sometimes the attraction is clear. At other times, it is concealed in an ordinary scene.

A tranquil dock. A person is watching from a rooftop. A woman adjusting her kimono. A wedding photographer struggled with a veil.

Helen is fascinated in what happens between the obvious events, thus she turns these moments into visual narrative.

She has also employed Vibrachrome, a metallic printing technique that enhances photo colour, contrast, and luminosity. Her artistic approach has grown beyond static photos to include motion graphics, short films, music videos, NFTs, and augmented reality concepts.

Her 2019 “Gratitude” exhibition in SoHo had about 50 photographic works. The show was especially meaningful because it coincided with her son’s first birthday and the induction of Def Leppard into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Meeting Phil Collen and Building a Blended Family

Helen’s relationship with Phil Collen began with an almost comically brief encounter.

In April 2008, while working and training with I Love All Access during a Def Leppard tour period, she encountered Phil in a hallway in Reading, Pennsylvania. Their first exchange lasted roughly 30 seconds.

It was hardly the stuff of a sweeping romance.

Yet the encounter stayed with them.

They reconnected in June 2009 when Helen worked as a liaison during the American leg of the tour. Phil later recalled recognizing her laugh and feeling that he had known it from another lifetime. This time, the connection became personal.

In August 2009, Phil proposed on a beach at the Ritz-Carlton in Manalapan, Florida. After Phil’s previous marriage to Anita Thomas-Collen was finalized in early July 2010, Helen and Phil married on July 16, 2010.

Their sunset wedding at the Ritz-Carlton Palm Beach included approximately 60 guests. Def Leppard members Rick Savage and Vivian Campbell were among those present, while Muay Thai trainer Jean Carrillo served as best man. The ceremony included readings associated with Maya Angelou and the Dalai Lama and carried an environmentally conscious spirit.

The couple had even received matching tattoos before the wedding.

Their relationship has developed into a partnership that they frequently describe in terms of friendship, toughness, acceptance, and survival. They have faced difficult experiences together while maintaining a strong emphasis on family.

Phil’s children from earlier relationships are part of that family circle. His children include Rory, born in 1990, Samantha, born in 2004, Savannah, born in 2009, and Charlotte, born in 2014.

Helen and Phil later welcomed a child of their own.

The Birth of Jaxson and a Life Changing Experience

On May 21, 2018, Helen gave birth to Jaxson Philip Lucius Collen, also referred to as Jackson. He was born at 9:35 p.m. and weighed 6 pounds 11 ounces.

The birth became a terrifying medical emergency.

Helen experienced uncontrollable internal bleeding and suffered catastrophic complications. She has described flatlining twice and being resuscitated before spending approximately a week in a medically induced coma. Jaxson also faced a frightening crisis, with his heart nearly stopping before his first breath.

Both mother and child survived.

Phil briefly stepped away from Def Leppard’s tour with Journey so that he could be with his wife and newborn son. Trixter’s Steve Brown filled in during Phil’s absence.

For Helen, the experience became a dividing line in her life. Everything before it seemed to belong to one chapter, and everything after it carried a different perspective.

She began speaking more openly about attempting things she could imagine and perceive, embracing the idea that life itself had given her another opportunity to create.

That outlook became particularly important to her photography.

Hattie Simmons and the Family Legacy of Resilience

Although Helen became known professionally through costume design, photography, and her marriage to a famous guitarist, the deepest family relationship in her story remains her bond with Hattie Simmons.

Hattie died on March 4, 2015, at the age of 95. Her death marked the passing of the woman who had raised Helen and provided the foundation of her emotional world.

Helen’s reflections on Hattie reveal a family history that stretches beyond individual achievement. Hattie had known hardship in the South before creating a new life in Brooklyn. She gave Helen a model of survival without allowing survival to become the whole story.

There was love, faith, discipline, creativity, and possibility.

Helen has also spoken about losing two of her three brothers. Details surrounding their deaths remain private, but their absence has become part of the emotional landscape behind some of her creative work.

In that sense, photography becomes more than an occupation. It becomes a way of holding onto moments.

A Creative Life in Motion

Helen eventually moved from Brooklyn to the Baltimore County area around 2003 for professional opportunities, including work connected with The Wire. Her career later took her to California, where she and Phil built their family life.

Her creative interests have continued to multiply rather than narrow.

Alongside photography, she has worked with digital art, motion, music, crochet, radio, and songwriting. She has written lyrics connected with Phil’s blues project Delta Deep, including “Burnt Sally.” She has also developed Helucination Originals, reflecting her interest in handmade creative work.

She hosts the weekly radio program The SHOUT OUT Music Appreciation 101, giving her another medium through which to connect music, personality, and storytelling.

Her artistic identity therefore refuses to fit neatly inside one category. Costume designer, photographer, wardrobe professional, radio host, visual artist, lyricist, crocheter, and creative entrepreneur are all pieces of the same person.

I find that continuity important. The costumes came first, but the deeper skill was always seeing.

Helen L Simmons Family at a Glance

Helen L Simmons Today

Helen L. Collen remains a somewhat reclusive character today, despite her association with one of rock music’s most well-known guitarists. Her life is not centred on celebrity for its own sake. Her creative work remains central.

Her photographs continue to focus on concerts, travel, people, landscapes, and transient visual nuances. Her radio profession connects her to music. Her digital and handmade efforts allow her new methods to create images and ideas.

Her marriage to Phil Collen has also been a significant part of her biography. Their partnership went from a quick hallway encounter to a marriage of more than 16 years by 2026, bolstered by similar creative pursuits, family duties, and life experiences that tested them both.

I believe the most stunning aspect of Helen’s story is how her life keeps returning to the same crucial act: looking.

She read comic strips as a child. She identified characters through costume design. She noticed continuity through still photography. She witnessed memorable physical moments during concerts. She discovered hidden wonders in commonplace scenes. After experiencing a traumatic childbirth, she changed her perspective on life.

For Helen L Simmons, the camera looks to be just one tool.

Her eye has always served as the true instrument.

FAQ

Who is Helen L Simmons?

Helen L Simmons, now Helen L Collen, is an American costume designer, wardrobe supervisor, fine art photographer, visual artist, and radio host. She is also the wife of Def Leppard guitarist Phil Collen.

When was Helen L Simmons born?

Helen was born on December 26, 1967, at Lenox Hill Hospital in Manhattan, New York City.

Who raised Helen L Simmons?

Her grandmother Hattie Simmons raised her from infancy in Brooklyn. Helen has described Hattie as her mother figure and one of the most important influences on her life.

When did Helen L Simmons marry Phil Collen?

Helen and Phil Collen married on July 16, 2010, in a sunset beach ceremony at the Ritz-Carlton Palm Beach in Florida.

How did Helen and Phil Collen meet?

They first encountered each other briefly in April 2008 in Reading, Pennsylvania, during a Def Leppard tour period. They reconnected in June 2009 when Helen was working as a tour liaison.

Do Helen and Phil Collen have children?

Yes. Their son, Jaxson Philip Lucius Collen, was born on May 21, 2018.

What happened during Jaxson’s birth?

Helen experienced severe, life-threatening complications involving uncontrollable internal bleeding. She has described being resuscitated twice and spending approximately a week in a medically induced coma. Jaxson also experienced a serious crisis immediately before birth, but both ultimately recovered.

What is Helen L Simmons known for professionally?

She is known for costume design, wardrobe supervision, photography, visual art, radio hosting, and related creative work. Her career has included theater, film, television, concerts, photography exhibitions, and multimedia projects.

What photography does Helen L Simmons create?

Her work includes concert photography, portraits, landscapes, seascapes, skyscapes, travel photography, fashion, and candid everyday scenes. She also works with motion graphics, short films, music videos, NFTs, and other digital forms.

What is Helen L Simmons’s photography philosophy?

Her approach emphasizes observation, atmosphere, physicality, timing, and memorable moments. Her mottos “See Life” and “Create Your Space” reflect her belief that photography begins with learning to notice what is already around you.

What award did Helen receive for costume design?

In 1999, she received the Vivian Robinson Audelco Judy Dearing Costume Design Recognition Award for excellence in Black theater for The Trial of One Short-Sighted Black Woman vs. Mammy Louise and Safreeta Mae.

What happened to Helen’s grandmother Hattie Simmons?

Hattie Simmons died on March 4, 2015, at the age of 95. She remained a profoundly influential figure in Helen’s life.

Does Helen L Simmons work in radio?

Yes. She hosts the weekly program The SHOUT OUT Music Appreciation 101, extending her creative work into music discussion and broadcasting.

Where does Helen L Simmons live?

Helen has lived in several parts of the United States during her career, including Brooklyn, the Baltimore County area of Maryland, and California. Her later family life has been centered in California with Phil Collen.