Enter the Fida Awards 2021
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When did you first get into drawing?
I've been drawing for as long as I can remember, it's like therapy to me and the way of expression I'm the most comfortable with.
Why did you choose to make fashion part of your inspiration?
I've always been attracted to fashion and art in general, I started drawing fashion illustrations at a very young age.
I was about seven when I started sketching actresses' couture dresses from the Cannes Festival, city where my mother used to live. I have always loved movie awards, a fusion between my two passions : haute couture and cinema.
Like cinema, fashion delivers deep ideas, messages and emotions relying on diverse characters, personalities and styles.
Still, I wasn't really raised in this environment, my family wasn't from an artistic milieu at all. I studied fashion design in Paris, made my way and met great and inspiring people through my experiences.
What is your particular working day as a creative?
As an often busy fashion designer, I always try to cut time for myself to draw, in the evenings and week-ends.
What tools do you use when creating your images?
First I do a lot of research from fashion history, vintages, magazines and street style.
I'm used to manual mediums (pencils, watercolours, inks, acrylics, gouaches), but currently, I work mainly digitally. I love to play with the layers on Photoshop, as it allows millions of possibilities and pushes my creative process further.
I think it's important to keep a handmade aesthetic by mixing hand and digital mediums. Sometimes, I also like to add pearls and gold leaf in order to give more texture, light and glamour. My style involves a lot of details and precisely selected colours in order to create elegant and refined drawings.
Who / what has influenced you over the years as an artist?
There are many artists that have inspired me, but some of the most important are probably Mark Ryden, Ozabu and John William Waterhouse. In fashion, Alexander McQueen and Azzedine Alaïa are the ones that made me vibrate most. I would say Nuno Da Costa and Laura Laine sparked my interest in fashion illustrations. As a Parisian, I love going to exhibitions and fashion shows even though cinema had a huge impact on me as well.
What advice do you have for younger artists looking to be part of this industry?
Nothing you do will be lost, even if you're not happy with the result. Being unsatisfied with your work is a normal step in developing your technique and your own vision. Be patient, do your best, and stay inspired. Always be curious, enjoy what you are doing and don't refuse opportunities that are offered to you, this can open up new possibilities and directions you might not have thought of.
What are you drawing today? Music are you listening to? Books that you are reading? Favourite artist/designer at the moment?
Today I'm designing couture dresses for the upcoming awards. One of my favorite artists at the moment is Andrew Thomas Huang. He created breathtaking music videos for FKA Twigs and Bjork - which I am also listening to at the moment - I love his dreamlike, futuristic universe. I am currently reading Duplicata by Franco Mannara.