Today big fashion labels secretly rely on stunning illustrations to never let the dry spell fall upon their good fortune. They seek to collaborate with the best creative minds who really can add zing to their product line so it sells well in the international market and continues to appeal to the fashion savvy consumers. And the one individual turning heads with her sketches for quite some time now is the renowned French designer and illustrator Coco Brun.
In an exclusive interview with Arab News, we sat down with her to find out what led her to create eye-catching prints, what she loves about her work and much more.
Coco’s connection with graphics wasn’t in any way inadvertent. From the very beginning, she delved into it leading her to study fine arts including ceramic objects and graphic design at the Duperré School for five years in Paris. More or less, this was all unrelated to fashion. However, after finishing her studies, she worked as a communication consultant for a number of leading fashion designers. And in 2004, after graduating she moved to London to set up her company, Inoui, a communication agency. Then in 2009, she founded “Forget Me Not”, Paris and London-based pattern design studio and has been its creative head ever since, designing magnificent collections of digital prints based on her own patterns, illustrations and compositions. “With these various experiences, I’ve had the chance to mix fashion, design and art which is why I’m naturally inclined to apply my pattern on different media and supports,” she says.
To start with, Coco’s magic has already been cast on scarves, turbans, beachwear, and prêt à porter across a wide spectrum. But the journey toward it all began unexpectedly. “Initially, I went about producing illustrations as a favor to my friends working in the fashion industry who needed them for lookbooks, magazines and websites. I assume it’s for this reason I’ve started to create more fashion images,” she says. “On the trail of those, I began to receive tremendous media attention leading me to create imagery for publications spanning both the independent and mainstream fashion press such as Vogue, Elle, Nylon, Dazed and Confused, ID, Spur, Marie Claire, Muse and many more.”
When Baccarat sought her service, for this she made up her mind to settle on something utterly different from her own style. What then! Coco quickly grabbed the theme of Art Deco and in so doing drew inspiration from the first ring drawn by Mr. Chevalier. “I just love what Art Deco prints bring to the table and it was the first time I got the chance to work on this kind of art direction which resulted in the making of extremely graphic and elegant scarves,” she says.
The other collaboration that she still feels pleased about was with one of the popular US swimwear brands “Seilenna” on the collection of high-end bathing suits. “It’s completely modern, entirely made in France and Italy, and printed in Italy. I designed each print. Of course I need to adapt them,” she says. “I make big prints and I quite like large elements with a lot of details. For me it’s something completely new. I learned a lot in the first season and I’m sure the second one will be even more beautiful.”
While making a design on scarves, she believes it’s important to have all of the elements together in one drawing. She then scans it and makes a final version on Photoshop. “When wrapped around the neck, a print artwork becomes completely different. So when you see someone wearing your design, it’s easily re-imagined, and this is what I find terribly fun,” Coco says. “Honestly it’s always a surprise when I receive the prints on the towels and other objects, so it’s very interesting to see how others will use them. That’s what’s so interesting about working with these materials.”
Even Coco realizes the scarves are a versatile fashion accessory that can be reinvented and worn in so many different ways.
Since Coco has made waves in the interior and design worlds as well, her focus is to be collaborating more and more with the interior and pure design industries. “I’ve done already quite a few collaborations with packaging and I would love to make prints for products like rugs or ceramics. It’s definitely the next big step for me,” she says.
She has numerous sources of inspiration taken from the worlds of art, cinema, design and literature. “I don’t necessarily respond to a specific story. I usually have a theme or general narrative framework in mind and then I see where inspiration and serendipity take me after chasing various ideas through a maze of images.”
Also nature is passionately revealed in her work because it somehow touches her inner consciousness. That’s why she uses its elements a lot. “I think that nature is something mysterious that needs to be protected. It’s truly magical because it’s wild. There is an entire universe that’s very mystical and magical I’m interested in all of it … all that is symbolic, so those are what I use to create my designs,” she says.
Her work has been recognized and published by high-profile publications like Taschen, Victionary and Gestalten.
And Coco has every reason to love everything about what she does as she finds it relaxing. She loves mixing different techniques. “I draw everything by hand and use different techniques — watercolor, pencil, and acrylic to draw all elements of my compositions by hand after which I make the final montage on Photoshop,” she says. “Drawing is always a pleasure. I love artisanal work and all that is done by hand, and that’s why I’m happy to be in Paris (after traveling through Japan, Asia and the US) and to work in Italy, where they draw on a very ancient knowledge that I can learn from.”
It’s just a matter of time before we see Coco making her own Arabic patterns and use them in her designs. “I’ve always loved the great Arabic ornamental tradition. It’s definitely on my mind.”
While she denies having any particular style statement for herself, she is fond of accessories a lot. “You can rock even in a simple dress if it’s best accented with amazing accessories. I think shoes, bags and scarves are the key items,” Coco says.
— [email protected]
In an exclusive interview with Arab News, we sat down with her to find out what led her to create eye-catching prints, what she loves about her work and much more.
Coco’s connection with graphics wasn’t in any way inadvertent. From the very beginning, she delved into it leading her to study fine arts including ceramic objects and graphic design at the Duperré School for five years in Paris. More or less, this was all unrelated to fashion. However, after finishing her studies, she worked as a communication consultant for a number of leading fashion designers. And in 2004, after graduating she moved to London to set up her company, Inoui, a communication agency. Then in 2009, she founded “Forget Me Not”, Paris and London-based pattern design studio and has been its creative head ever since, designing magnificent collections of digital prints based on her own patterns, illustrations and compositions. “With these various experiences, I’ve had the chance to mix fashion, design and art which is why I’m naturally inclined to apply my pattern on different media and supports,” she says.
To start with, Coco’s magic has already been cast on scarves, turbans, beachwear, and prêt à porter across a wide spectrum. But the journey toward it all began unexpectedly. “Initially, I went about producing illustrations as a favor to my friends working in the fashion industry who needed them for lookbooks, magazines and websites. I assume it’s for this reason I’ve started to create more fashion images,” she says. “On the trail of those, I began to receive tremendous media attention leading me to create imagery for publications spanning both the independent and mainstream fashion press such as Vogue, Elle, Nylon, Dazed and Confused, ID, Spur, Marie Claire, Muse and many more.”
When Baccarat sought her service, for this she made up her mind to settle on something utterly different from her own style. What then! Coco quickly grabbed the theme of Art Deco and in so doing drew inspiration from the first ring drawn by Mr. Chevalier. “I just love what Art Deco prints bring to the table and it was the first time I got the chance to work on this kind of art direction which resulted in the making of extremely graphic and elegant scarves,” she says.
The other collaboration that she still feels pleased about was with one of the popular US swimwear brands “Seilenna” on the collection of high-end bathing suits. “It’s completely modern, entirely made in France and Italy, and printed in Italy. I designed each print. Of course I need to adapt them,” she says. “I make big prints and I quite like large elements with a lot of details. For me it’s something completely new. I learned a lot in the first season and I’m sure the second one will be even more beautiful.”
While making a design on scarves, she believes it’s important to have all of the elements together in one drawing. She then scans it and makes a final version on Photoshop. “When wrapped around the neck, a print artwork becomes completely different. So when you see someone wearing your design, it’s easily re-imagined, and this is what I find terribly fun,” Coco says. “Honestly it’s always a surprise when I receive the prints on the towels and other objects, so it’s very interesting to see how others will use them. That’s what’s so interesting about working with these materials.”
Even Coco realizes the scarves are a versatile fashion accessory that can be reinvented and worn in so many different ways.
Since Coco has made waves in the interior and design worlds as well, her focus is to be collaborating more and more with the interior and pure design industries. “I’ve done already quite a few collaborations with packaging and I would love to make prints for products like rugs or ceramics. It’s definitely the next big step for me,” she says.
She has numerous sources of inspiration taken from the worlds of art, cinema, design and literature. “I don’t necessarily respond to a specific story. I usually have a theme or general narrative framework in mind and then I see where inspiration and serendipity take me after chasing various ideas through a maze of images.”
Also nature is passionately revealed in her work because it somehow touches her inner consciousness. That’s why she uses its elements a lot. “I think that nature is something mysterious that needs to be protected. It’s truly magical because it’s wild. There is an entire universe that’s very mystical and magical I’m interested in all of it … all that is symbolic, so those are what I use to create my designs,” she says.
Her work has been recognized and published by high-profile publications like Taschen, Victionary and Gestalten.
And Coco has every reason to love everything about what she does as she finds it relaxing. She loves mixing different techniques. “I draw everything by hand and use different techniques — watercolor, pencil, and acrylic to draw all elements of my compositions by hand after which I make the final montage on Photoshop,” she says. “Drawing is always a pleasure. I love artisanal work and all that is done by hand, and that’s why I’m happy to be in Paris (after traveling through Japan, Asia and the US) and to work in Italy, where they draw on a very ancient knowledge that I can learn from.”
It’s just a matter of time before we see Coco making her own Arabic patterns and use them in her designs. “I’ve always loved the great Arabic ornamental tradition. It’s definitely on my mind.”
While she denies having any particular style statement for herself, she is fond of accessories a lot. “You can rock even in a simple dress if it’s best accented with amazing accessories. I think shoes, bags and scarves are the key items,” Coco says.
— [email protected]
