List of Portuguese surrealists who designed the most coveted Bimba y Lola bags – NiT

List of Portuguese surrealists who designed Bimba y Lola’s most sought-after bags

The artist painted the models, which were sold out in record time. Ema Gaspar’s unique style aroused many curiosities.

The artist is one of the models.

Every line that Emma Gaspard draws on a sheet of paper is a way to give new colors to her childhood. From a young girl’s imagination, characters are born — partly loving, partly scary — that now give her the warmth she needs as she grows up. The pastel color palette can be deceiving, but this search for innocence is nothing more than a way to escape from intrusive thoughts.

In fact, art accompanies her from a young age. On TV, I watched Japanese anime classics like Pokemon, Sailor Moon or Sakura. Then, “when I didn’t like the stories being told, I recreated the sketches and had the characters enter their own stories,” he began telling NiT.

He adds, “At first, I wanted to recreate the manga, but then I tried to get away from that a bit to create my own.” Since then, his style – as well as the shapes he invents – has escaped from the sheets to be shaped into accessories, among other fashion shows.

The Portuguese artist was the author of the illustrations for three new versions of the famous Moon Bag, by the Spanish brand Bimba y Lola. Limited edition models were offered for sale exclusively Connected – And they sold out within a week. Prices ranged from €145 to €175.

They disappeared quickly, but were slow to arrive. The label contacted Ema in 2020, at the start of the pandemic, when they saw her work on social media. “I immediately thought it was a scam. Then he kept talking to the person and I realized it was true. I was a bit paralyzed, I didn’t even realize what was going on.”

Bimba Y Lola creations.

creative process

Lots of tries, some tests and a lot of errors. The process, with the cascading strings between them — “as with any brand” — was a tall order. Emma’s initial idea was to be inspired by the world of nature and insects, with lots of action and joy. In the meetings, the Bimba y Lola team wanted to follow the same theme, but the work became easier and faster.

“I tried to create my story to have a common thread. The goal was to enter a parallel universe in which these characters live and love the brand,” he explains. “Then there is a moment when the creatures come into our world and become the protectors of the people who buy the bags.”

In all, it took the artist about a month to complete about five drawings. Three of them were bagged, and the rest were used in promotional images for the line and in collaboration lettering, always with the same mysterious and imaginative font.

Ema made her fashion debut in collaboration with model Kiko Mizuhara, in 2020, working on illustrations for the Brain Dead brand, based in Los Angeles, in the United States. Most recently, he participated in Portuguese designer Constança Entrudo’s collection, presented in March, in ModaLisboa’s latest issue.

“I tend to immediately understand the aesthetics of a brand or designer when they come to talk to me. I see what they want to represent in terms of sensibilities,” he adds. And even if there are different aesthetic sensibilities, he always tries to reconcile them and discover artistic worlds different from his own: “It makes him discover new personalities.”

This flair began after the Almada-born girl completed a visual arts course at Caldas da Rainha. He wanted to devote himself to illustration, but this was still not respected on an academic level. Soon, she was thrust into the world of painting, which helped her develop her abstract side.

At the end of his studies, he spent a season in Japan. And the influence of Asian culture has continued beyond animation. “There is a book I bought called ‘Fruits’ that stuck in my memory. It had street style imagery in it and I found it very disturbing to the idea of ​​what is normal.”

He was still on Japanese soil when interest in his work escalated. Three years into his return, there has been no shortage of opportunities to work with creatives around the world. And anyone who thinks they only put their traits at the service of fashion is mistaken.

Emma is on the list of contributors to the American newspaper “The New York Times”.. The team contacted her via Instagram, and she’s already subscribed to the post three times. On formatting, he explains, “Instead of creating a story, it’s already been written. It’s fun to find the gaps that still need to be filled in that narrative.”

In September, he flew back to Tokyo, Japan, where he will hold a solo exhibition. Among other opportunities he can’t talk about, he sees these international exhibitions as a way to be able to work on his own, as he pleases – and only with the little creatures he imagines by his side.

You can take the opportunity to follow the work of Ema Gaspar through it page from Instagram. Click through the gallery to see more illustrations of her.

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Many colors are used, especially pastel colors.