In my hunt for basics and staples, I find gorgeous pieces for just that reason. But being me, I don't want just a white t-shirt for money I could have spent on statement pieces... that would have defeated my hunt for basics and staples. Solution: Elena Gallen - fun-loving, based in Barcelona, with a head and store full of amazing ideas... not to mention t-shirts to make you smile :)
Hey hey, how’s it going?
Hello! It's going great. It's sunday evening and I'm drinking a cup of tea while I answer your Q&A. After I'm done with it i'm going to watch a horror movie.
How did you start out with design?
It was a matter of fate, really. I have cinema studies but as soon as I was ready to look out for a job I put up my creative portfolio and started getting interesting fashion and design comissions so I started freelancing.
What would you say is the Elena Gallen vibe?
Postmodern, a bit rare, dark, ethereal and minimalistic.
What kind of work goes into releasing one piece?
Well, I start with the concept and then I do research, I have this sort of visual bulimia. I try to ingest as many visual information as I can to finally vomit a really concentrated piece of work. Then I work on it, I usually combine traditional methods with computer postproduction and many others everything is computerized. The hardest part of releasing a piece is knowing when it is ready. I am a perfectionist and I find it troubling to finish a piece.
I’ve been loving your t-shirt and jewellery designs as of late – are you thinking of expanding to anything else?
Wow I am honestly too versatile at this point. I would like to find a way to concentrate in one or two disciplines but I really can't. When I am creating something I always think of creation in a whole. In S/S 2010 I art directed the teaser film, the collection photoshoot, I designed the whole line of t-shirts, the FRACTAL necklace and worked on the graphism. I even shot the product photography at my studio. I guess I'm an expanding black hole.
So you’ve also been doing some fun things with Fuego Fanzine – can you tell us a bit about that?
Yeah. Fuego is a really fun project I started with Coke about a year ago. We're been working our butts off on the first two issues. Now we're about to publish the second one. One of the best things we've done for this issue is road tripping 300km to interview this peculiar cowboy at his place in the middle of nowhere.
Where do you see yourself in 5 years time?
At the transiberian.
Who’s your favourite style icon of the moment?
Regardless to sound vacuous I'd choose Lady Gaga. I also like Dita Von Teese.
What do you think of the new wave of bloggers coming through?
I'm not a really fan of blogs anymore. I used to have my own about 10 years ago when I was a teen and it wasn't really popular. I think some people have interesting thoughts to share and it is really becoming a huge thing right now. To be honest I only read once in a while: Kate Loves Me, AMLUL.com, or Hermanas Miranda, because they're real people I know who speak their minds. They're not trying to show off so that's why I have a fun time reading some of their posts. No bullshit to be found.
Sue-Ann, designer at Stylestalker, would like to know: McDonalds or KFC?
McDonalds. But I loooove Taco Bell.
And last of all, what’s a random question would you like to ask the next interviewee?
What's your favorite movie character and why?
