Illustrator Maria Ines Gul's illustrated impression of a designer’s SS16 collection

Date
22 February 2016

Drawing from fashion designer Samantha Pleet’s Spring/Summer 2016 collection of jumpsuits, pointed-collar shirts and flares, Maria Ines Gul illustrated the story of some impeccably dressed characters for the series A Lovely Haunted House, a pictorial teaser for the collection. Samantha describes the collection as being one where “ghosts are your friends and dreams become reality…The clothes invoke faded memories of a home held dear and surreal visions are conjured in ethereal prints… of haunted house details [such as] embroidered window frames and doors.”

As they tiptoe across the floorboards clutching candles, staring into mirrors and seemingly dancing with ghosts, the characters manage to maintain their preppy-disco, 70s inspired outfits without enduring sizzled hair or sooty butts in this “magical and atmospheric setting”. She says, “I’m interested in images that do not follow stereotypical illustrated fashion aesthetics. The look is heavily inspired by 1960s book illustrations and old Polish film posters.”

Maria started working with textiles whilst studying at the Royal College of Art, London, where she designed a hand-embroidered “graduation coat” emblazoned in her trademark imagery of magic and nature. She says that she had “been a fan of Samantha’s for a really long time, so was happy to find out that she loved my drawings. Within one email we decided that we had to do something together and came up with this illustrated teaser.” As well as working with Samantha, Maria illustrates for Rookie, Pitchfork Review and Tate amongst many others.

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Maria Ines Gul: Samantha Pleet S/S16

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Maria Ines Gul: Samantha Pleet S/S16

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Maria Ines Gul: Samantha Pleet S/S16

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Maria Ines Gul: Samantha Pleet S/S16

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Maria Ines Gul: Samantha Pleet S/S16

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Maria Ines Gul: Samantha Pleet S/S16

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Left

Maria Ines Gul: Samantha Pleet S/S16

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Samantha Pleet S/S16

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Left

Samantha Pleet S/S16

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Samantha Pleet S/S16

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Samantha Pleet S/S16

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Samantha Pleet S/S16

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About the Author

Billie Muraben

Billie studied illustration at Camberwell College of Art before completing an MA in Visual Communication at the Royal College of Art. She joined It’s Nice That as a Freelance Editorial Assistant back in January 2015 and continues to work with us on a freelance basis.

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