Women's Month special: Top 5 artists according to Laia Aguilar

Inspiration

3 minute read

Words by The Animals Observatory | Mar 8, 2024

Today, March 8 a.k.a. International Women's Day, Laia Aguilar, Creative Director at The Animals Observatory, wishes to make her own contribution by letting us enjoy the work of the 5 women artists that inspire her. Beyond being historically regarded as muses, women are creators of art, indeed, Laia herself is our closest example. Nevertheless, let us discover her own references.

Sonia Delaunay

(1885 – 1979) Known for founding the Orphism art movement, famed for its use of strong colors and geometrical shapes, Sonia Delaunay was a Russian-French artist that was also part of the School of Paris (École de Paris) artists. Beyond abstract art, her disciplines also cover fashion, textile, and set design.

Moreover, she is noted for being the first living woman artist to have a retrospective exhibition at the Louvre, in 1964. Sonia Delaunay's artistic oeuvre includes an integrated vision of furniture, textiles, wall coverings and clothing. Some of her most notable pieces were part of Laia Aguilar's set of sources of inspiration for the Spring-Summer 2024 collection.

Sonia Delaunay and her artworks, Simultaneous Dresses (The three women, 1925), Abstract Diagonal Composition no. 1733 (1925), Rythme (1938)

Jane Birkin

(1946 – 2023) Less than a year from her departure, Jane Birkin was the voice of the French song Je t'aime... moi non plus, which she performed along with Serge Gainsbourg. However, Birkin also had a notable career as an actress, especially in French cinema, although she was born and raised in the United Kingdom. Her most prolific films include Blowup, La piscine, and Kaleidoscope among many others.

Last but not least, the British-French actress was also a fashion icon that inspired no more and no less than the Birkin Bag by Hermès. According to Jean-Louis Dumas, chief executive of the French luxury design house at that time, it was her carrying her iconic straw basket bag everywhere that inspired him to create a bag that could fit her lifestyle. Her distinguished styles also played a part on SS24 inspirations.

Jane Birkin by Reg Burkett (1968), Keystone/Getty Images

Etel Adnan

(1925 - 2021) What we call a multidisciplinary artist, Etel Adnan was a remarkable Lebanese-American visual artist, poet and essayist. Considered one of the most influential Arab-American authors of the contemporary era, she also experimented with many different visual media, including oil paintings, films, and tapestries. Adnan wrote her literary works in English, Arabic and French. Her numerous awards include the Californian Book Award, the Griffin Poetry Prize and the Lambda Literary Award.

Her visual work, which is part of the Hurufiyya aesthetic movement, has been exhibited worldwide in spaces like the SFMOMA, the MUDAM, The Guggenheim Museum NY, and many more prominent galleries.

Etel Adnan and her artworks by James Mollison

Charlotte Perriand

(1903 – 1999) The French architect and designer is considered one of the founders of modern architecture. Charlotte Perriand had quite a unique approach when designing, which was to understand the furniture of the modern house as functional artifacts linked to the domestic structure, instead of autonomous and artistic objects. She also worked at Le Corbusier's studio as Head of furniture and interiors. Her most notable works have been exhibited at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs, the MoMA, and the Centre Pompidou.

Charlotte Perriand by Robert Duano (1991)

Valentine Schlegel

(1925 – 16 May 2021) Considered a modernist organic abstract artist, Valentine Schlegel was a French sculptor and ceramist, who also worked as a costume designer, stage manager and props specialist. Another multidisciplinary artist, whose prominent fireplace designs and decorative objects were exhibited at the Salon des Arts Ménagers and the Musée des Arts décoratifs, where she also founded the clay modeling department for workshops aimed at children and young art students.

It turns out that Laia Aguilar is not the only fashion artist who has found inspiration in Schlegel's work: Christian Dior's Spring-Summer haute couture runway also used her works as artistic references.

Valentine Schlegel by Agnès Varda (1955), Bottle with stopper (1945)

It is fair to say that many other women are not on this list, but they have also been an important inspiration for Laia Aguilar. For the time being, we hope you enjoy their work and continue to find inspiration in other women artists of all times.

CULTURE & MEDIA, INSPIRATION, LAIA AGUILAR, SPRING-SUMMER 2024

Spring-Summer 2024 inspirations by Laia Aguilar

This new collection, which will be launched next January 23, is based on the brand’s Manifesto first item: We will celebrate the beauty of the passage of time through things.

INSPIRATION , LAIA AGUILAR , SPRING-SUMMER 2024

People

Creative culture & motherhood: Soko x SS24

Just a few weeks after being featured in Luca D'Alberto's latest single, Silence, we are joined in Paris by French female singer and performer, Stéphanie Sokolinski, also known as Soko.

PEOPLE , SPRING-SUMMER 2024

News

The Animals Observatory new official stores in South Korea

The Animals Observatory has recently opened three new official physical stores in South Korea, thus consolidating its strong presence in the country's market.

EVENTS , NEWS