Adriana Esperalba is an explorer in life. As the founder of the two much-loved children’s brands True Artist and Bobo Choses, she is used to deep-diving into the playfulness of our existence and sees the world from a different angle. Maybe that’s why she describes her projects as if they give her wings.
Since forever Bobo Choses has been many parents favourite kids brand, all this thanks to True Artist’s creative direcor, Adriana Esberalba’s playful pioneering designs. She and her family lives in an old house in Mataró, 30 minutes north of Barcelona. TWWP was really curious of who Adriana is, and where her inspiration comes from, and found out that she has her little own haven here, by the sea, with True Artists headqu- arter just around the corner.
Welcome home to Adriana!
Hello Adriana, I love your house, tell me everything about it.
– Well, it’s an old fishermen’s house where my grandparents lived. From the street door, you can see the sea. Seeing the blue – sometimes green, or even silver – horizon everyday, gives me a lot of peace. I’ve always been fascinated by houses, and renovating this one was an absolute pleasure. I like the high ceilings with wooden beams, and everything painted white. I like the silence and the views of my mother’s garden. She lives below. In the mornings, the sun shines through the dining room windows, and you can hear the birds chirping in the trees. On rainy days, we like to be in the living room, reading, listening to music, and hearing raindrops falling in the background.
Tell us about your family.
– My family is everything. I’m lucky to be part of a lovely family, not only because it’s large but also because everyone shares great values, which have made me into the person I am. I had fantastic grandparents. All four are role models for me, as are my parents and brothers too. I met Xavier in school but it wasn’t until we were in our 20s that we fell in love, and we’ve been together ever since. Together we formed our family, we have two children, Teo, age 14, and Momo, 10.
‘I am very inspired by children’s authenticity and innocence.’
‘RENOVATING THIS HOUSE WAS AN ABSOLUTE PLEASURE. I LIKE THE HIGH CEILINGS WITH WOODEN BEAMS, AND EVERYTHING PAINTED WHITE. I LIKE THE SILENCE AND THE VIEWS OF MY MOTHER’S GARDEN. SHE LIVES BELOW. IN THE MORNINGS, THE SUN SHINES THROUGH THE DINING ROOM WINDOWS, AND YOU CAN HEAR THE BIRDS CHIRPING IN THE TREES. ON RAINY DAYS, WE LIKE TO BE IN THE LIVING ROOM, READING, LISTENING TO MUSIC, AND HEARING RAINDROPS FALLING IN THE BACKGROUND’, SAYS ADRIANA.
“Teo shows sensitivity to the world of fashion and always has so many interesting insights. And Momo, my daughter, is in a rebellious phase regarding dressing. She wants to create her identity and break with so many years of wearing Bobo. She practices urban dances and likes to wear four sizes larger and rather dark colors or white.
How come you moved here to Mataró from Barcelona?
– Living in the countryside is my most earthly dream. When I was studying and starting to work, I lived in Barcelona. But when I became pregnant with our first child, we decided to return to the city where we were born. We had family close by, and life seemed more comfortable. Mataró is a small city that sometimes looks like a town. I have work nearby, and the children walk to school. Even so, I’d like to try living closer to nature, maybe change the blues of the sea for the greens and browns of the mountains.
Walk us through a normal day in your life.
– Well, I get up and get ready, and around 7:30 am, I always have a coffee with my husband. We chat and enjoy the silence of each others company. At 8 am, I wake up Momo, and we prepare things for school and breakfast. When we finish, I ride my bike to the office, and from there, the days are hectic
and varied. I try to save Fridays to tackle new projects and free my mind to be focused on creative things. Most days, I stay for lunch; others, I go home for lunch with my son Teo and continue working from home. I usually go to the gym on lunch break too. I pick Momo up from her dance classes in the afternoon, and we go for a snack or run some errands. The four of us have dinner together as a family. I usually like to cook a lot, but from time to time, we order take-out; our favourite is Japanese, Peruvian or Mexican.
Describe love.
– Generosity, trust, a hug.
What do you hope for in the future?
– Well, let’s see what the future has in store… less selfishness. It destroys us as individuals and as a collective. And it also generates a lot of frustration. And for True Artist? It is a project that amuses me a lot and gives me wings to keep creating. When we launched last year, it seemed appropriate to start a new project when spring came. I’m so excited with it, as it is a whole new creative line that lets us explore new territories. The launch of True Artist marks a new growth phase for Bobo Choses and a great challenge. With True Artist, we create from an entirely different starting point. A very European cut, but it also has Asian characteristics; the garments have a smoother design, the print is more pictorial, and the colors are calmer. The collections are divided into two; The main collection, with plainer garments, that act as a wardrobe background, and capsule collections called “Études” with designs that seek to highlight and complement the main collection in a more fun way. Bobo Choses and True Artist are different in these ways. Bobo Choses invites us to imagine worlds, play, and dream. It is fun, crazy, and humorous. It has a narrative and also a vintage look. On the other hand, True Artist explores the world of emotions through color. It expresses things that cannot be named or seen but only felt. True Artist is more sophisticated, a bit calmer, with a touch of “craziness” inherent to arts but still intelligent and elegant.
Adriana, Momo and Teo.
Tell us about the bird symbol.
– I came up with the symbol looking at Matisse paintings. I chose the swal- low because it is a beautiful bird, which I associate with the arrival of good weather. Where I live, the swallows arrive around March and form rounded mud nests under the roofs. They leave in large groups at the end of the summer but usually return the following year to the same nests.
Do you have a favourite piece in the collection?
– Well, It’s always hard to answer these questions because I took part in the whole collection and pieces. I try not to attach to them, but I love the sweatshirt and pants total look in colour cream mixed with the jacket from the first Étude. What I love the most is that with True Artist, I have been able to be very creative, explore materials, fabrics and patterns and create my own collection.
Do you live by a life philosophy?
– No, not really, I don’t have a specific philosophy, life is ever-changing, and I don’t always see things or do stuff the way I did a few years ago. I’m a person who adapts to every situation and tries to get the best out of every moment. I like to listen to wise people and learn from them. And what really annoys me are people who do not respect living things and nature.
What get you motivated and inspired?
– New projects, going to a concert or the theater, a plate of soup. I like to think that I am a very observant person. I love to look at how people dress, regardless of age, attitude, or body shape, and discover new things for inspira- tion. Any detail can inspire me to create a garment, and in True Artist, the art world has helped me a lot: photography, sculpture, and painting, as examples. When I travel, my favourite hobby is to look for thrift stores to explore colours. I have hundreds of scraps in the studio that I can play with and create combinations, but I also get inspired by looking at the work of my favourite artists.
What’s next?
– This year I will focus on developing more skills in ceramics. And I dream about traveling to Mount Fuji with my family. I want to bring good vibes into my life.
Something you want to recommend?
– I would like to recommend taking a dip in the sea in the winter for a fresh start in the morning (if you don’t live near the sea, go into the woods and breathe deeply). If I feel down, I wake up before sunrise and go for a walk by the sea to clear my mind. I usually listen to some melancholic songs, and I end up having a dip in the sea, all year around.
‘TRUE ARTIST IS BORN TO CONNECT WITH A NEW COMMUNITY OF FAMILIES WORLDWIDE WHO UNDERSTAND MODERNITY AS TIMELESS AND SEEK QUALITY BASICS WITH QUIRKY ACCENTS AND COLOR. WE LIKE TO THINK THAT TRUE ARTIST HELPS CREATE A PERSONAL STYLE THAT TRANSPORTS US SOMEHOW TO THE COMFORTABLE AND CONTEMPORARY NORDIC-EUROPEAN STYLE’, ADRIANA EXPLAINS.