ADRIANA ESPERALBA, Creative Director of the beloved children’s brand Bobo Choses is exploring territories in a new kidswear universe called TRUE ARTIST. We caught up with Adriana to chat about the soul of the brand, from were she gets all of her seemingly never ending inspiration to what’s on her mind at the moment. The first True Artist collection will be released on July 28th. Thank you Adriana!
"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."
The colorful designs are contemporary and functional, focusing on high-quality fabrics and materials manufactured mainly in Spain and Portugal.
Hi Adriana! So nice to chat with you. How are you?
– Hello TWWP! So happy to meet you. Although we’ve had hectic months with the team, preparing exciting new projects, everything’s going great. Now, the truth is that I can’t wait to start some days of well-deserved holidays with my family!
Sounds lovely! What are you doing at the moment?
– Right now, we are in the middle of the launching week of True Artist, our new project, which will be released on July 28th. 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 will be 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.
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 Esperalba, the creator behind True Artist and Bobo Choses.
"True Artist doesn't mean literally 'true'. It's more about being original and honest from a children's point of view."
The Études Capsule consist of more complex and detailed garments to combine with the Main Collection. Études are characterized by their prints, in the form of artistic sketches, and for being time-limited edition pieces. Études capsules may include collaborations with contemporary artists and products with shorter sales periods.
Would you say you have a special piece in the collection that’s your absolute favourite?
– 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.
About that. We have followed you since Bobo Choses and always wonder, how do you come up with your amazing designs?
– 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 inspiration. 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.
Tell us about your family and your home.
– My partner’s name is Xavier, and he is an engineer. We have two sons, Teo, 14 years old and Momo, who just turned 10. We live in Mataró, in the same city where we were born and where the offices of True Artist and Bobo Choses are located, very close to the beach. Our house is small but very comfortable, and I am proud to call it our home. I have an obsession with handmade ceramic objects and lamps. They are my two soft spots. I dream of one day having a house in the country like my grandparents. Although living near the sea is nice, sometimes I miss the tranquillity and silence of the mountains.
The Main Seasonal Collection, released twice a year, is the foundation of an everyday wardrobe with timeless plain colour pieces made with high-quality, sustainable fabrics and designed to last beyond the season. The Main Collection is like the painter’s primary palette.
True Artist aims to be a bridge between children and artists, bringing children’s creative capacity in contact with the Artist’s universe, covering a wide range of disciplines such as painting, sculpture, music, and dance.
And can you 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. There we chat and enjoy the silence of 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 eldest son 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.
What do your kids Teo and Momo think about the new brand?
– True Artist doesn’t fit my older son anymore. It’s a shame because he’s the one who shows more sensitivity to the world of fashion and always has interesting insights. Momo, my little 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. Sometimes we disagree, but I let her explore her tastes, although I’m sure she would surely wear all white clothes from True Artist.
Final question; What´s on your mind right at this moment?
– Right now I’m focused on new projects at the company, and I am always conscious of my family’s well-being and the people surrounding me. Even though I feel very fortunate personally, I also feel and share a certain fear of the future ahead. The current situation of crisis and war that we are experiencing so closely is heartbreaking, and the climate crisis with increasing temperatures and natural disasters around the globe is tremendously concerning. Despite everything, I want to be optimistic and contribute whatever I can to make things always go better. We owe it to our children.