The relationship with nature in the work of Lulu Figueroa is something with which we feel very identified. Always present in our collections, with wild flower prints or representing the hibiscus flower in knitted sweaters. As is the sea and the sunsets.

His series of flowers seems wonderful to us and we wanted to know a little more about his creative process. So we suggest this space to chat, reflecting on her relationship with art, her link with fashion that inspires with her sophisticated, elegant and original looks that do not go unnoticed.

Lulu tells us about her first memories with the world of art, her references and sources of inspiration, the pillars of her style and many more.

When you were little you stayed in class painting during breaks, did you already know then that you wanted to dedicate yourself to painting?

No. The truth is that I did not know that I could dedicate myself to that professionally, when I was little I wanted to be a pianist and a veterinarian.

Do you remember your first contact with art?

It is difficult to remember something so specific but I have always lived surrounded by art. I always remember my mother painting, and my uncle Cristian, who I used to see on vacation, I remember him a lot with her pad drawing of her, even my grandfather.

Your strokes are delicate and elegant, what inspires you or what are your references?

Nature has always been my source of inspiration, animals, their colors, the great variety of colors and their combinations, only nature gives you. Now the protagonists are the flowers, in all my trips or walking I always find a flower that attracts me. I’m going back a bit to creating scenes and painting dogs.

Your best-known series are about dogs, specifically yours, Lora and Mollie. Why did you start painting them?

Mollie has always been the great protagonist, my muse, she was so delicate and so beautiful. I was very attracted to her tranquility and her posture, her colors, and Lora, always by her side, imitated her in everything, they were a good couple. And when she painted them at different times and in their thousands of poses together, it seemed that she was writing a story. Today I see those drawings again and I would really love to turn it into a story.

 

 

In the current stage, we see a work where flowers are the main element. Where does this idea come from? What is your relationship with them?

It is a very instinctive attraction and the result of friction as well. My taste for nature leads me to spend a lot of time in natural environments, which increases my exposure to it and consequently increases my desire to represent and interpret it.

How would you define your creative process? Do you have any special routine?

I always take photos on all my walks of a flower that I liked. Once I sit down to paint, I investigate all my material, and from there I create a story with all the flowers I have found.

Is there any work that marked a before and after in your life?

In each stage that I have lived there has always been a work that has made me change, sometimes to improve, others to go back. They have all been important, although if I had to choose one, rather a series of three called wind, air and sun, and in them I portrayed Lora and my niece Crista on the beach, although the beach was not represented, you could sense it.

 

 

In addition to your facet as an artist, you also have a very close relationship with the world of fashion. You are a source of inspiration proposing your looks on social networks and attending events and presentations in the sector, what role does each one play in your life?

Fashion for me is another form of expression, so it is necessarily linked to painting, which it is too. Some ancient cultures even find clothing to be an extension of the soul, giving it greater care and concern even than character or personality traits. I’m not going that far, of course, but keeping it in mind is a way of keeping an open mind. In the times we live in, where the limits of art are increasingly blurred, it is striking that there is so much suspicion towards the world of fashion.

What are the pillars of your style?

Less is more.

You have collaborated with other fashion brands such as Max Mara or Roberto Verino, what are these types of collaborations like? Do you have creative freedom or do you follow the parameters of the brands?

Let’s say that creative freedom has to be earned and it is true that more and more I notice that the reins are left to me. It is something that you also have to be firm, and demand, but of course, when you start it is more complicated to impose your own criteria.

You have followed our brand for several seasons, how do our clothes make you feel?

Feminine, elegant and comfortable, three very important pillars for me when I get dressed.

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Interview: Raquel Rabadán

On the cover, Lulu wears a sweater from the collection Harris Tweed Club FW21/22

Instagram of Lulu Figueroa: @lulufigueroadomecq