Lady Sold Out: She Who Dreams Wins
Make it stand out
On a mellow day of winter, a French artist and an Italian writer harness their courage in the face of adversity (Zoom updates and lousy wi-fi) to chat about art, film, and fashion. The conversation takes them on a journey through Belgian parks, French cinema, Commedia dell’arte, and into the ineffable world of lucid dreams.
The moment Sold Out and I first meet, a warm wave of familiarity washes over me. I am sipping tea in my living room while she is sitting in her studio, tucked away in the French countryside. I can see one of her watercolour illustrations on the wall behind her, and I can’t take my eyes off it.
She is a multitalented triple-threat - illustrator, tattoo artist and designer - with a penchant for the colourful, whimsical, and oneiric, and some cool collaborations tucked under her snazzy belt. Her portfolio includes designing for Graam and Puma, and more recently working for London-based brand Alive x More. But her latest venture is perhaps her most audacious yet: a colourful collection of leather belts, manufactured by a small local company called Maison Garot. I am particularly thrilled to find out about the inspiration behind them – turns out she had to pull a Henry VIII and behead some of her own beloved creations: the buckle is the face of a Harlequin/Joker-esque character inspired by Commedia dell’arte (an early form of theatre also known as Italian comedy).
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To promote and share her limited collection with the world she also experimented with filmmaking, co-directing a Super 8 short film, Wish, that has already reached over 100k views on social media. A nostalgic, lyrical homage to the act of dreaming, whether with closed or open eyes. It was shot in Laeken Park, Brussels, featuring model Wino (@winodek), and writer Blindlove’s (@blinddove) poem. A 70s-inspired, lozenge for the soul.
Tell me about your belt collection. First of all, why belts?
‘It’s my favourite accessory, I have so many belts! I love how you can just wear something super simple and then put on a colourful belt. And it sits right in the middle of your body.’
What was the inspiration behind the buckles?
‘Commedia dell’arte. I love the sarcasm, the irony, the fact that the characters are all masked caricatures of society. I find it all very inspiring, because as an artist I really don’t want to take myself too seriously. Like Harlequin. I’m not interested in showing myself, I want my art to speak for itself, I think this is the best way to create. It’s about your art, and that’s what people get to see and appreciate.’
To promote this collection you’ve also experimented with different forms storytelling, including film. Did you always want to direct?
‘Yes, although making the video was not just about sharing a product but creating a story. I’ve always loved cinema. Then I found this place in Brussels, and it was perfect. Then a friend told me they could help me shoot it using an old-school camera. So we freestyled it! I really enjoyed the process, everybody was very professional. I went to film school, and I love how you can understand so many things through cinema. Like the evolution of contact between people, how it changes within generations. I wanted to direct for a long time - you have your baby, and it’s éternel! You get to share your vision.’
When you first start working on a project, how do you turn an abstract idea into a design, something tangible?
‘The ideas are normally present for months, or even years, in my mind. For illustrations, I usually start with colour imagery. When I find the perfect colour imagery, I then start sketching lines that give dynamicity to the drawing. The hardest part is light – it can take me three days or three months. Light can change everything. So I draw and re-draw. With painting is very different. I go directly on the canvas, and I’m like, “let’s go!” I allow myself to play more with paint’.
There’s something beautifully whimsical as well as ethereal in your work. Who/ what would you say are your main influences? What inspires you?
‘Dreams are probably my biggest source of inspiration. For a few years I have been having lucid dreams, every morning I wake up and I write down my ideas. I saw a documentary about Dalí, and he had a similar process. So I’m not alone, he was doing it before me!’
What other media would you like to experiment with in the future?
‘I have so many ideas. It’s fantastic to be able to share your ideas without filters. I would love to make some short animations, but you need to find the right people to collaborate with. But it would be so cool. The process is so long, but so satisfying.’
Yes, an animation would be cool. I hope you make it happen!
‘Yes, I will! I have all my life.’
One line from the poem featured in Wish has been living rent-free inside my head, and under my skin: ‘I wish to be that person that my childhood heart wanted to be. The one who lived only by the infinity of his thoughts, without fear, without constraint.’
Looking at Sold Out’s art, one might get lost in the labyrinths of her mind, and the infinity of her thoughts. The thoughts of an artist who dares to dream, have fun, experiment, and play with different mediums.
There’s a rare, enviable childlike quality to her. She is quick to laugh, sees the wondrous in the mundane. She has made a living out of giving life to the characters who inhabit her dreams. She talks about her many – many – ideas with ecstatic fatigue.
She made a wish, and then made that wish come true.
Words: Benedetta Mancusi
