King Adz from London Meets Merel Boers
Miss Blackbirdy AKA Merel Boers is an Amsterdam based fashion designer and illustrator. I hang out with her whenever I’m in town and she has just won the ‘Fiep Westendorp Stimulationprize’. The prize is meant to support young illustrators financially with special projects. Merel draws beautiful figures that she then sews into fabrics and turns these into dresses. She combines her illustration work with fashion design in a unique style.
How did you get into fashion and illustration?
When I was young I always drew little puppets on notes to my mother when I was leaving the house, and later on when I was in the fashion department of the Gerrit Rietveld Academie (Dutch Academy of Art & Design), I always made a little illustration book for my fashion collections. That was the thing I liked most: making stories about fashion.
Who are your heroes?
Piet Paris, a Dutch fashion illustrator from Holland; Fiep Westendorp, a Dutch children’s book illustrator; Karl Lagerfeld from Chanel; Elsa Schiaparelli – a designer.
What does street culture mean to you?
Street culture means to me a lot of different styles on the street with no one judging: I was once painting in a hall of a club with 20 other street artists in Amsterdam, everybody was very friendly to each other, and even the graffiti boys appreciated everybody else’s individual styles.
What is your favourite food?
Sushi and my boyfriend Chester’s Cheese & tomato salad out of the oven or steamed Pears with cinnamon (in Holland you eat them in the winter months or at Christmas).
How important is a healthy lifestyle?
It’s important as an illustrator, having your own business and working long hours to eat well otherwise I get a headache and no inspiration. Also I have a wonderful intern called Dina at my studio and together we make fantastic lunches...it’s the way we relax at the studio!
Where is your favourite place to eat?
I love places where you can eat outside, like in Bali/Indonesia near the beach... it’s wonderful. I went there in 2007 and in 2008 and I just love the food. Asian food really makes me happy!
