When Two Worlds Collide- An Interview With My Friend Niloufar Afnan

When Two Worlds Collide- An Interview With My Friend Niloufar Afnan

SÉOLA atelier X Tomorrow - The Bird Collection

Launches this Thursday, September 25.

 

Because of this exciting collaboration, I thought it would be the perfect moment to introduce you to my dear friend Nilou Afnan, the creative force behind Tomorrow.

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When I think about the beginnings of SÉOLA atelier, Nilou is one of the people who comes to mind right away.

We’ve been friends for almost three years now, ever since I stumbled across her work on Instagram and became a little obsessed with  her world and the tape she used for her packaging.

That small detail turned into conversations, and those conversations turned into encouragement - she was actually one of the people who pushed me to finally launch SÉOLA atelier.

Since then, our friendship has grown into something very special. We’ve always admired each other’s creative worlds, even though we work in completely different mediums. Last year we had the chance to work closely together on the Petit Magasin pop-up in Montreal, which showed us how naturally we collaborate. It also made us realize how much we’d love to create something together.

One thing that bonded us further is our shared fascination with birds. Out of that connection, the idea was born to merge our two worlds - Nilou’s graphic, colourful, art-inspired universe with my sculptural jewellery that draws on organic forms and neutral tones - into a small collaboration where our very different aesthetics meet side by side.

To give you a closer look into Nilou’s world, we sat down and asked her a few questions.

 I think her answers will not only introduce you to her work, but also let you see the spark and inspiration behind what she creates.

-What inspired you to start Tomorrow, and what do you hope people feel when they experience your work?

I'm a big collector of things. Like really. I have all sorts of knick knacks in my studio. They are all very important to me. I like to create worlds around them. Fabric is a medium I feel very connected to. So, it is important for me to build a collection of fabrics before I can put a theme together. And that's how tomorrow works. Something transformed into new.

-Can you walk us through your creative process - how an idea turns into a finished piece?

My ideas are developed through collections. I am not strictly bound to a medium. I have a background in sculpture, so the understanding of medium and space is very important to me. When I come across a found object, it is very important for me to have a conversation with it. I place it in different situations. I try to push the aesthetics of its raison d'être, and then perhaps I get inspired to make something new with it. A flanelle can turn into a pouch, a pencil into a jewel. I work with an existing medium, this is the main debut.

-What excited you most about this collaboration, and how do you see our very different worlds coming together?

We are both very organised and critical. That's what I think first bonded us. No BS. And that is important to me. I want ideas to come to life. I don't want to dwell over how amazing an idea can be and not see it come to fruit because of lack of this or that. We both have very good work ethics, and we got excited to combine our very opposite worlds. And that I love. You focus on one medium. I focus on 10. You work with a single color I world with 20. So I was very excited to see your world meet mine. And it is gorgeous!

-Right now, what’s inspiring you - in life, art, or nature?

Somehow these sunsets never get boring. And I know you have been enjoying them too. So I feel a great connection with that and across the city you are also having that very same moment. I find that very sweet, as we are both whisking away in our works.

Shop the Bird pendants collab here
Shop the Tomorrow childrens Bird collection here

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