Laia Aguilar is the Wes Anderson of Children's Fashion

The Animals Observatory SS17 collection sneak peek

Guest contributed by Jennifer Irizarry @jennyfriend

If The Animals Observatory Creative Director Laia Aguilar were a director of motion pictures and not a fashion designer, there is little doubt in my mind that she would be Wes Anderson.

Having seen three full collections of the nascent label, it occurred to me: if you seek to emulate the much-lauded sartorial flair of the Royal Tennenbaums, The Animals Observatory is the label for you.

To be fair, it’s not a totally straightforward comparison. Aguilar is very transparent regarding the influences of each collection and has never once cited The Royal Tenenbaums or any Wes Anderson film, as an influence.

Even IF Royal Tenenbaums fans (like me) see very specific references to the film in the TAO oeuvre, the commonalities boil down to similar ways of seeing the world and reinterpreting artistic movements of the past—rather than a literal interpretation (although this comes close!).

Here are three ways that The Animals Observatory’s Laia Aguilar is the Wes Anderson of children’s fashion:

1. Aguilar, like Anderson, creates art that pays homage to other art. A visit to The Animals Observatory’s and/or Laia Aguilar’s Instagram page will reward you with glimpses into Aguilar’s sketchbook. She meticulously records snippets of inspiration gleaned from her travels, nature, books, music, architecture—all of which wind up re-interpreted in her uniquely layered, quirky designs. For Aguilar, drawing is a way of life.

2. Nostalgia is perhaps the defining characteristic of Wes Anderson’s visual language and it underlies the masterful, nuanced color schemes employed by Aguilar in each collection. The woman has a gift for selecting the perfect color palette, all of which hint at a bygone era while remaining fresh and paradoxically, timeless.

3. The idea of a having a manifesto to guide creative endeavors is only implicit in Anderson’s work, but it makes his films instantly recognizable. Laia Aguilar also has a totally unmistakable style, and is inspired by artists whose work embodies—explicitly or not—a manifesto of its own. From Patti Smith, godmother of punk, to Le Corbusier and his five points of architecture, The Animals Observatory is a manifesto of style for children, summed up by the wise admonition ‘Be a good animal, true to your instincts‘.