A Little Spark

Introduce yourself!
Hi, I’m Celine, a graphic designer and a mother to two chonky (fat) snails!

Why did you decide to pursue a career in fashion, and what has the industry taught you?
I think I’ve always found myself gravitating towards the the inner workings of the fashion industry, beyond just the glitz and glamour of the runways and pretty images. Back when I was studying design, I was sure I’d go into the advertising industry to create compelling ads, but somehow I fell into a rabbit hole after realising the role fashion that plays in the world.

Beyond apparel and personal identity, the economical and ecological impact it has on the world fascinates me. But of course, nothing beats the journey of finding your personal style and your place in a world of fleeting trends and aesthetics. And now that I think about it, I guess you could say I’m still doing advertising (laughs).

What’s one thing that you find particularly pleasing to look at, or fun to work with?
In my work, I’m always looking to find ways to add textures to the things I design. I find that we’re living in a time where everything is smooth because they’re viewed through screens. Hence, we crave the tactility of mundane objects, which is why we gravitate towards things like film effects.

I find that the sweet spot between realism and the capabilities of all things digital is a fun place to explore and play around with.

Is there anything you’re looking forward to as we approach the end of the year?
Honestly, I’m just taking this year as it comes, so I can’t say I’m really looking forward to anything.

I think this year panned out a little unexpectedly than what I had anticipated, so I never really had any concrete plans set for myself. But it’s not a bad thing—I’m just taking each day, week, and month as it comes, so I guess I’m looking forward to anything that will come my way as we round out this year.

Tell us about your pet snails! Why snails?
I have two beautiful fat snails that I got after watching the movie Turbo one random afternoon—it’s an animated film about snails racing! I’ve also been wanting to have a pet for ages, and I figured they’d be perfect, low-maintenance creatures.

They’re so peaceful to look at, and watching them grow from tiny babies, that could fit into the mouth of a water bottle, to big boys whose shells span the entire length of my palm is so heartwarming. And though they technically don’t have feelings, I do think they like the little pats I give them (laughs).

If you could live the rest of your life in a fictional world, what would you choose and why?
Oh goodness, I think about this all the time but I’ve yet to make a decision!

Hmm, I think for now I’d like to live in the world of Tinkerbell, in the land of Pixie Hollow where we get sprinkled with pixie dust everyday and have our roles to play to help the ecosystem thrive. I’d either want to be a water fairy or an animal fairy so that I can interact with aquatic and land animals—imagine being friends with a giant snail!