With 20 to watch, Flanders DC presents twenty emerging talents, who recently took their first steps in the worlds of design or fashion. We believe they will have great success in the future.

Who is Ilias Mettioui?

• studied graphic design at LUCA School of Arts Ghent
• continued to specialise as an art director
• works mainly for fashion clients such as Rombaut, D’heygere, Farfetch and Morobé

I moved to Paris for an internship with shoe designer Mats Rombaut. Later, I moved to London for a job at Farfetch. With Mats, I was allowed to work on the entire art direction of the second brand, Virón, in addition to the graphic design. That is how I learned to look at brands with a double perspective: the digital, graphic appearance and the global aesthetics and storytelling of the brand. At Morobé, I also work in close consultation with founder Virginie and creative director Bernard Tournemenne on the entire rebranding process, from choosing models and photographers to the production of the shoot to the rollout of the campaign for the various platforms.

As a graphic artist, I look at an image in a different way. For example, I attach great importance to the composition, framing and storytelling or how the image will stand out among the millions of other images. By allowing beauty and storytelling to go perfectly hand in hand, we try to bring customers into our story. To surprise the audience, we sometimes use 3D animations for this. We try to push the limits of the medium, for example, by implementing techniques from cinema. Moreover, this technology allows me to turn just about any dream into reality. This is particularly satisfying.

Although I work mostly in fashion now, that is not a requirement per se. I don’t want to limit myself to one style or sector. Although I must admit that I have a weakness for beauty. Being able to combine my love for typography with beautiful images every day is my greatest luxury.