ILLUSTRATOR MITJA BOKUN
Mitja Bokun is a Slovenian artist and fashion illustrator known for his portraits, jewellery drawings, cosmetics and commercial illustrations, and paintings of celebrities and fashion personalities. He's been commissioned to illustrate editorials for many International magazines, television shows and the world’s best known brands.
Mitja also collaborates often with designers, illustrating everything from sketches to visuals complimenting photography for look-books. In 2013, he was chosen to illustrate the look backstage at Vivienne Westwood's show and in 2014 he illustrated visuals for Shiseido's Ultimune launch at China market. He's been invited to give lectures at School of Visual Art in NY, Instituto Marangoni in Milan, and was chosen to design the t-shirt for Diane’s Pernet’s ASVOFF Tokyo, also for ASVOFF Balkan Fashion week and Rose McGowan's Rose Army.
Other incredible career highlights include: his role as co- owner and co-editor of Reserved Magazine, where he collaborated with artists like Helena Christensen, Bryan Adams, Brooke Shields, Nile Rodgers, Mick Rock, Milton Glaser, Rose McGowan, Richard Dupont, Jim Downey, Peter Max and many others.
More importantly, Mitja loves what he does and often says he can't imagine a better way to spend his days.
Mitja your greatest inspirations or influences?
I work fast, usually I get an idea or a vision in seconds.
In the beginning of my career I was often looking to see what other fashion illustrators were doing and how they behaved on social media, but than I realized that it does not matter. Every person is an individual with their own talent and it's just best to follow my heart and do what makes me feel good. I still love to watch and I can say follow old masters such as Mucha, Klimt, Rembrandt, Caravaggio and Da Vinci. I guess I was born 500 years too late.
Most challenging project you have worked on so far.
Hmmm, maybe Shiseido Ultimune, but not because of the importance of this project and how global it was, but mostly because I was between NY and China, sitting in the middle of timezones in Slovenia and communicating all over the world, chasing very short deadlines.
Also last year I worked on the visuals for Akrapovic (exhaust systems for motorcycles and cars) and that was technically very challenging because we were doing magazines, calendars, animations, exhibition, events and a fair stand with huge LCD panels...that was lots of work.
Favorite websites, publications or social media handles?
- Instagram is my main source of information and I also follow Behance.
- Other fashion sources are of course Vogue, WWD, GQ...
Fashion icons in your opinion?
- Helena Christensen. I had chance to work with her personally and I really think she is amazing.
- Designers such as Ralph Rucci and Malan Breton, also Vivienne Westwood (I was always big fan of the UK punk scene), Diane Pernet, Zuleika Ponsen and others.
- There are also a lot of fashion icons where I live who are not so exposed, but are doing excellent work.
What would be a dream project for you?
I would die to have opportunity to work with Ralph Rucci on textile patterns or prints. I am really a big fan of his design, his work is absolutely divine. Also I would love to portrait some iconic people in fashion, maybe book of masters at work, where I would follow them all day, draw what they are doing. Kind of storyboard of fashion masters, but not sketchy, only beautifully drawn.
Anything else you would like to share.
I was searching for myself for so many years and it was not until I turned 40 that I finally got the courage to do what I was born to do. I never took any formal education for Art and Drawing, in fact I studied IT science and machinery. Now wiser and open to the opportunities that have come to me I just follow my heart. You only live once and that reflects in my art, honestly the point of life is turning of the brain.
