Introducing “Alegria”, our first collaboration with the talented French artist Julie Daleyden. 

Her world is an invitation to color, travel, and dance—an enchanted journey where joyful smiles, carnival dreams, and sunlit characters come together.

 

Can you introduce yourself? What is your background?

My name is Julie Daleyden and I'm an illustrator.
Originally from the north of France, I've lived in Lille for about twenty years.

Drawing has always been a part of my life. My parents enrolled me in Fine Arts school at the age of six, where I explored many techniques—drawing, pottery, printmaking, and many others—with great pleasure and curiosity.

After secondary school, I continued my studies in illustration at the Saint-Luc school in Tournai. Those were rich and inspiring years, where I finally felt like I belonged and could fully express my creativity.

Upon graduation, I dreamed of illustrating children's books. But an opportunity quickly led me to textile design, a world where I could tell stories through fabrics. This encounter was no accident: since childhood, I've always had a special affinity for materials and fabrics.

Today, after several years of experience in business and as a freelancer, I collaborate with various textile, fashion, decoration, and toy brands. When I'm entrusted with a project, like the one for Big Crush, I realize what a privilege it is to be able to share my world, invent visual stories, and create together.

 

 

 

What kind of child were you? What memories do you have of your childhood?

As a child, I was quite shy at school, often daydreaming, and had some difficulty concentrating. But at home, it was quite the opposite: I loved inventing stories, dressing up, putting on shows, and making my family and their friends laugh.

I also spent a lot of time at my grandparents' house, and more specifically in my grandmother's sewing workshop. This space, which overlooked her garden, was a veritable playground for me. I would collect fabric scraps from her basket and enjoy making puppets. Fabric and beautiful materials were thus part of my world from a very early age.

I also have fond memories of all those hours spent with my grandmother, mother, aunt, and sister in fabric stores and haberdashery shops. I spent so much time there that, I admit, I sometimes got a little bored... but these moments undoubtedly nourished my current taste for materials and patterns.

 

How would you describe your style? What are the different techniques you use in your work?

My world is at once naive, graphic, and colorful. I enjoy exploring different techniques—engraving, drawing, ceramics, sewing, etc.—and I'm particularly drawn to volume and materials.

For several years, I've been working with printmaking techniques in my studio, located in Lasécu, a space for creation and contemporary art. It's where my press is located, and where I enjoy experimenting.

A bit of a jack-of-all-trades, I seek above all to have fun and maintain a playful spirit in each of my creations.

 

What are your sources of inspiration?

I draw my inspiration from my travels, the people I meet, and the artisans I encounter along the way.
I've always been fascinated by traditional costumes, carnivals, and their joyful dances.

But my sources of inspiration are also closer to home: everyday objects at home, antique textiles, Inuit art, sculpture, music, and even raw and naive art.

And of course, there's my daughter, with her fabulous stories that constantly fuel my imagination.

 

What are your favorite themes or subjects that you like to explore in your work?

I have a great passion for costumes, travel, and botany.

My characters also love to travel: I often dress them in extravagant, joyful, and carnival-like outfits, as if to transport them to a festive and colorful world.

 

Do you have a creative process or a particular routine for creating your drawings/patterns?

My notebooks are filled with characters, ideas thrown everywhere, in a joyful chaos. I spontaneously sketch designs, then, when an idea takes shape, I develop it with paint or paper cutouts.

For my prints, I select certain characters from my notebooks, I have them meet and travel, always making sure to tell a story through them.

For the designs created with Big Crush, I first worked in pencil, then thought about a color range that we defined together. Then, I brought these drawings to life in Illustrator to launch the collection.

 

How did you come up with this collaboration with Big Crush?

For Big Crush, I really wanted something to happen on the back of the jackets. So I imagined joyful little scenes where the characters meet and interact with each other. The jackets were adorned with bright colors and small graphic details.
My goal was to give children the opportunity to tell their own stories, like when they grab a few toys and spontaneously invent a thousand adventures.