By Inez Barberio
Her Artistic Endeavors from Sweden to Los Angeles.
An accomplished model, actress, and designer, Isabel Adrian shares with us her creative direction with LaLa Studios, motherhood and the life of a modern day Renaissance Woman.
On any given day, it can be quite intimidating sitting in the lobby of The Mercer Hotel in New York City. Amidst a room full of some of the most stylish and beautiful people one can be in the company of, it is quite exhilarating to be sitting with Isabel Adrian, a beautiful Renaissance Woman of our time, during her recent press tour from Los Angeles.
As wife to world renowned DJ, Steve Angello, of ‘Swedish House Mafia,’ Isabel has definitely made a name for herself with her own creative talents. Her life includes a successful modeling career, actress, designer, artist, producer, accomplished writer, stylist, and head of LaLa Studios in LA.
Isabel has had the unique opportunity of starring in reality television both abroad and here in the U.S. She starred in ‘Swedish Hollywood Housewives’ in Sweden for four years and most recently Bravo TV’s ‘Euros of Hollywood.’ While she was portrayed to be difficult and unlikeable in ‘Euros,’ Isabel understood her role on reality TV.
“I don’t want to spoil it for everyone out there, but there was a reason that I came on that show, because I had done TV for so many years and I know what to do. It’s reality in the sense of what happened. The moments when I was on, my purpose was not really to be one that everyone liked. I was there to stir the pot,” said Isabel.
Isabel does not apologize for playing her role and understands how she was portrayed.
“I do TV. I am a reality TV actress. I know the concept so well that you can put me anywhere and I will make sure I steer the others right.”
Being an actress is just one small fragment of what Isabel does in her time. She currently channels her creativity mainly through LaLa Studios which is a production company and studio in the heart of Hollywood. She assists clients with developing stories for photo shoots and campaigns from start to finish.
“It’s the whole creative process. Let’s say you are a brand or want to start a brand, or you have a small line and you are stuck somewhere and need something new. You come to us and my team will do a creative map. So, I just give a concept and I then execute them.”
Growing up in her teen years as a model, Isabel clearly has a keen sense of style. She actively takes part in styling her clients for photo shoots. She garnishes this creative energy by taking part of the whole creative process through using her life experiences.
“I can take everything I have learned over the years with film, TV, campaigns and runways and I just create my own. I will give you the whole thing.”
Isabel’s creative abilities has transpired beyond photography and film. First and foremost she considers herself a storyteller. Her debut novel ‘Sex, Drugs & a DJ’ is highly successful in Sweden and is currently being translated to many languages including English. In addition to her novel, Isabel contributes to many fashion blogs and frequently gives a glimpse into her own life on Instagram with her travels around the world, family life with her two daughters, work, and of course fashion.
Being true to fashion, Isabel is very hands on with various collaborations with designers on signature lines as well has her own projects. She successfully designed merchandise for ‘Swedish House Mafia’ and continues to design everything from jewelry to maternity wear. During a trip to Milan, Isabel stumbled upon some old leather scraps at Bottega Veneta. Bringing it home, she took the beautiful pieces of caviar leather and created a limited edition collection of leather goods that include passport cases, key chains, and cell phone holders. She is expanding her small leather goods and working on a line of luxury made-to-order leather jackets. While she would love to design on a larger scale, Isabel is aware of how much time she can commit to her various projects.
“That’s all the time I have. That’s the key. I do small things, and I have my own website that I show my things.”
So what does one bring as you jet set all through Europe and opposite coasts of the U.S.?
“I’ve been packing for the last ten years. I can pack for a week in a handbag. I am a total expert. For the summer I would pack black pants, very flowy, airy, high waist, a black pencil skirt, a pair of shorts, and jeans. Only bring black, white or nude colors and only two pairs of shoes. I know that is hard. The thing is, you want to buy stuff on your vacation. If you have the basics, you can have the freedom, but still your basic outfits. And sunglasses, bring four or five pairs of sunglasses and t-shirts and tank tops. You can match anything you have with each other.”
During Isabel’s stay at The Mercer Hotel, Chanel’s head designer Karl Lagerfeld was a guest as well.
“To be truthful, I have been in New York for three days and I look the same. I have three outfits. I looked exactly like Karl Lagerfeld the first day. I had my black suit, my sunglasses, and my hair is very white now because I was just in Miami. And he wears the same thing everyday and he looks fabulous.”
Whether known for her TV roles or fashion blogs, Isabel does not take her success and celebrity status for granted. When asked what she hopes to achieve in America, Isabel’s attention automatically reflects back to her two young daughters.
“I want to be somebody that people look up to, especially girls. I want to be a real person that people can relate to. I was famous in Sweden and it took a lot of me and I was bullied as a kid. That’s a classic story, but I took kind of the hard way in Sweden. Then I made it, and I kind of just left everything and I came to the U.S. and kind of have to do it again. This time I am much more humble and I’ve basically got this second chance. I want to be that person you can relate to.”
As the world changes and moves at a rapid pace with social media, Isabel does what she can to protect her children from the outside world and sees the pressures that young women face today.
“I try to make our homes a sanctuary for my kids. There is so much outside and unfortunately I can’t take that away and can’t protect them outside, but I could inside. I want them to feel peaceful.”
Isabel finds the need for her daughters and young women to find their inner creative beings and not follow what everybody else is doing.
“It’s about your brains. At the end of the day, it’s about what you know. Don’t try to be like everybody else, because then you will be like everybody else. Try to think outside the box.”
Whether it is fashion, traveling, writing, or designing, Isabel finds a way to intertwine it all as well as focus on her family and sharing her knowledge with future artists of the world.
“That’s the good thing about being a celebrity. You have a wider range of audience and I want to be the person you can relate and talk to, because I went through it all.”
You can view all of Isabel’s creative talents on www.IsabelAdrian.com.
Photo Credit: La La Studios
