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Jordi Labanda has turned his chic, 1960s-style drawings into irresistibly feminine womenswear. The Spanish designer tells Fashionfromspain.com what made him cross over into fashion and his transition from paper to fabrics.

His wonderfully chic Lady line, with its womenswear and accessories, personified by his muse, the Spanish supermodel Eugenia Silva, has proved a hit with consumers from Russia to Japan and has carved out a very special niche for the illustrator. Just back from opening his Mexico City shop, the Spanish designer tells Fashionfromspain.com what made him cross over into fashion and his transition from paper to fabrics.

You’re better known as an illustrator, but now you’ve moved into fashion. Why?
It all happened a bit by chance. My current industrial partner, Miquelrius, suggested I design a line under my own name and it only took me a second to realise that fashion design was the logical next step in my career, a new way of expressing myself as an artist.

Your illustrations evoke a very well-known period. Why did you choose it?
Even when I was young, the looks of the 1950s and 1960s made a big impression on me. It was all clean-cut style and elegance. It was also a time of great social change and part of what shaped us as we are today.

Did you have links with the fashion world before you launched your collections?
I’ve always been receptive to anything new or creative. Fashion has been a big influence on me. In fact, when I first started out as an illustrator, I was determined that my pictures would have plenty of style, because the illustration scene at that point left a lot to be desired. That determination paid off and the market rewarded me. But I’m not just interested in what’s on the catwalk, I’m also a keen fashion history fan.

Define your fashion style.
I like to think it’s elegant, chic and a little bit sexy. And I want women to feel special in a garment with my label.

What do you get from fashion that you don’t get from illustration?
I’m an industrial designer by profession, and for me there’s not a huge difference between designing a chair or a skirt. The approach and execution are essentially the same. It’s always a three-dimensional object. Working in fashion has enabled me to work in those three dimensions and has given me faith in the strength of my team. I’m working with people in design, production and marketing. They all come from other textiles companies and large groups in particular, which is the best fashion training ground in Spain.

How far are you involved in the creation of your fashion collections?
Experience has taught me that only the garments I’m really involved in will have real pulling power with consumers, because they are immediately recognizable as ‘Jordi Labanda’. So I shoulder the biggest part of the design, but get plenty of support from my team. You’ll see the results of this greater involvement in the winter 08/09 collection.