Born in Mendoza, Argentina, at the foot of the Andes Mountains, Matías Larraín studied advertising and visual communication design before moving to France in 2017—a turning point in both his personal and professional life. His multidisciplinary practice spans fashion, decoration, publishing, and animation, and is informed by his travels by bicycle, encounters with new cities, and photographs of places and moments that spark his curiosity. Rooted in exploration and intuition, his work seeks a balance between order and accident, allowing the familiar and the unexpected to coexist.

Hi Matías! So happy to have you here. Where are you right now, and what kind of day are you having?

Hi! Thank you so much for the invitation. Right now I’m at home in southeastern France, very close to Italy. It’s Friday today, and I’m having a fairly quiet day, with my mind more focused on the activities and plans I have for this weekend.

Your work makes me think you must have been a very creative kid. What were you like growing up? Were you always making things?

When I was little, I liked imagining scenarios and building my own toys. I would make things out of wood, cardboard, or any material I could easily find at home; I even built small musical instruments. I was always interested in transforming simple materials into something new. I also remember feeling a strong attraction to colors. Paradoxically, my mother says it took me longer than usual to learn their names.

There’s something wonderfully uncomplicated about the way you use shapes - a house can just be a triangle and a rectangle, a forest can become a few marks. Do you ever try to see things with a child’s eye again when you’re making?

This question makes me think of a quote by Picasso: “It took me four years to paint like Raphael, but a lifetime to paint like a child.”

In my case, I don’t paint like Raphael (laughs). But I always try to reconnect with the freedom and intuition that characterize the way a child creates: the ability to look at things without overcomplicating them too much, and to find something in a shape, a color, or a line before even knowing exactly what it means.

Do you collect things? Scraps of paper, objects, photographs, packaging… anything that eventually finds its way into the work?

I tend to collect things, but more on a mental—and even unconscious—level. I’ve never been a great collector of objects or material things. I think I accumulate images, shapes, colors, textures, and small situations that catch my attention, often without even realizing it. Then, somehow, all of that resurfaces in my work, sometimes much later, without me remembering exactly where it came from.

Your world is so colorful that I have to ask: are you this colorful in real life too? What does your home, wardrobe, everyday life look like?

Not so much. I tend to incorporate color both in the way I dress and in the decoration of my home, but more as accents. I like having small points of color within neutral spaces. I think, in some way, I need that balance. In my work, color can take over everything, whereas in my everyday life I prefer it to appear in a more subtle way.

If we took color away from you for a month, what would you do?

I think I would look for inspiration in black-and-white photography. It’s something I’m passionate about, and in a way, it reminds me that a well-constructed image can have a lot of strength even when color disappears.

You work across fashion, editorial and decoration, as well as your own projects. Do you feel like you’re the same Matías in all of those spaces or do different sides of you come out depending on what you’re making?

I’m the same Matías in every space. I tend to adapt to the needs and language of each project, but my way of approaching the creative process is always fairly similar.

Do mistakes usually annoy you or give you ideas?

Not at all. Many times, mistakes have ended up becoming great successes within my process. I think the important thing is to stay attentive enough to recognize them, and not judge them too quickly.

If you had to explain who you are using only three shapes, what would you choose?

A circle, a triangle, and a line. They are primary forms, but you can build anything with them.

We’re somehow already heading into the last few months of the year. How are you feeling about 2026 so far and what are you looking forward to in the months ahead?

I’m feeling very good. 2026 has been a very different year for me: I recently became a father, and that has completely transformed my everyday life and my priorities. It’s an incredible experience, and I’m still discovering how to find a new balance.

For the coming months, I’m really looking forward to new projects that allow me to experiment, try different things, and continue exploring my creative language.

And lastly, what are you dreaming of these days?

Traveling and discovering new places is something I long for all the time.