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Illustrator Sarah Haug's fashion collab takes her to Bug Wonderland

Sarah Haug is a lovely lady indeed, and a very excellent drawer of rabbits. She’s recently moved away from the world of floppy eared, bobtailed critters and into that of six-legged beasties instead, thanks to a collaboration with Swiss fashion designer Sabine Portenier.

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Illustration of a person wearing a dark jacket with a circular back design walking among stylised black insects against an orange and purple background, from Sarah Haug's Julia in the Bug Wonderland collection

The designer invited Haug to created illustrations for her basic T-shirt line, made in her manufacturer in Thoune, Switzerland. The result is a series called Julia in the Bug Wonderland.

"We were interested in the insect world because they are inventive, eccentric, with a keen sense of elegance and they literally have super powers," says Haug. "We thought they would be the perfect spokespeople for a sustainable, slow fashion label."

What started as a limited T-shirt series of 30 one-of-a-kind, hand-painted T-shirts grew into a collection of garments and an animated Discovery Channel-inspired fashion film.

A woman in a cream dress holds a star against a bright red background featuring Sarah Haug's black silhouette illustrations of insects with blue outlines and white spots
Silhouette of a figure with large eyes wearing goggles, reaching towards a detailed insect against a mint-green background from Sarah Haug's Julia in the Bug Wonderland series
Woman in white dress reaching towards abstract black geometric shapes and a cartoon insect character against a purple background from Sarah Haug's Julia in the Bug Wonderland collection
Illustration of a black insect with white belly and antennae sitting beside a woman in cream and grey clothing on a turquoise ground with grey blob shapes
A person reclines against a large black insect illustration on a bright red background, with a smaller black bug silhouette in the lower right corner
Black silhouette character with large bulbous eyes marked with cross-hatching, wavy black hair and a thin moustache, raising their hands expressively against a bright turquoise background
Front and back views of a white t-shirt featuring Sarah Haug's black ink illustrations of insects and figures for the Julia in the Bug Wonderland collection
White t-shirt featuring Sarah Haug's black ink illustration of insects on front and back, displayed on model wearing dark jeans
White t-shirt featuring Sarah Haug's black ink illustrations of stylised insects and creatures scattered across the front and back
White t-shirt with hand-drawn black insect and botanical illustrations shown from front and back views
Front and back views of a cream t-shirt featuring Sarah Haug's black ink illustrations of insects and botanical elements
White t-shirt featuring Sarah Haug's black ink illustrations of insects and botanical elements, shown from front and back views
White t-shirt front and back showing Sarah Haug's black ink illustrations of whimsical insects and creatures for Sabine Portenier's Julia in the Bug Wonderland collection
Front and back views of a white t-shirt printed with Sarah Haug's black line drawings of insects including a bee and dragonfly
Bright yellow credits page listing the animation, illustration, fashion design and production credits for Julia in the Bug Wonderland, a collaboration by Sarah Haug and Sabine Portenier
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