Getting to know the Barcelona’s best kept secrets of Saray Luis Martin.
May, 6th, 2024. Written by Clara De Nadal Trias
There are people who are born with angel. You can't really explain why, but you know it’s true. You just feel it. Some people are so special that when they walk it seems that they hardly touch the ground, they float. These people seem from another era. With firm values andprivileged imagination I would even say... And that is the case of the fashion illustrator, content creator and, very fortunately, my dearest friend Saray Luis Martin.
Although I already knew her art with brushes -fluid, delicate strokes, with a certain poetic, unique and recognizable style- as well as her aesthetic with clothing -subtle, casual, with absolute passion for vintage and slightly French- on her social networks for a long time... I will never forget that we met in 2013 -both as guests- to the third edition of Fashion and Bloggers Date organized by SModa magazine, organized at the Moritz factory in Barcelona. I perfectly remember how she was dressed, but above all that she seemed to me to be the most interesting, polite and approachable person at the event. We started a conversation. Days later we met again to continue chatting. We walk and had coffee together. We became friends and the rest is history.
I am so lucky to know you a lot, but for those who may not know you yet... Personally, who is Saray Luis Martin?
Well, I would say that Saray is a woman who delights herself with life and the beauty it offers. She loves to travel, to discover… She likes to look at life in detail and she observes to enjoy. I am deeply fascinated by beauty, art... I am a very sensitive person and that is why I pay close attention to all the details and everything I experience in my daily life.
Please tell me a confessable secret.
The pleasure I get from buying notebooks with white pages and the feeling of opening the first page and starting to draw or to write.
What do you do for living? What did you study? What has been your career until today?
I am an artist and my studies since adolescence has been linked to the world of art and art schools. I dedicate myself to illustration in the fashion and beauty sector, which at the same time coexists with my career in social networks for 16 years.
Academically, my life has basically been linked to art and also to graphic advertising, although I never dedicated myself to it. I studied it. I tried it. I didn't like it, but it helped me a lot to have resources and knowledge for what would later be my future in social networks in photography, web design, blogging, retouching and, of course, with illustration.
My journey began 16 years ago when I opened a blog in which I talked about fashion and styling. A year later -coinciding with the boom of fashion blogging- I decided to jump into the void and start showing my illustrations and that led me to work as an illustrator - which was really what I liked the most - and as I told you at the beginning, both things (illustration and social networks) have coexisted until now. Indeed, working between these two worlds makes me very happy because they have a lot in common and I can adapt and combine it perfectly.
What would you say is your greatest professional contribution to a city like Barcelona?
This is a difficult question to answer and evaluate myself but... I suppose that my greatest professional contribution is having carved out a niche for myself within the world of fashion illustration with a very own and recognizable style.
Could you tell me about any professional projects you are involved in now?
Sure! I am currently working a lot on die-cuts and cut-out characters in collaboration with fashion brands. You can see some of my works on Instagram and much more coming soon ;)
According to your personal experience... What is the best thing about living in Barcelona?
So for me, the best thing about living in Barcelona is the sea. Having the sea so close, this wonderful weather and the way of life we have here -that despite being a fairly large or populated city- we (Catalans) we do live more peacefully or I like take it that way. Quieter and more connected to nature -because in addition to being close to the sea we are also close to the mountain- and having these two aspects I believe it is a luxury.
What is your favorite corner of the city?
One of my favorite corners of Barcelona is the Plaza de Sant Felip Neri. It is a place that brings me a lot of peace, you can have have a coffee, or simply sit in and observe. Despite being in the center of Barcelona, this is a place where suddenly there is a lot of silence -people talk in whispers- and it is like being in another world. Of course, I also love to walk through the Gothic Quarter -I am fascinated by any of its corners-. I also like finding antique shops and shops with vintage pieces that I am so passionate about.
What would you say is the most curious thing about Barcelona?
Something that seems very curious to me about Barcelona is that despite having incredible places like the sea, places to make plans, incredible architecture... We are quite reserved people and we tend to make "petit committee" plans.
Another thing that also surprises me a lot is that, despite having a lot of tourism and areas full of people -even sometimes not very well cared for-, you can suddenly find places where you are practically alone and it feels so good.
A few years ago you discovered that you have celiac disease, so what are your 3 favorite (gluten-free) restaurants, or bars in the city and why?
Flax and Kale Passage I love the fusion they make between Asian and Mediterranean food. I like it because you can eat hummus with Thai as a starter and then a pizza made in the wood oven.
Veganashi It is a small restaurant in Poble Sec with sushi and 100% gluten-free Japanese food. I really like how familiar it is and the very different proposal they make. Their Gyozas are from another world.
Fiskebar Although it is not a 100% gluten-free restaurant, the offering they have is quite wide and I love the views of the port.
If someone who has never been to Barcelona asked you... What I cannot miss, do, or visit in the city?
I would definitely recommend “The Modernist Route” including Casa Batlló, Casa Ametller -which is a place where there is almost no one and the groups to visit it are super small- also Casa Viçens, La Pedrera, Sagrada Familia (obviously) and all these.
I would also recommend to stroll through the Gothic quarter and Borne to enjoy a little shopping time. Also a very cool place to visit and scroll around is the Montjuic area, where you can visit the National Museum of Catalonia, Fundació Miró and perhaps end up having dinner on a terrace to see Barcelona “from above”.
Ah! And a place that I do love to go for coffee -and it is never very crowded- is the café inside La Pedrera, it is wonderful. Lastly, I would also recommend to go and see an exhibition at the Palau de Martorell, which is very beautiful, and end up doing a “Cacaolat” (chocolate drink) at Granja M. Viader, which is very cool to me.
What is your favorite plan in the city?
My favorite plan in the city is to walk through the Gothic and Borne neighborhoods, and look for some antiques pieces or vintage treasures.
If you didn't live in Barcelona... Where would you live?
Definitely Paris. I am fascinated by its energy, architecture and its great offer in exhibitions, museums... There is always an interesting plan to do.
And if Barcelona was a person... Who would it be?
Antoni Gaudí.
To finish... Please mention someone I should do this interview to.
I would say, Juan Avellaneda, he can give you another very creative approach of the city.
Thanks a lot Saray!
Interview and translation by Clara De Nadal Trias
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