Behind the Design: Sharks

We caught up with Rex London designer Åsa Wikman to talk about her latest collection, Sharks. Here she shares the inspiration, and how she created the unique look of each of the sharks.

Sharks collection, from £2.95

What inspired the design?

I have always loved nature documentaries and learning about nature. One day I had this idea of making a large coral reef puzzle where you could get familiar with some of the species who live there. Later some colleagues came to me and said that they had been looking at the coral reef puzzle and really liked the sharks, and that maybe we should make a print design dedicated to sharks.

The long coral reef puzzle that started it all, £12.95

Where did you start?

The style of the design was already set so I knew what we wanted the general look to be like, but I needed to add some more sharks. I started researching different kind of sharks that I could add to the print. There are so many fascinating sharks though, it was very difficult. I had to limit myself, or I could have easily have added about 20 more! 

I wanted the sharks to have a unique look, and also capture that effect of ripples of lights from the ocean waves. I drew clean sharks, and then added interesting watercolour textures.

What did you learn while researching sharks?

Sharks have always fascinated me, ever since I was a child, but I actually did not know much about them. Did you know that the Epaulette shark can slow down its breathing, heart rate, and power down its brain so that it can survive for hours and hours with very little oxygen? Another amazing shark is the Greenland shark - this shark species has a life span between 250-400 years! 

What’s your favourite Sharks product so far?

Sharks belong in water so of course I love the water bottle! I really like that it looks like the sharks are in their natural environment when the bottle is filled with water. 

Sharks kids water bottle, £7.95

Want to pick up some shark gifts? Explore the full Sharks collection today.