Roman Feral Uses Real Butterflies to Give Designer Fashion Accessories Wings

One of several innovative artworks by Roman Feral combining real preserved butterflies with high-end fashion accessories.
One of several innovative artworks by Roman Feral combining real preserved butterflies with high-end fashion accessories.

The fragility of a butterfly enhances its beauty, making one marvel how such a delicate being can survive the wind, much less the world at large. Now, a young visionary artist is adorning stunning designer pieces with these awesome creatures to create an entirely new artform.

Portrait of the Artist

Only 29 years old, Roman Feral was born in Paris, France, though he has since relocated to Miami, Florida. His talent for art was evident even as a child, and his early creations revealed outstanding aptitude, deftness, and vision.

One of several innovative artworks by Roman Feral combining real preserved butterflies with high-end fashion accessories.
One of several innovative artworks by Roman Feral combining real preserved butterflies with high-end fashion accessories.

Feral’s latest endeavor is by far his most popular. The melding of creations from world-renowned brands like Cartier, Chanel, Goyard, and Louis Vuitton with real butterflies he sources and preserves from Asia, Africa, and South America is set to be on display in galleries all over the world this year, including cities like Paris, London, New York, Miami, Cannes, Monaco, and Courchevel.

The Process

Instead of preserving the butterflies when they are at rest, Feral has developed a new procedure that enables him to preserve each specimen while it’s in the air. The technique demands extreme accuracy and scrupulous care, but the result is incredible. Small cases, petite suitcases, and trunks designed by industry icons take on new aesthetics with butterflies emerging from their openings, each one arranged like a fine jewel in the bottom of the case or perched on an edge in a frozen moment of flight.

In this piece, Feral's butterflies seem to burst forth from Andy Warhol's iconic Campbell's Tomato Soup can.
In this piece, Feral's butterflies seem to burst forth from Andy Warhol's iconic Campbell's Tomato Soup can.

In another piece, a replica of Andy Warhol’s world-famous Campbell’s Tomato Soup can serves as a vase, with a bouquet of Feral’s butterflies emerging from it like fresh-cut flowers. All the pieces in the collection are also available for purchase, with prices ranging from $9,000 to $100,000.

Feral’s artistry is particularly impressive in his creation of an iconic piece inspired by Louis Vuitton. The 1950s cutouts from a LV piece were used to spell out “LOVE” and then attached to a translucent case with gold corners designed by Feral. Butterflies adorn the letters in a playful configuration, and at the bottom of the LOVE structure is a patch of imitation grass, completing the luxury-meets-nature theme.

Roman Feral's butterflies rest on the entrance of a Lous Vuitton case.
Roman Feral's butterflies rest on the entrance of a Lous Vuitton case.

There’s no doubt Roman Feral is an intensifying talent with even more incredible creations on the horizon. He has a vision that seems boundless, and an imagination and eye for unusual pairings that’s unmatched in the field. And though he may be a man of few words, the things he’s shared so far can’t help but promise exciting works to come.

One of several innovative artworks by Roman Feral combining real preserved butterflies with high-end fashion accessories.
One of several innovative artworks by Roman Feral combining real preserved butterflies with high-end fashion accessories.

Feral told the press: “My art is about creating an emotion and ambiance in a way that we haven’t seen…art has the power to create emotional connections and drive brand’s consumers consumption. Art and brands are like Yin and Yang and the gray zone between the two is what fascinates me…my art is inspired by the gray zone between nature’s beauty and luxury brands.”