Ollie's Dramatic Debut!

In a place all about survival, Ella has joined the seamstresses of Birkenau-Auschwitz and every dress she makes could mean the difference between life and death. This is Oliver Averill’s first commission and we think he has done an amazing job with this atmospheric cover, capturing these women with a brave sense of optimism even in the bleakest of settings. His uniquely expressive style lends itself perfectly to this complex tale where the one thing that weaves through the colours of couture gowns and camp mud is a red ribbon, given to Ella as a symbol of hope. Ollie says of this exciting opportunity: "This was my first commission and I was extremely excited about it, but at the same time really nervous due to the fact the project was a book cover - something I’ve wanted to be able to do for a while! It was a pretty fast turnaround for the cover so I was working very quickly to get the right atmosphere they wanted. As soon as I saw the final design with the title I was thrilled with how it turned out and hopefully this is the first of many!" His main inspiration comes from history, particularly enjoying working from historical information and depicting real life events. ‘The Red Ribbon’ is out now from Bonnier Zaffre. To see more of Ollie’s stunning portfolio click here.