Gab Bois Turns the Banal Into the Bizarre
The surreal image maker talks AI and her latest brand collaboration.
A mini skirt made of pens, a lettuce-turned-handbag, an orange peel bra, these are just some of the things that you might find on the Instagram page of Gab Bois. The Montreal-based image-maker has carved out a distinct visual universe where everyday objects are reimagined with surreal (and sometimes unsettling) precision. Now backed by a full studio team and an audience nearing 700,000, her page has evolved into a cult destination for fashion and design lovers drawn to the offbeat. This is where the absurd becomes wearable… Prawn earrings, anyone?
It’s no surprise that brands are lining up. Through commissioned work and collaborations, Bois translates her uncanny ideas into high-concept visuals that feel both bizarre and strangely accessible. Since 2020, she has maintained an ongoing creative dialogue with Balenciaga, producing digital campaigns that blur the line between fantasy and fashion. Her client roster also spans heavyweights like Nike, Valentino and e.l.f. Cosmetics, while her editorial work has seen her style Belgian pop star Angèle in signature pieces, including that now-iconic orange peel bra.
Bois’ latest collaboration leans fully into the surreal. After catching her work online, independent label ESENES, which recently went viral for its “Dumpling Bag” (exactly what it sounds like), enlisted Bois to bring one of her conceptual designs to life. The pair just dropped the “Bag Boot,” literally shoes disguised as paper grocery bags. Originally imagined by Bois in early 2025, the piece has now been fully realized, blurring the boundary between internet concept and tangible product.
We caught up with Bois to talk about her creative process, her take on AI and what’s next as she continues to reshape the language of imagery. The “Bag Boot” is now available via the ESENES website.
Can you tell us a bit about yourself and your career so far?
Hi! I’m a visual artist and designer based in Montreal, Canada. I founded my creative studio in 2021, which acts as the building force behind the more commercial side of my practice. Through the studio, we work with brands, institutions and other artists to translate my ideas and aesthetic into different formats, like campaigns, music videos, product designs, installations and experiences… basically whatever medium best fits any creative goal.
How would you describe your medium? Does having a full studio team affect your process as an individual artist?
I do proudly wear a lot of hats. I like the word creative, just because it’s so broad, and that’s sometimes what pisses people off about it, but in my case, I think it’s the closest thing that encapsulates all the roles I’ve had, and the ones I might step into next.
Being a jack of all trades does come with not claiming one specific expertise, but I think my strength really lies in the ideas. I can get pretty far with different execution and production techniques, but having a team has changed everything. I think being a good leader is letting people shine in areas where you don’t.
Can you tell us a bit about your latest collaboration with ESENES? What was the inspiration behind it?
Like a lot of our collaborations, it started from an Instagram post. Two winters ago, we made a series of images featuring boots constructed from different bag-like materials, brown paper bags, zip-locks, garbage bags, things like that.
ESENES reached out specifically about the paper bag boots, which were also my favorites from that series. They came in with a lot of enthusiasm for the idea, but also a really strong production pipeline and clear vision, which made it feel very real, very quickly. I really love it when something that starts as a one-off, non-functional prop for an image gets to take on a second life as an actual object. So it felt like a very natural collaboration.
Your Instagram bio says “Not AI.” How do you deal with the current tech climate and battling the AI accusations? Have you considered using Al?
It’s a fine line because my process is super analog, and the digital part really only comes in when we document the work through photography. So it’s important for me to make that clear, so people are looking at the work with that understanding, knowing it’s actually been built by hand.
That being said, I don’t consider myself entirely anti-AI. I do think it has some very concerning effects, both environmentally and in terms of how it might impact the way we think and create. But I also think it has real potential in areas like medicine, for example. I just don’t think it holds value as a final art form. But that’s just my two cents.
A lot of your work is centered around food. Where did this fascination originate?
My fascination with food comes from a mix of personal history and its visual quality as a subject. Growing up, food was always tied to moments of care and creativity. My dad would pick me up from school for lunch and would turn simple meals into something playful and memorable, which definitely played a huge part in how I see it today.
Beyond that, food is something everyone has a relationship with, which makes it a really accessible entry point. I’m drawn to how familiar it is, and how that familiarity can be subverted in unexpected ways.
Do you have a dream brand to collaborate with or a person you’d like to work with?
I’d say I’m mostly interested in working with people and brands that have a strong point of view and a sense of play, and where there’s room to create something that couldn’t exist without that specific collaboration.
In terms of specific names, that honestly changes daily, but today’s shortlist would be any animal rescue or sanctuary, Redbull, Tyler, The Creator and Zach Cregger.
You’ve created your own product line, including fashion items. Is this something you’d like to expand?
Yep, definitely. Developing the product line has felt important, not just as an extension of the work, but as a way to understand ideas through use, production and distribution. It’s pushed me to think beyond the image.
I’d love to continue expanding it in a way that still feels intentional. I’m interested in building pieces that sit somewhere between functional object and collectible, that carry the same visual language and conceptual approach as my broader work and feel aligned with the core of my practice.
Many of your pieces have gone viral. How do you think social media works as a tool for artists today? Do you feel pressure to share more of your identity?
Instagram and the landscape of channels have changed so much since I started a decade ago. I feel a lot more detached from it now; it doesn’t really feel like it’s made for the users anymore, more like we are playing into a broader corporate agenda we aren’t fully privy to.
I still like sharing work there and keeping that sense of connection and community alive, it’s just not as defining for me as a tool. I’ve always preferred to let the work lead versus it being about me as a person. I’m very stubborn about it, so even if it’s not what’s being favored by algorithms right now, it’s what feels right, and that’s reason enough for me.
What’s next for you?
So much! I’m continuing to grow the studio and take on projects that push us into new formats and scales, while staying very idea-led. There’s also more coming on the product side, which I’m always excited about. Alongside that, I’m working on more long-form work, including film, which feels like a natural extension of everything I’ve been building. I’m walking the fine line of evolving my practice without losing its core.
