Postal Strike: Closing Date Extended

Thanks for your emails and questions about how the postal strike might affect the Couture Contest. Those of you that don't live in the UK may not have heard that postal workers are planning strikes this week and are currently dealing with a large backlog of undelivered mail. While many of your entries have arrived safely at Momiji HQ (we'll send an email to the creators of all those dolls that we've received next week) we can't stand the thought of some dolls being stranded in a sorting office somewhere. We've decided that the deadline for entries will now be 5.30pm on Monday 16th November. We can't say for sure how long the strike will impact on deliveries but hopefully those extra couple of weeks should mean that everything makes it through the system. To keep things simple we'll also accept entries to the USA address until 16th November.

Thanks so much to those have you who have take then time to deliver your dolls by hand. It's lovely to meet you and we really appreciate your dedication.

If you have any questions just let us know.

Photo credit will wade

Two Weekends Left

Hello folks,

Hope your dolls are coming along well. Two weekends left now, which is plenty of time to devote to pouring a little love and creative genius into your Momiji. As a dose of textile eye candy we'll leave you with this fab photo by Astrid (we LOVE Astrid and her amazing blog & flickr stream.)

Have a wonderful weekend.

xx

Barbara Hulanicki

It’s not every day you get to sip cappuccino with one of the most highly esteemed names in British fashion, so when Barabara ‘BIBA’ Hulanicki found time during London Fashion week to talk with us, we were more than a little bit excited.

Settling down for a chat in the cafe at Liberty, she told us how entering a design competition had had a big impact on her own early career. Back in the 1950s her aunt had spotted a contest in the London Evening Standard. There had been three categories; evening wear, day wear and swim wear. Barbara’s aunt was sure she had come up with a winning idea and tasked her niece with drawing up a complicated ensemble which involved an outfit made from layers of silk which could be removed to reveal a cocktail dress. Despite not being particularly keen on the old-fashioned style, Barbara did as she was asked, however when she returned home she decided that she’d also enter her own idea for a playsuit. She recalls how several weeks later she heard that she had won and laughs at the trepidation she’d felt when faced with the daunting task of breaking the news to her aunt!

“It changed my life completely. It also taught me that I was right not to always listen to my elders and that I really should trust my own ideas.”

After studying at Art College in Brighton, Barbara began her career as a freelance fashion illustrator for newspapers and glossy magazines. Felicity Green, women’s editor for the Daily Mirror asked Barbara to design an outfit that the newspaper could offer its readers as a mail order offer. The result was a pink gingham dress which they sold over 17,000, it gained cult status and resulted in a British gingham shortage. Barbara’s husband Fitz, set off on a mission to fabric suppliers around the country in an attempt to source enough to keep up with demand.
Spurred on by their immediate success the couple went on to set up their own mail order business, selling their designs across Britain to fashion-hungry young women. Barbara talks about those early days with fondness but also remembers the chaos that often ensued as they tackled the overwhelming demands of being the nation’s coolest boutique.

It was only a matter of time before the mail order business expanded into their first shop. In 1964 the doors of a new boutique opened in Kensignton and the legendary BIBA was born, creating a completely new type of fashion retailing that would change the face of the British High Street forever.

We asked Barbara what advice she’d give to those starting out in their design careers nowadays; she stressed the importance of hands on experience;

“When we started BIBA we had to do everything ourselves. I’d say get as much knowledge and experience as you can. Learn the technical stuff too, the nitty-gritty. Work in a shop to see how people buy, learn how to pattern cut. Do as much as you can before you settle in a particular job. See what’s out there, find different openings; there will be things happening that you don’t even know about.”

We took along Coco, one of our newest Momiji as a gift for Barbara to take back to her home in Miami, “I love it, she’s adorable!” Chatting about some of the most memorable gifts she’d received she recalled the time Fitz had bought her a wooden armadillo! “I don’t know why!” she laughed “He was always terrified of giving me presents because I’m so difficult.”
With a career spanning nearly 50 years, Barbara Hulanicki is showing little sign of slowing down. Her recent capsule collection for TopShop, a collection of wallpaper for Graham & Brown and now even a documentary film about her life ‘Beyond BIBA’ mean that the creativity just keeps flowing. “I love doing new things, moving from one to another”

Finally, we wanted to know how she would approach entering the Couture Contest; if she were to make a Momiji that represented herself, what would it be like? “A little devil...a happy little devil!”

We’d like to say a big thanks to Barbara for being so generous with her time and her enthusiasm for supporting new talent.

If you’d like your creative skills to make it into the hands of a fashion icon then make sure your doll arrives with us before October 30th. Just under a month to go; it’s the final countdown.

For more information and a list of screenings for Beyond BIBA visit http://www.beyondbibamovie.com/

Pip McCormac

Entering the Momiji Couture Contest is a chance for you to get your work in the hands of some pretty fabulous folk from the world of design, fashion and textiles. Stay tuned over the coming weeks for interviews with some of the faces behind the contest; we'll be chatting with them about their lives, their careers and what they'll be looking for in the winning entry.

First up is Pip McCormac of The Sunday Times Style. We had a chat with the man responsible for the glossy pages of our favourite Sunday brunch-time reading.

Did you always know you wanted to work in design?
No – when I was very young I wanted to be a bus driver as I thought it would be a good way to always be meeting new people. Then I wanted to be a chef because I love eating, and finally I fell into writing about design because I just love a good cushion and I’m not fierce enough to write about fashion!

Where are your favourite places for shopping in London?
I love the atmosphere of Marylebone High St. It can be a thriving Saturday afternoon just five minutes walk away on Oxford St, but up there it’s always calm, serene, and gentle. Plus there are some great pubs and restaurants to end up in.

Do you collect anything?
Dust, mainly. My house is full of things that I love that I really don’t have space for, but that I’ve picked up over the years and can’t bear to part with. Candlesticks, vases, weird little horse-shaped ornaments….I’d love to be all minimalist, but I just couldn’t manage it.

What have you learned this year?
How to trust my instincts when I come to work. If I instinctively love a group of random objects, chances are they’ll look good together on the page. Of course, that could just be because there are geniuses working on my Art Desk.

What advice would you give to those beginning their design careers on how to promote themselves and their work?
So many young designers are pro-active these days – I often get emails from recent graduates with images of their work and a mini-bio. I’m so deskbound a lot of the time that I often have to rely on people to come to me. Of course, shows like 100% Design and Tent are great to be involved in, as it’ll get you massive exposure almost instantly, from both the press and the buyers.

What’s the hardest thing about your job?
Keeping on top of all the press releases and information and bits of paper that constantly threaten to overrun my life! I long for a paperless working system. Or even a filing cabinet would do nicely!

What’s your favourite part?
I love it when I put something on the page and then get a call from the stockist the next day saying they’ve already had a ton of orders. I know that my job isn’t exactly something that would lead to sainthood, but I figure that most people don’t have time to trawl every shop and website looking for the perfect vase to fill a spot in their living room, so I like being able to do that for them.

What possession could you not live without?
My Sky+ box. I love television, and I love being able to watch what I want, when I want. I’m about to go on holiday next week and freaking out that it won’t have enough memory left to record all the shows I’ll be missing, and I just can’t face deleting all those episodes of Property Ladder currently clogging it up. I do know some people would find this embarrassing to admit to, but I don’t think there’s anything shaming in talking about what brings you joy. And yes, I do know it’s only TV!

Friday nights or Sunday mornings?
Friday nights! I love the promise of the weekend stretching ahead of you. I’m usually far too hungover to function on a Sunday morning.

What will you be looking for when you’re judging the Momiji Couture Contest?
Bright and interesting use of colour. I like seeing palette combinations that I wouldn’t necessarily have thought of. I’m all about the bold and the beautiful.

Returning Dolls

As you'll all know, the top ten entries will be exhibited at Royal/T in LA. We're still fine tuning dates for this but we'll let you know as soon as we can. We have received a few emails from people asking if and when their doll could be returned to them. The terms of entry currently state that dolls cannot be returned however we've been giving this some thought and have come up with a new solution. We will keep the dolls until the end of 2010 to allow enough time for exhibiting them. After this time, if you would like your doll to be returned if you can send us the stamps or postage fee we can get it sent back to you.

Hope this helps. If you have any questions just drop us an email to smiles@momijishop.com and we'll get back to you.

Thanks so much for your entries so far. Keep them coming!

Amanda Fatherazi

Taking craftsmanship, traditional embellishment, and embroidery to a whole new level; Amanda Fatherazi's exquisite dolls stopped us in our tracks. In total awe of her talent, we asked her if she'd tell us a little bit more on how she does it.

Your work has such finesse and flair! Tell us about your creative process - how do you start out making a new doll?

Thank you! I naturally find myself inspired by bygone eras, the sense of style and general aesthetics, which is the common thread throughout my work. The details of each project depend on whether it's self-initiated or I'm working with a client. Whichever it is, I usually begin with sketches and put together mood boards of suitable fabrics. Hunting for vintage fabrics is what I love and sourcing these is a pleasure to me. Once I'm happy - and the client - is happy with the design then I'm ready to start...

Do you find yourself giving each one a characteristic and story as you make each piece or are you more focused on the style and aesthetics of the doll?

To me, style and aesthetics are the most important factor although I do try to make each one unique. A doll may start off with the same face shape or body parts/pattern but due to the nature of fabric I find the character emerges as I'm working on her and her features develop.
Do you have a specific space where you work or are you able to create wherever you are? I usually work from my studio at home as it's well lit and my tools are at hand. Also because the dolls are usually quite large (approx 30 inches) I need quite a big space to work on them.

You’ve created dolls for some beautiful stores. Why do you think that grown up girls still have such a passion for dolls?

Dolls are part of every girl's childhood so I think there's always going to be an emotional connection. As with the original French 1920s boudoir dolls I try to evoke a sense of glamour, and what girl doesn't like a little glamour in her life?

Have you ever made a doll that you simply couldn’t part with?

I find it difficult to part with all my dolls because each one is unique and the time it takes making them. However, I have one which I won't part with although she earns her keep as a sample to show potential clients!

What would be your advice for people entering the Momiji couture contest?

Add as much of your own flavour as you can and have fun.

Supermarket Sarah

It's starting to feel a bit like Parkinson around here with all these interviews. We love them though, so here's another with the one & only Supermarket Sarah. We've been thinking about creative spaces; the areas of people's homes and work places that they devote to making and customising stuff. Sarah has taken the bold step of turning her living room into a shop. By mounting her ever-evolving collection of vintage fashion and customised objects onto a wall in her home, she's created a clickable homepage for her website http://www.supermarketsarah.com/

We had a chat with her about how it all came about.

You’ve left the corporate world behind you and set up your amazing shop. Have you found that a change in your working environment has had a change on you?
Yes I feel 100% me, which is amazing but also quite scary.

Do you ever struggle with the fact that you don’t have separate home and work spaces?
Yes definitely I find it’s very difficult to separate between work and play. My boyfriend has banned me from spreading into the living room. At one point we were falling over Antlers and Clothes in the hallway! Blogging is addictive and very 24 hours so I’m trying to find a balance and not to geek out continuously! I love doing Portobello Market on a Friday as it gets me away from my computer and out into the real world again.

Do you create or customise any of the pieces in your store yourself?
Yes there are several Supermarket Sarah specials!
http://www.supermarketsarah.com/detail.php?item=154
http://www.supermarketsarah.com/detail.php?item=34
http://www.supermarketsarah.com/detail.php?item=78

Your wall of wonderfulness changes frequently – what inspires each theme?
Sometimes the items I find inspire a wall and sometimes the other way round. Colour just seemed like a fun, aesthetic way to do it. The walls are also now becoming topical. We have a fashion week wall (Guest curated by Fred Butler) and we will be doing an Art wall in combination with Frieze Art fair etc....

Lots of big stores on our high streets are struggling at the moment. Do you think we’ll see resurgence in independent retailing?
Yes I think people are quite sick of homogenous brands that all look the same. I think there has been a recent resurgence in authenticity and a trend away from the ‘BUY BUY BUY’ mentality. I think people want to learn to treasure things again and not just keep buying new things all the time. The way we are marketed to we have this inner urge to buy new things with every new fad but with an economic downturn I think people are trying to understand new ways. Its not about being super organic and expensive necessarily but just unique and with personality.

What are your favourite blogs?
http://www.stylebubble.com/
http://www.fffound.com/
http://www.fredbutlerstyle.blogspot.com/
http://www.dezeen.com/
http://www.designmilk.com/

We love that each item in your shop comes with a personal story – that’s part of the thinking behind the couture contest, we want people to create dolls which reflect themselves and the things they love. What advice would you give to anyone entering the contest?
Just do it! Then think about it.
At college I always found that I thought about things way too much and then never did it. Now I just do, and I think about it later!
Good luck!