People are getting crazy about cute handmade goods these days.
Take Decotti for example, this is a kit that allows us to make some cute sweets decoration in 10 minutes.
The decoration is cute, but the process of making it is also fun.
Tokyo Kawaii TV introduces a knitting specialist, a felt designer, and the latest fashion doll clothing. The show refers to kawaii goods that can be produced through handmade.
Mr. Ikki & Beni-chan visit Kinako-san, queen of the sweets decoration. Kinako-san works from her house.
“This all stems from my desire that I wanna live in a candy house,” says Kinako-san. She has now become so famous as to publish several books on sweets deco, and she also teaches how to make them at school. The sweets decorations she makes look so genuine that her mom once ate them by mistake!
mii-san, a felt designer, never thought of being engaged in her current job when she started making some cute felt badges for her friends 2 years ago. Her hobby became her work.
How? By mouth communication. Especially Harajuku Handmade shop was good place to have her name/works known.
Speaking of showcase, handmade artists can rent the 50cm square shelf to display their works at Shimokitazawa Rental Box
(The Box Latte -no website-). Over there, there are as many as 350 artists making use of the showcase.
Kaito Strawberry is a unit from 2 rabbits (?) who create their works under the theme of black marchen(=fairly tale). They became popular thanks to this showcase in Shimokitazawa, Tokyo.
Now, let’s hit the streets & take a look into how people take handmade into their fashion.
Handicraft items shop in Nikotama, (Hutakotamagawa) Tokyo is introduced in the show. A lady who shops there is a famous actress in Japan, named Ryo. “I just buy whatever I find kawaii, and then after going back home I choose the items to mix with.
What I can make out of these little things…I like to make things, thinking like that,” says Ryo.
203gow-san, a famous knitting artist who scored top 1-4 at a popular amigurumi voting website, says she cannot find things she cannot make out of knitting. Her knitting is way outside the framework of general things.
She makes water faucet, mushroom, Japanese garden, daibutsu, natto soy beans and more.
Her dream is to keep her sheep so that she doesn’t have to buy wood yarn. “I cannot make sweater” she says that nevertheless she can make anything other than that.
When Blythe doll was sold in the U.S 30 years ago, it was not that popular. But in Japan, it’s hit. Blythe fan are crazy about fashion for their dolls. Junie Moon & gallery LELE in Daikanyama, Tokyo, is so hot that we cannot even take a reservation.
Hundreds of fashion items for Blythe; clothes, accessory, wig, etc. are produced by several toy makers.
Here Mr.Ikki & Beni-chan go to see Aketsun-san, a designer of Blythe handmade fashion. She lives in a doll house with dolls as many as 500! That’s because where she works is where she sleeps. (In Japan, we can do anything in 1 room. Using Futon instead of bed makes that possible. What she means here is that she can lay out the futon on the floor when she sleeps.)
“Aren’t you get scared with all these dolls looking down on you when you sleep?” asked by Mr. Ikki & Beni-chan,
Aketsun-san says it’s OK, but after watching horror movie, she’ll get scared.
She is making every single thing that Blythe dolls have or wear; from shoes, clothing, bag, and even to the magazine the dolls have in the pocket!
Sometimes she carves Blythe eyes, embeds spangles inside there, and give the doll makeup.
Her main job is an illustrater, and that can help her to create dress pattern for Blythe handmade clothes.
She spends whole 3 days to make one coordination for one Blythe doll.
Kirin’s opinion:
I’m just amazed to see how people can be obsessed or fallen in love with one particular thing.
And once they find what they are into, they become so professional in that field.
At the same time, I think they are lucky & happy people because they can make living with what they love.
Did you find your kawaii in the show? I personally want to try Decotti, a sweet decoration kit.
Posted by: kirin on 
Jul 12th, 2009 | 
Filed under: Tokyo Kawaii TV
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Tags: Tokyo Kawaii TV
