Indie-Brand Interview: Atelier Dormir

Today I'm really happy to be able to share an interview with you guys, that I've been wanting to do for a while now! This interview is with an aquiantance of mine, the lovely Laelette of the indie-brand Atelier Dormir! I met her when I applied for my position as a mentor on the facebook group, Lolita Fashion Mentoring, of which she's the admin, and since then I've been following how she's been gaining more and more succes with her indie-brand, that specializes in cute and elegant Lolita lounge wear!

I hope you guys will enjoy this interview as much as I enjoyed talking to Lae about such things as working towards your goals, future dreams, and all that really goes into running a Lolita business.

Northern Star- NS

Atelier Dormir- AD

NS: What does “Atelier Dormir” mean to you?

AD: You know, it actually took me a good couple years to come up with a name. I've always known I wanted to sewing for a living, well before I found Lolita fashion. I wanted the name to leave an instant impression and got closer and closer to the name the more I found what it was I loved to sew. "Goodnight, Sweetheart" was going to be name for a good year but I felt it didn't express my work well enough. It had to have the same feel of the clothes. One thing I've always been obsessed with is Rococo and french history. It's a very romantic notion that there would be one shop that all fine ladies would go to for their undergarments. These were called Ateliers, it's means a supreme workshop. My clothes are for night wear and relaxing hence "Dormir". Dormir actually appears to be a verb! Meaning to sleep or relax. So the Atelier isn't me. The Atelier is you. As wearing the clothes makes you the supreme of relaxing. Though in the french language it actually might be a very large Oxymoron! "The working place of doing nothing"

A couple of the portaits that has worked as inspiration for the designer of Atelier Dormir

NS: A “Baby the Stars Shine Bright” designer once said, that Lolita fashion is in part about waking up the dreams that we had when we were little girls. What dream would you like to awaken in your customers, when they put on your creations?

AD: I want them to feel naturally beautiful. To feel care free. My lounge sets are heavily designed from portraits of young girls running through meadows and playing by river beds amongst daisies or lounging on huge lush silk Chaise lounges eating Rose petal bonbons relaxing after a long day of being beautiful. I want to invoke a sense of beauty when the make up comes off and the dress goes back into the closet. That was always my least favourite part of Lolita events. Taking off your wig and pealing off the eyelashes. Now lounging doing reading, sewing, playing video games feels just as beautiful and fun! I really like to dwell on a the idea of a care free life style. Being able to shut the real world out in your time to relax and unwind. Sitting in the garden doing nothing but laying in the sun. Though last summer I almost got no work done! I ended up lounging in my garden sipping rose tea instead of sewing!

I'm so in love with the detailing on these bloomers!

NS: What’s an average day at Atelier Dormir like?

AD: Every day I wake up at 8:30am. I go down stairs for a cup of coffee and a bowl of cereal and then at 10am I go back up stairs to wash my face and sanitize my hands. Hygiene is very important to me! I was my hands with an absinthe solution. I walk past the product closet and usually take a look inside to remind myself of how hard I work. I've never had so many bloomers hanging up before! It looks like a dress rail in a shop. Then I go to my desk and open up my work log and sign in. I write down everything that I do and the time I do it in. It's important to keep track of your progress. It's also how I work out how much the products actually cost. I even write in lunch and dinner breaks and if anything is interrupted. Look up to my "Enchanted" count down, an event we'll be selling at and rip off a day. Today it's 68 days till Enchanted (Note: That was by 01/26-2014) ! I set my goal for the day and turn on my machines and unfold my ironing board. Today I finished off my black bloomer's "shells" A Shell is what we call an undecorated pair of bloomers. They needed their waist band's finished and their tags sewn in! Now they're ready to be steam cleaned and decorated with bows, roses, pearls and chains. I have lunch at 1pm downstairs with my work log. On my lunch breaks I like to draw in more designs. Then back up stairs I go to wash up and keep sewing. To keep me motivated I listen to Trance music! All day I turn on the spotify radio and listen to NNSST NNST NNST or various techno music. Such as "Totally enormous extinct dinosaurs" I've found over the years music with a very fast beat makes you work faster. My working day almost always ends at 10pm or until I'm too tired. I'd keep sewing but when you're tired you make clumsy mistakes. I work Sunday-Friday and on Saturday's we have business meetings and do our quality checks! We go through all of what's been made that week and then discuss what we're doing. We all sit at my dining room table with coffees at my laptop having in depth discussions about colours and fabrics. We all have really different ideas about what we want to do. Sometimes I take a day off. Though it's usually only if I've finished a large amount of work. I recently finished a £100 order so I allowed myself a half day off to go see a movie!

NS: You sound incredibly busy! How many days off would you say you have in, like, a month?

AD: Maybe two? You have your breaking points but you're reminded you can't stop. You've got a deadline, a goal and customers are waiting. When I begin to get sad and want to go back to sleep I remember that my customers are waiting, and that usually fires me up. If there's one thing I can't emotionally stand doing, it's upsetting a customer. If I'm taking too long on an order I can start to have panic attacks but that's where my project manager steps in and calms me down. He usually tells me to go have an ice lolly and get some fresh air.

Exquisite charming charms.

NS: What has been your happiest moment as an independent designer and seamstress, so far?

AD: Every time a customer writes to me to say how much they love their order. I could cry of happiness! They're the most important part to me. 

When we got the confirmation email from the organizers of "Enchanted" that was a big dream come true. I've always wanted to sell at a big event. So I actually did cry from happiness. To other businesses I know it's not a big deal but to me it's going to be one of the best day's of my life. People buying my art, going out of their way to find my stall or even just complimenting my stall. It's what I've always wanted in life.

NS: What has been the most difficult part of running your own brand?

AD: The sewing. It's 80% of the work. It's fun to talk to customers, it's fun to draw pretty dresses and visit museums to find inspiration. 20 pairs of bloomers, 40 legs, 80 bits of fabric. 40 legs that need to be sewn, pressed, locked. Doing anything 40 times in one day can get a bit boring if you don't make a game of it. A hard day's work leaves you with a pile of oddly shaped fabric. You have to keep yourself focused!

NS: What’s your biggest dream when it comes to your brand? What do you hope that the future holds?

AD: My biggest dream for Atelier Dormir is a physical shop. An actual real life boutique in the heart of Amsterdam with happy well paid staff and a design team of my own! To be able to host brand tea parties, sell lucky packs, have ques of people on new releases. I'm dreaming pretty big but I know if I believe in myself I can do it.

A possible future addition to the Atelier Dormir shop (with more lace and frills). Keeping my fingers crossed!

NS: Do you have any advice you’d like to give to aspiring Lolita designers, or other Lolitas who’re pursuing their dreams?

AD: Don't ever listen to anyone who tries to tell you it's not possible. I once read an article on EGL saying it was impossible to make money or a business from just sewing bloomers. I agreed with them. I was an idiot! Sometimes you need to throw realism straight out the window to really achieve your dreams. It used to be impossible to travel more than 30mph, it used to be impossible to touch the moon itself, so if all that can be possible, you can achieve your dreams!

NS: Last but not least- Could you give us a tiny hint on what we can expect to see from you next?

AD: Pink and collaborations. That is all.

I feel so lucky that I know someone with such impressive spirit, and I can't wait to find out what that very secretive end to the interview is hiding! I wonder who they could be collaborating with..
Thank you so much for the interview, Atelier Dormir!

To see more of Atelier Dormir, visit their Facebook page!
Oh, and they also have a blog. That one can be found right here.

All photos on this page were borrowed with permission from Atelier Dormir.

Indie Brand Interview: Ick by Industrialkitty

I've had the pleasure of interviewing the designer of the charming indie brand "Ick by Industrialkitty"! A huge thank you to the sweet ms. Emma for taking the time to answer my questions!

I hope you will enjoy this fascinating ride behind the scenes as much as I did!

Northern Star: ”Ick by Industrialkitty” is a very interesting name for such a cute brand! Why did you choose it? 
Ick by Industrialkitty: I originally sold bloomers under the livejournal username "Industrialkitty" which became my sort of calling card at meetups. Shortened, it would be "IK" which for me sounds like "Ick." The brand concept, which we hope to go into more next fall, is to use the ideas of "Lolita" fashion as a sort of framework for the more grotesque, the less cute. I discovered lolita fashion through the film, Kamikaze Girls (Shimotsuma Monogatari), and one of my favorite scenes is when Momoko steps in poop on her way out of her country home. I like the juxtaposition of this sugary sticky sweetness with realistic absurdity. That was the inspiration for the logo, and where we hope to be going.

Above pictured is Ick by Industrialkitty's adorable, pleated Piano Key skirt!
See below for the blue colorway.

NS: It says on your page that you started sewing as a way to make Lolita clothes for yourself. What inspired you to start sewing clothes for other people, and ultimately, start your own brand?
Ick: When I first entered lolita, Metamorphose had just started to send clothing overseas. Ordering from them was a huge expensive process, just beginning to become more economical. The only way to go was a shopping service. I was in high school, I didn't yet have a job, so I couldn't buy anything, I could only make it. I had very basic sewing skills then, but took a number of classes, and began to make bloomers on commission, in addition to clothes for myself and my friends. We were made fun of very very regularly. At first, like many people who hand make lolita, I didn't understand their criticisms. I was very hurt by them. But over time it spurred me forward to analyze what these items are really made from and what determines quality. Sewing then became a point of pride for me. I ended up going to school for Fashion Design at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, and learning about patternmaking and the design process. It was a very stressful path to take, preparing us for internships at major high fashion houses. I came out of it unsure of what to do with myself, but realizing that I am still very inspired by the softness and whimsy found in lolita. That made me decide to start my own brand. It will be very rough for awhile, but I am hoping that I will be able to do something wonderful with it. 

NS: I understood that you are apparently two people sharing the workload! What do each of you do to keep the brand going?
Ick: Yes, I do all the designing, sewing, patternmaking, business decisions, and photography. My wonderful best friend, who went with me to meetups in our early days, Tori Sturm, has amazing graphic design skills and works on the website. Without her, I would only have nice clothes! It is really really difficult to try to do these things by yourself, to not get discouraged. I am very lucky to have such a wonderful friend to help me and grace me with her great ideas!

The blue colorway of the Piano Key print radiates an Alice in Wonderland-like sense of  the cute, curious and whimsical.

NS: What would you say has been the best part of starting your own Indie Brand? What has been the most difficult?
Ick: The best part has been getting my ideas out into the world, from design to completion, on a model in a photo. That whole process really pays off to something wonderful in the end. I really enjoy creating something and watching it walk down a runway. I haven't yet had the pleasure of really making that real for Ick, but I look forward to it. The two most difficult things about this, and I really think it is a tie, is between working the business aspect of things and staying current. I made a very big point of legitimizing this as a business in the state of Illinois, which made my start-up costs more expensive. I also wrote a business plan, to help mark out the steps that were important to this business. I had a small amount of capital to start with, but the costs for something like this (when I'm not buying fabric by the piece, I'm buying by the bolt, and I had to travel to meet some of our suppliers) have really racked up. Making the decisions about what we get, who we deal with, and all that, is really really difficult. We aren't a huge fashion house, so many of these fabric companies have scoffed at dealing with us. It has been hard, but with all that bearing down on me, I haven't been paying as much attention to current trends in fashion. We are just now taking the steps to shoot with Fall collection (and it's already November!). I'm very behind schedule. I have watched other companies I've worked for have similar troubles, but you really have to stick to it in order for it to work out! Hopefully we will persevere. 

NS: Your previous works includes historical costumes and cosplay, right? Are you planning for your brand to expand into those or other areas?
Ick: Yes, I was for a number of years, a Star Wars costumer. My father was once considered to be the best Obi Wan Kenobi (Old Ben) in the entire country, and was featured in the Rose Bowl parade. I learned quite a bit of stuff from those years, from accuracy and authenticity to textiles. With the release of Episode III we sort of lost interest in that whole aspect of things, and I went off to college, which put a serious damper on costuming. I had done some anime cosplay as well, but I didn't enjoy that as much because people didn't really know who you were all the time, and it's much easier to make something that's already established, even if the process of making it is really time consuming. Around my Junior year of college, I went to a World War II reenactment at a local car museum with my father for Father's Day. I have always been really interested in this point in history (along with my dad, who was born in 1942, so he has always been very interested in WWII) but speaking with one of the reenactors really struck a cord. It is very perplexing to me that someone would want to dress up as a soldier from that time period, given how horrible so many of the situations they found themselves in were! I left the reenactment without thinking too much about it, but the person I had been talking to managed to get in touch with me, and we continued our conversations and began to date! He's now my boyfriend, but we also do World War II reenacting together. I have learned alot about his history, and how much of a struggle his people have had to bring him where he is today. It's really amazing. Through this, I've noticed quite a few loop-holes in what are made for reenactors and I've started making many of the clothing items myself. I'm hoping to soon open a small other site with that information on it, although they don't need as much of a direct point of sale. I do take inspiration from this research, though, and it finds itself very often in my work, although in less obvious ways.

Ick by Industrialkitty's Cream Ribbon Salopette, coordinated with their fluffy Marshmallow Half-Jacket

NS: Do you have any big plans for the future? Drop us some hints!
Ick: We have a bunch of photoshoots planned, with some of our summer collection and some really cool stuff for fall. I've been working with an illustrator who has provided us with some really awesome stuff, and we will be debuting that collection soon as well! Hopefully by January we will also be making raincoats! I'm very excited for that.

NS: Do you have any words of advice for other Lolitas looking to start their own Indie Brand?
Ick: Don't get discouraged! The economy is very rough right now, and it is very hard to keep people interested. Do not lose hope! Make plans, short term and long term, for how you will be doing things. Having a business plan is a very important step to running a successful business. Draft your own patterns, if you can't do that, you can't move forward as a designer, you'll just keep making the same dress! Most of all, have fun! 

Thank you again to Emma from Ick by Industrialkitty for taking the time to give us all a quick backstage glance into the busy life behind the brand!

Ick by Industrialkitty can be found on their Facebook page and their own Website!

Indie Brand Interview: Haenuli

For this second indie-brand interview I have had the honor of interviewing the beautiful and talented Korean indie designer, Haenuli, of the brand of the same name! Please enjoy!


Northern Star: Are you a lolita yourself? What inspired you to become a Lolita?

Haenuli: I’ve been wearing Lolita fashion about 8 years, I can’t recall what was motivate me but I knew about Lolita fashion for long times. Also I always love lace, ruffles, pretty butter cup shape skirts. 

NS: What made you decide to become an independent designer of your own lolita brand?
H: When I first knew about Lolita it was around 2000. At that time there’s some independent Lolita shops owned by armatures in Korea. Also Most of Korean lolitas prefer indies shop than Japanese brand pieces. At that time I was a student, making my own Lolita clothing for my self, I was a lone Lolita until 2004. Around 2007 other people suggest me to open a Lolita shop so I opened small armature shop. 

Haenuli's gorgeous Sleeping Beauty print. There are many different colorways, including black(pictured), purple and green!

NS: What do you most enjoy about being an independent designer so far?
H: When my new clothings are goes well with my model, when my customers love my clothing. 
When I got suggestions from Japanese brand to work with them, When national broadcast wants to filming about Lolita fashion, I’m glad I make quality Lolita clothing.

NS: What has been the hardest part of starting your own brand?
H: Haenuli Lolita shop is registered as real business in Korea. When I register my business I have to pay for tax do some paper work. When some Chinese brand copy original prints from other indie shops that gives direct damage to small indies shop. Even though I consider my business as real business still it’s armature hobby shop to most of Lolita.

Haenuli's adorable Lolita Bunny print that, jusk like the Sleeping Beauty JSK, exists in multiple colorways!

NS: How do you find inspiration for new designs?
H: Someday inspiration just hits me. Most of time I just think hard in days, weeks. 

Another one of Haenuli's gorgeous creations

NS: Do you have any idols in the Lolita community?
H: There are so many beautiful lolitas gives me inspiration at EGL, daily Lolita, tumblr, look book etc. I asked few people to scrap their coordination and post on my Korean blog. I’m always study new trend of Lolita fashion from them. 

Haenuli's "Alice" dress in the Black colorway. There is also a white version!

NS: What do you hope to accomplish with your brand? Do you have any plans for the future?
H: This year I had a chance to show my work at AWA, Otakon and several more conventions. Right now I’m preparing PMX Lolita fashion show. Next year I hope I could attend those conventions in person. Also I wish there’s Haenuli tag on EGL and daily Lolita(^^)


NS: Do you have any advice for other lolitas out there, who are looking to start their own independent brand?
H: I don’t think I’m in position of give advise… Well when you’re operating your own business there will be a lot of problems you have to solve in professional way. When you try hard enough, you will get what you want eventually.

I would like to, once again, thank Haenuli for taking time off her busy schedule to participate in this interview! 
Haenuli's shop can be found online on Facebook and they also have an online shop.

All pictures in this post are borrowed with permission from Haenuli's facebook page.

Indie Brand Interview: We're All Mad Here

This will be the first post in a series of interviews with some of the most creative minds connected to the lolita community: The strong people who have decided to spend their time and dedication creating beautiful garments for the rest of us to wear and love! I hope you will enjoy getting to know our talented indie designers as much as I have enjoyed reading their responses!

I am honored to present my very first indie brand interview, this time with the awesome Australian indie designer Eden, of the indie brand "We're All Mad Here"! I'm very thankful for the opportunity to get to know this very interesting brand better.

Enjoy!

Northern Star: Are you a lolita yourself? What inspired you to become a Lolita?
We're All Mad Here: I’m actually not sure whether I consider myself to be a full lolita! I admired the style and Lolitas themselves for years but never got around to making any purchases while at university… I guess I would be a part-time/casual lolita? I think Lolitas are incredibly beautiful, but I don’t see myself as a glamorous person – so I’m happy to be the slightly daggy (aussie slang for uncool!) designer/creator of dresses that look amazing on everyone else :3

NS: What made you decide to become an independent designer of your own lolita brand?
WAMH: It started as a textile design project in mid-2011 – I started doing up a few designs a posting them on facebook to see what people’s thoughts were, and the response was quite positive! It brings together my fashion training and design degree, and allows me to make creepy/punky things unashamedly cute – plus I’ve always wanted to work for myself, so it seemed like a very good match for my combination of skills and interests!

We're All Mad Here's Zombie Tea Party and Zombie Carnival prints, and their Zombie Pony bag!

NS: What do you most enjoy about being an independent designer so far?
WAMH: The buzz from people saying that they love the designs! And the freedom to design whatever I want without having to keep someone else’s aesthetic in mind.

NS: What has been the hardest part of starting your own brand?
WAMH: For me it has been establishing a fabric printer – there are often issues that take time to sort out, so I’m usually quite stressed! Tracking down suppliers and manufacturers also takes time and can be quite expensive when you’re testing different companies to see what kind of product they give you.

We're All Mad Here's adorable Sugary Bones print!

NS: How would you describe your brands unique style? 
WAMH: It’s sweet and punk – I try to make textile designs that balance the two enough to spark interest, but not so macabre that they would scare people away. Basically when I start doing cute casual dresses with the same style, I want people to feel punky and badass while they’re wearing it, but still pretty!

NS:  If your brand was telling a story, what kind of Story would that be?
WAMH: Eeep – I really don’t know! It would be a cute but twisted tale, for sure :)

NS: How do you find inspiration for new designs?
WAMH: Anything can spark off an idea – often I’ll see something and imagine how it could be contrasted with my aesthetic. Tumblr provides a lot of visual inspiration for me – I love it!

 

We're All Mad Here's charming licorice-like Ebony Sweets print!

NS: Do you have any idols in the Lolita community?
WAMH: Anyone who experiments with the style! But I do admire Lunie, Pastelbat, Victoria Suzanne, and Pastel Ai as well-known figures – they are creative while being positive role models, to my mind. And the girls in the local community are amazing – I always love Bee, Suz, and Thaleia’s style when I see them :3

Close up of We're All Mad Here's Zombie Tea Party print.

NS: What do you hope to accomplish with your brand? Do you have any plans for the future?
WAMH: As far as accomplishments go, I want to get the rest of the Sugar Punk collection out and start working on the next one; and I’m looking at releasing a few casual dresses and skirts to sell in the online shop. Lolita items will definitely be WAMH’s premium range, so it would be good to have some cheaper items with the same style for people to choose from.

As for the future – a lot more designing and sample-making! And since WAMH is officially a business now (not classed as a hobby by the Government), it would be nice to throw an epic 1-year anniversary party next October, but I’ll have to see how the next year goes!

NS: Do you have any advice for other lolitas out there, who are looking to start their own independent brand?
WAMH: If it’s something that you really, really want to do, you should definitely go for it (of course you should, why wouldn’t you?!). You will need to know how to sew and make (or at least adjust) patterns, and have a decent design eye or train yourself in these things. Maybe start by making a few things for yourself and your friends – it will give you an idea of what the process is like from beginning to end: print concepts, dress concepts, digital rendering and file set-up for printers, lead time for fabric sampling and adjusting artwork, pattern making, sample making and fitting, fabric and trim selection, and of course, the final piece. That way you’ll have something unique, and if people start asking you about it, that’s a good sign!

Get yourself a support network – you will need help to get started, so if there is an area in your skill set that isn’t as strong, find someone who is awesome at it and see if they’d be willing to teach you a few things. You may find that you have a skill they want to learn as well, so you can level up together XD

And support your industry! One of the best ways to ensure that you have a market to work within is to support it's growth. It’s fantastic to see new designers and their fresh ideas for lolita!

Thank you to We're All Mad Here for giving us all a glimpse into what lies behind the creative works of We're All Mad Here's badass but magically cute world!
Their brand can be found on their Facebook page and in the We're All Mad Here online store!

All pictures in this article are borrowed with permission from We're All Mad Here's facebook page.