Fashion Spotlite: Zozolala

Online Name: Zozo or Zozolala
Real Name: Zozo
How can people Contact you:zozo@zolala.nl          
Website:http://www.zolala.nl http://www.zolala.nl/Sparrow/
Flickr Account:http://www.flickr.com/photos/zozolala/

How long have you been into BJDs?
I think since early 2005.. at the end of that year I ordered my first two dolls, U-Noa’s Sist and Lusis, and they arrived in May 2006.

Who/What got you started?
Jujubes photos of her U-Noa girls, Linera and Nandalin. I was totally smitten! I still am, I don’t think I will ever get tired looking at U-Noa’s. They are so versatile, I love how they all can look so different.

How many dolls do you have?
Four: U-Noa girls Tinka (Sist) and Jinx (Lusis), U-Noa boy Teagan (B-El/Sist hybrid), and little Sparrow (10.5” Roonodoll Yumi).

What do you like best about the BJD scene?
Sharing photos, stories, experiences and experiments, all the information that can be found on forums, boards, and personal sites! ‘Meeting’ so many enthusiastic, creative and talented people that share a fascinating hobby.

What would you like to see in the future from companies?I can impossibly keep up with everything already! I honestly can’t think of anything right now.

What has collecting BJDs done for you (like to change your life, enhance your life, new friends, new experiences etc.)Oh, all of the above! BJDs have definitely changed and enhanced my life, as sewing clothes for them now turned into a part-time job that I enjoy a lot. In the past years I met amazing people online and in real life, one of them became my best friend. I traveled to the US several times to visit her and to meet up with a few mutual friends that are also BJD collectors, and of course for fabric shopping (how I love those huge American fabric and craft stores!).

I discovered skills I didn’t know I had.. like sewing, photographing, story telling, even socializing (I’m quite a hermit and a loner) – and that’s all exciting and interesting.

Do you have a favorite doll? What makes it special?That is really hard. I only have four dolls, they obviously are all favorites and I am very attached to each one of them. But if I have to choose, it will be Sparrow, the little Winged Critter. Because she is my play doll, and thus a little more special. She’s here solely for me to enjoy, to make up photo stories for her, to make her cool little clothes and tiny props, and to build her own environment that is not part of the ‘real world’, and where anything is possible. She unleashes my creativity and imagination in a way the other three don’t.

Describe each of your dolls in one word.
Tinka: pensive Jinx: goofy Teagan: brooding
Sparrow: magical

What doll or doll-related item did you have the most difficulty obtaining?Some very specific 1:6 scale props for Sparrows laboratory, like a microscope or a pair of white lab mice. I ended up making those myself out of Polymer clay, and that was actually more enjoyable than to purchase them ready-made from some online store. I’m very determined though when it comes to finding just the right props or shoes or whatever, so I don’t mind searching high and low. It’s my impatience for them to arrive that kills me!

What are your favorite doll trends right now? Least favorite?
I love the themed doll releases, like the Iplehouse Noctarcana Circus, and the Soom Zodiac series. The execution and promo pictures are fabulous.

And I also like the more adventurous clothing like the Steam Punk/Victorian style. I’m not so crazy about supposedly normal human dolls in fancy colored resin. And third eyes.

What kind of reaction would you like people to have from your dolls/ photos, etc?
Except for fashion photos, I haven’t been photographing much ‘for fun’ lately, but it always makes me happy when people tell me that they enjoyed certain photos, or that they are inspired by them in some way or another. Especially with the one-photo stories of Sparrow. Sometimes those are based on, or include, historical facts or events, with no captions (other then some interference from the Teddies), and only a brief explanation, and I love it when people ‘get’ those glimpses.

What’s your biggest strength & biggest weakness as a collector/ photographer/ etc?
My imagination & I think too much.

How would you describe your personal doll aesthetic?  What do you like most about your own dolls and what makes them “yours” and you?  Do you send your dolls out to be customized, or do you do it yourself?
For my U-Noa’s, I like that they are so normal. I did their faceups myself, and I intentionally kept them uncomplicated and natural. They have their own set of eyes, and a fixed hair color. They don’t have any specific background or ‘baggage’, there’s not much special about them. Recently, someone called them ‘understated’, which I liked very much. So maybe they are unique in their non-uniqueness.

They are “mine” and “me” by the clothes they wear, and their individual but not too strong personalities (more in my mind than laid out in photos or stories).

Sparrow has her default factory face up that I love, and strange, animal-like default eyes that suit her character perfectly. She also wears her default brown wig that I cut short.

She does have a signature style – black outfit, goggles, knee pads, and of course her bird wings – but that’s “her”, not “me”. She goes her own mysterious way 🙂

How would your life be different if you didn’t have dolls?
I would probably be a total hermit and loner, and a damn boring one to boot! *laughs* No, seriously, I guess I would have just carried on from where I was a couple of years ago – working as a web designer from home, reading tons of books, and watching tons of movies. I spent most of my life without dolls – if you would have told me 5 years ago that I would start a sewing business for dolls and totally enjoy it, I would have looked at you very funny. There have always been many and various subjects that interest me, and that I want to explore more.

Would you rather make doll accessories (clothes, wigs, props, jewelry ect) or pay for someone else to do it?
It depends. There are many things I simply cannot make, or don’t have the patience for to try. And I like to buy shoes for my dolls. And props.

What was your best lucky buy?
Kind of a funny one: the impulse purchase of two tiny teddy bears – Hamook the polar bear and Lindbergh the raccoon – for Sparrow. I had no idea this duo would become such an essential part of the process to create Sparrows one-photo stories. Sparrow doesn’t talk, so the bears provide the necessary snide remarks, a sort of impromptu peanut gallery.

Favorite Doll company?
I don’t really have a favorite, as in “I want all their dolls!” There is just too much gorgeousness around. I’m always interested in Alchemic Labo, Elfdoll, Dollfair, Iplehouse, Domadoll – to name a few – and right now I’m quite fond of DollsTown. I discovered their dolls a couple of months ago, and their girl sculpts are so intriguing.

Favorite color of resin: Tan, Beauty white or regular skin?  Do you like the more fantasy color resins on dolls for your collection (pinks, blues, greens, grays, etc)?  Opinions?
Regular skin. I don’t think I will ever own a fantasy colored doll, they just don’t appeal to me.

Favorite size doll 60 cm, minis or tinies?
Definitely minis, the slim ones. I like their size and their weight, and for me the U-Noa bodies (I haven’t had the chance to see other slim minis in person yet) are a dream to sew for, almost perfection in resin form.

What’s your most sought after doll prop that you can’t find?
It’s more that I can’t find the time to make the props that I want! I have a few bigger things in mind for Sparrow that I would love to create, but they have to wait. And at the same time I’m like “I’m crazy for even thinking about it! As if I have room for that”. So I’m not sure if they will ever be realized. But dreaming is fun, too.

What is your “dream doll” that you hope to own some day?
I’m more than happy with the ones I have. My U-Noa girls were my dream dolls, so that was that.. But I do keep a short list of a doll or two, three that I might want to own sometime, however I’m not desperate. I’m a very bad doll collector.

Where do you keep or store your dolls?
They are always near me. Tinka, Jinx and Teagan on my desk – usually in a state of being dressed/undressed, and Sparrow hanging out somewhere where I can see her. I like to look at them when I’m at work.

How do you relate to you dolls (are they art objects, toys, things, friends, muses, soul mates, investments, etc)?
They are definitely art objects, and muses. And fitting forms 🙂 In that way they are investments as well – but hey, they work for it!

Why have you chosen the dolls that you have?
This must be getting old, but they chose me. I had almost nothing to do with it. However, with the U-Noa’s I had some time to think it over because I had to wait almost a year for their next preorder (so at least there was a safety net of some sorts), but Sparrow mentally shook me and left me totally dazed with a goofy grin on my face – so there was no escaping there.

Is there a doll that you never, ever would sell, only if it was unavoidable?
I like to think that I would never sell any of them.. There are other valuable things that I’d rather part with if it comes to it.

When you want a certain BJD, is there a limit to what you’re willing to spend/do to get it?
I’m on a very tight budget, so I have to make choices. If I want a new doll, I have to save up for a long time, or be willing to blow my entire tax return (I did both) – and I have to be absolutely certain that I really, really want that doll. (Not that I’m always that rational and all, but this is just one of the consequences of a decision I made in the past, and that I still stand behind).  So I’m not sure if there will be an actual limit, as long as I can set money aside in a fund, but I can’t see myself spending more than, say, $800.

What do people think the dolls will evolve into in the future?
Maybe that dolls will become more and more realistic and detailed?

How did you get involved in Asian Ball Jointed Doll clothing Designs?
More or less by accident! After I blew my entire tax return on my first BJDs, U-Noa girls Sist and Lusis from the preorder of December 2005, I simply couldn’t afford to also buy them the clothes they needed. I only had a sweater and a pair of pants, and those helped me to figure out how to draft patterns for other things. I used the 5 months waiting time to make a few basics in the hope they would fit. After the girls arrived, I noticed I really loved sewing for them – they have the most wonderful bodies with perfect curves in my humble opinion and at the end of May 2006 I had my first Zolala! outfit set up for sale. I continued making complete outfit sets until I opened the separates shop in September 2008. Now I enjoy designing and making both sets and separates.

What Inspires You?
Street fashion, photos in magazines, movies, and clothing I like to wear myself, or used to wear. I always had a bit of an ‘odd’ taste, I’m definitely not a follower of fashion. I’m still fond of the later British Punk and the New Wave and Grunge styles, mixed with a little glam or vintage leather motorcycle fashion.

But I can also get inspired by fabric, or a structure or color. I love to roam around in my local fabric store, touch and feel every roll of fabric that catches my eye, and try to imagine what I can do with it.

What do you want people to think when they look at your Designs?
“Hey, that’s a Zolala!”  *laughs*
But seriously, I hope that my love for simplicity, shape and color shows in my designs. And that people can see the versatility of the individual items, the possibilities to mix and match them with clothing from other designers and companies.

What do you hope to accomplish in the next 5 years?I would love to keep learning, to expand my boundaries. I’m in ‘business’ for a little over two years now, with only fours years of sewing experience, so there’s still a lot to learn and to improve. But most important: I hope I will still enjoy my dolls and sewing for dolls as much as I do now.

What sorts of things do you enjoy the most about your designs?
To see a rough idea or mental picture come alive. To use my imagination, and match colors and structures and shapes, to create something original out of them. I also like to try to make everything as realistic as possible, like real human clothes. That is a challenge unto itself.

What are your other favorite clothing brands/designers for dolls?
Pink Grapefruit, Mio, Atelier Muse, AnotherSpace. Numerous known and unknown seamstresses out there – I love to browse doll forums to see what other people make, be it for their own dolls or to sell. The many ways they are inspired by so many different dolls and styles.

What’s the Best thing about designing and selling doll fashions?
Obviously, that I can do what I love, and to notice that people love what I’m doing. It’s extremely encouraging to receive such positive response on my work. And that I get to play with my dolls as much as I like, and actually call it ‘work’ 🙂

What’s the most difficult thing about designing and selling fashions?
Originality, I guess. There is such a wide range of doll fashion and styles out there nowadays, it’s often difficult to come up with something new, especially when your own style preferences are pretty limited.

I do try to avoid things that can cause a burn-out, like repeating myself over and over, or continue making things I’m actually bored with by now. I keep a deliberately limited fabric stash, so I can only make current items x times, and then they just sell out forever so I have to move on.

What type of dolls do you enjoy designing for the most (male/female/brands)?
Slim 43cm mini’s, like U-Noa, Narin and Narae, Minifées, and Limhwa. It’s my favorite size. I seem to prefer clothing for girls over boys, though most of what I make can be considered uni-sex.

What is your favorite style to create?
Tomboyish… cute combined with cool. Think cute flower dresses with a grungy, oversized cardi and Doc Marten boots. I also love the adventurer style (Indiana Jones, vintage aviator). I can do basics like simple tees and pants, but I rather make the things that can be worn with basics you already have. Like caps and hats to complete an outfit, or to give it a bit of a twist with deviating shapes like jodhpurs or Zouave pants.

Who would you love to collaborate with? Is there a mold, doll, or company that you prefer to work on?
I never really thought about a collaboration, but I like the idea.

What is your background?  Have you had any special schooling (art school, sculpture, painting, fashion, etc)?
No, sadly no. I’m self-taught.

Who are some of your favorite human designers?
Weirdly enough, I’m not into fashion and designer clothes at all 🙂 but designers I admire for their creativity and originality are John Galliano, Jean Paul Gaultier, and Vivienne Westwood.

Are there types of fabric that you hate or try to avoid?  If so which ones?
Slippery fabrics that start to lead their own lives as soon as I try to cut it! And I wish I could avoid anything that frays, however that is inevitable.

What fabrics do you love to use? Accessories?
I’m very much a simple cotton and cotton jersey person, those fabrics are so versatile and easy to work with. Leatherette is one of my favorites, too. And I just discovered that viscose has a very nice drape and weight for miniature couture.

What outfit do you think was your best and worst?  Why?What I’m most proud of, is not an outfit but a single item: the black leather motorcycle jacket with zippers and belt that I made for my own girls. It was something I wanted to do for a long time, but was scared to fail miserably. It turned out pretty good, and at that time it felt like a big leap forward for me. Very encouraging.

The worst? Um… that’s hard. I rather see misfits as a -ugh- learning curve (and as another addition to my own dolls’ wardrobe if it’s not too bad). I made tons of mistakes and will most likely continue doing so in the future, and sometimes when I see an older outfit I go “What was I thinking?!” – but it’s all part of the process. I’m not ashamed of anything.

Any tips for the beginner doll fashion maker?
Be patient… Aim high, but start low. It takes time. It’s rewarding to start with simple items, and to improve from there. I have always found it interesting to see my own improvements over time, and after two years of continuous sewing, I finally feel like I’m getting the hang of it.

Try to draft your own patterns for a better understanding of how they work, and how to alter them. When you have a few good basic patterns, they will help you to make almost anything.  Oh, and press, press, press the seams while you sew. The little extra time it takes is seriously worth it.

When you were a child did you ever work on dolls or create with similar things?  If so, what were they?

No, not at all… I didn’t even like dolls that much, I preferred my plastic miniature farm and my plushies. I had a Skipper doll and a Mary Quant Daisy doll that I played with, but I didn’t make them anything that could be considered ‘clothes’. I only cut their hair.

I was too messy and impatient for any form of needlework. I did knit huge, oversized sweaters for myself when I was about 18, but they were meant to look messy 🙂

Do you have any other interests that might have helped you in your development of customizing ABJD (like customizing other dolls, action figures, etc)?  Please tell us about them.
I’m blessed with my ancestors’ creative skills and determination. I always loved to draw, to build things (or to take stuff apart to see how it works). Usually I start projects without knowing how, but I like to read up on what materials and techniques to use, what procedures to follow, and then I just take the plunge. My U-Noa girls and boy have a very subtle face up that I did myself, they are just young people, and a natural canvas for what I want them to be on any given time, by the clothes they wear, or by how they appear in a photo. I’m quite boring when it comes to customizing!

Do you have any other interests?  Collections?
I love miniatures, scale 1:6, and usually have some project going on in that field. Right now I’m collecting tiny props and equipment for the laboratory/workshop diorama that I built for my 10.5” BJD Sparrow. I also like to make things for her from polymer clay.

Outside the doll world I love to read, watch movies, and I collect 50s/60s kitsch and paintings.

Why choose clothing design as a form of Self Expression?Because the possibilities are endless. I like any form of creative outlet that is never-ending. You can’t say “Ok, now I master sewing.” or “Now I master designing doll clothes.” There will always be new challenges to conquer, and new ideas to explore.

How long does it take from start to finish on a typical outfit to create and complete?
For a complete outfit, usually 4 or 5 days or less. I can become very obsessed with a new idea, and can easily drop everything else just to see it finished.

How do you like to work best with a custom order for a client? With total freedom to create your vision, or do you like some feedback/interchange with a client who might have an idea or theme they would like to see realized?
I don’t do custom orders, other than the occasional “Can you make me that [specific item] in [specific color]”. I love to have the freedom to create what I like, that is what I love most. I would have a really hard time to just follow preset instructions.

Tell us about your family.  What do they think about your dolls and your business?
There are mixed feelings about that in my family 🙂 My mom likes my dolls to a degree, and she is always very interested in the clothing designs I come up with (her mother was a professional seamstress, and she is fond of the idea that I inherited those skills), but for her it’s more a small business than anything else. She can’t really grasp the doll world, or the joy of making up stories and photographing dolls ‘just for fun’ – like I do with Sparrow.  And my father and brother… well, its about dolls. ‘Nuff said.

Thanks to Zozo for the interview! Always appreciate it!