Kumiko Uehara, BABY, The Stars Shine Bright designer (Photo by: Lydia)

After the BABY, The Stars Shine Bright fashion show, the NEW PEOPLE stage featured a Question & Answer session with one of BABY’s designers, Kumiko Uehara. Foxy of MTV Iggy MCed the event and asked questions while a translator relayed Ms. Uehara’s answers to the crowd.

Here’s a transcript of the Q&A that took place Saturday, August 15. Video of the Q&A can also be found at the end of this post.

Host: Lets talk about BABY, The Stars Shine Bright and Alice and the Pirates. Especially, how they differ from other Lolita brands.

Uehara: So I wanted to let you know that BABY, The Stars Shine Bright is one of the oldest Lolita brands in existence. The point of the line is that it is very cute yet very sophisticated and elegant. And then as Alice and the Pirates, as the name implies, it refers to Alice in Wonderland who is of course cute. But what if she happened to find her way into a pirate world and gets to hang out with really cool pirates.

More Q&As after the jump.

Host: The two brands have quite a unique moniker, where did these come from?

Uehara: Well, we just mentioned Alice and the Pirates is Alice in Wonderland in a pirate world. In terms of BABY, The Stars Shine Bright, our founder, Mr. Isobe, chose that name. It is the title of a song by the British band, Anything But the Girl, and it just had a really cool sound to it so that is why that got selected.

Host: Are you involved in designing clothes for both BABY, The Stars Shine Bright and Alice in the Pirates?

Uehara: Actually, I just design for BABY, The Stars Shine Bright.

Host: Have you always been interested in fashion? When did you discover lolita fashion and BTSSB in particular?

Uehara: In terms of fashion in general, my mother actually makes clothes so I think I was just influence by growing up around her and that’s how I got into fashion. In terms of Lolita, my friends in high school were interested in Lolita and that’s how I became interested in it as well. I have always been enamored with BABY, The Stars Shine Bright ever since my high school friends introduced me to Lolita fashion. In fact, when I was in school, I applied for a designer position with them but at the time they were not looking for someone so I got turned down. And then, I started my own independent Lolita line of clothing and that caught the eye of Mr. and Mrs. Isobe. So when a position finally opened up, they called me up and said we have a position open, would you like to come join us?

Kumiko Uehara taking audience questions (Photo by: Lydia)

Host: So, Kumiko, what is a typical day like for you? What goes on in you life to inspire your fashion?

Uehara: Things change slightly day to day, but one of the unique things about being a designer, especially for BABY, The Stars Shine Bright, is that I am with the process from the very start of the sketch for a design, to designing the pattern for a dress, not just the way the dress looks, to choosing the fabric, overseeing the assistants in the production of the garment until the final garment is produced. So, day to day it differs what exactly I do, but I am with my designs from the very beginning to the very end.

Host: What does Lolita mean to you?

Uehara: Well as most of you know, the word Lolita came from a novel about how men view younger girls and it doesn’t have a very nice feel to it, but I like to think of it as something cuter like lollipop and I like that much better.

Host: What are you inspired by? Or do you, say, listen to music while you draw?

Uehara: I wouldn’t say I really had any physical influence while I was growing up necessarily, but in terms of Lolita fashion in general, it does evoke the image or a kind of homage to the Rococo period in France and other parts of Europe and in particular the fashion worn by the nobility and the royalty. So there are various artbooks and photobooks now of clothing of that era and so I often draw on my inspiration from there.

Host: What are your hobbies? What do you do for fun?

Uehara: Actually there really isn’t much because I’m usually so busy, I don’t have time to relax.

Host: Do you have a love interest? … Ok, sorry, I’ve been informed I can’t ask that question.

Host: Do you enjoy any pop culture genre like anime or manga? And if so, do you have a favorite series?

Uehara: I actually like mystery stories, so I’m particularly a fan of Detective Conan.

Foxy and Kumiko Uehara share the stage, post BABY, The Stars Shine Bright fashion show for a Q&A session (Photo by: Lydia)

Host: BABY, The Stars Shine Bright has collaborated with non-Lolita brands such as Hello Kitty, Volks dolls and a few musicians. But, if you had the opportunity to collaborate with any artist, musician or talent, living or not, who would it be?

Uehara: Actually it is someone who is no longer with us, but I would have loved to collaborate with Marie Antoinette.

Host: If you could be anything but a designer, what would you be?

Uehara: I’ve only wanted to be a designer since I was a child, so I don’t even know how to answer that question.

Host: Back to the Lolita fashion world, how have you seen it change since you joined as a professional designer either in the designs or the people wearing it?

Uehara: When I first started, there were very few people involved in the Lolita fashion world – almost no one around me actually. But now, I’m so happy to see so many people wearing Lolita clothing and really getting into Lolita design, not just in Japan but here in America and other places around the world. It just makes me so happy.

Detail shot of Kumiko Uehara's dress print, name tag and purse (Photo by: Lydia)

Host: There are a number of U.S. fans and customers that discovered BABY, The Stars Shine Bright through Kamikaze Girls. Where you involved at all in this production? And, is the chairman, Mr. Isobe, anything like the charcter?

Uehara: Yes, actually, I was both in the movie and involved with the movie. I appear very briefly at the very end of the movie and most of the designs that appear in the movie, including the one the lead actress wears, were designs that I myself had created. In terms of our founder and boss, Mr. Isobe, it is a little embarassing because he is actually this right now, but if I may, the actor did a great job with the character itself of Mr. Isobe in the movie, but it is not like our real Mr. Isobe who is actually an otaku.

Host: How do your customers find out about BABY, The Stars Shine Bright and Alice and the Pirates?

Uehara: I believe that most of our fans in Japan discover information about any one of our two lines through Lolita fashion groups. There are also several areas in Japan like Harajuku and Shinjuku where there are clusters of different designers stores, so I’m sure they’ve been to at least one of them at one point. We also definitely have a lot of Internet sales and all of us I think have our Web sites as well.

Host: As an American, I would love to know, what is your most favorite city in Japan?

Uehara: Of course I find a lot of comfort in Harajuku and Shinjuku, but what most relaxes me is going home to Saitama.

Host: How do you feel about BABY, The Stars Shine Bright officially expanding to the U.S.? And do you have any specific goals in mind or have you faced any specific challenges so far?

Uehara: I would say that I was concerned about whether we would have any customers at all, but now seeing all of you here it makes me so happy that it actually inspires me to keep working hard to produce more designs for you to all enjoy.

Host: If there is one American artist  that you could dress, who would it be?

Uehara: I’m not sure. I’m kind of put on the spot to answer, but if there is an artist or actor out there that would like to wear BABY designs, I would love to put it on them.

Kumiko Uehara (center) with translator and Q&A host, Foxy (left) (Photo by: Lydia)

Host: What do you think about the NEW PEOPLE center?

Uehara: I have to say that I’m quite amazed that there is such a collection of things having to do with Japan and Japanese culture and I have been looking around the store myself earlier. Here in America, in San Francisco, there is such a mecha of Japanese culture and it just seems like such a fun place and I hope you all can come back many, many times to enjoy it.

Host: Do you have any message for your U.S. fans and the folks who have come out here today?

Uehara: I’m actually feeling a little overwhelmed right now myself having seen so many come in and enjoy our fashion show and come to our store. Thank you so much for supporting BABY and I hope to continue seeing you come in and enjoy our line.

Audience Question: What is your impression when you first saw Americans dressed in Lolita fashion?

Uehara: This is actually my first trip to the U.S., not just to San Francisco. I was a little worried because I got here on the 10th and people where staring at me and trying to take my photo and looking at me weird. But, I’m just so excited now seeing all of you for the last day or so walking around and not just wearing Lolita fashion, but wearing it very completely and so splendidly beautifully, so I’m so happy to see all of you.

Audience Question: I’d like to get your opinion on Japanese deritive brands like Harajuku Lovers by Gwen Stefani. What do you think about that and how it helps or hinders Japanese culture and expression?

Uehara: I’m really happy to see that there is an equal exchange of cultures and seeing things like Harajuku Lovers makes me really proud that there is more and more Japanese culture as a part of American culture not just entering the culture.

Host: Thank you very much, Kumiko.

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posted by Umi
Tags: baby the stars shine bright, btssb, celebrities, designers, Events, japanese brands, new people, san francisco, sweet lolita, Viz
Filed under: Events, Lifestyle, New People news