Meet The Faces Behind Sweets Babydoll

Meet The Faces Behind Sweets Babydoll

Get the inside scoop on the kawaii creatives behind our limited edition 'Sweets Babydoll' design!

MEET KATIE CASTLES

Q: When did you start experimenting with J-fashion and style in general?
A: I was a young teenager really fascinated by magical girl anime and other girly things. I was fascinated by shows like Sailor Moon and styles by pop icons, such as Britney Spears and the Spice Girls. I remember wanting to dress just like them and that's how I found J-fashion!  It was always very fantastical, colorful, and bold!

Sailor Moon and Sailor Chibi Moon Manga Art
Q: Do you have a favorite J-fashion subculture?
A: I love decora because that's the first style I found through publications such as Fruits and KERA magazine. It was very popular when I was younger and thus I'm very nostalgic for the over the top style.

Fruits and Kera Magazine

Q: How did you first find Naoshi's artwork?
A: When I first started working with Popkiller, I noticed that many of the items that stood out to me were in the same art style, and I discovered it to be Naoshi's work!  When I modeled the items, I sent the photos to Naoshi directly and we started talking and eventually, the collab came to fruition! She's a really wonderful person and so creative; there's no one I'd rather work with! I love the design we created together.

Naoshi Sweets Babydoll

Q: How do you style a basic apparel item like a t-shirt into a wild J-fashion look?
A: It's all about the accessories! I'll take a T-shirt and add a fun skirt with some volume, a colorful belt, some bracelets, and hair things and soon it becomes its own special look! I like to wear a lot of colorful things in my hair and on my wrists. Lately, I've been making a lot of my own accessories and it's been a fun project and a nice way to pass time. I like to make hair clips and bracelets out of broken toys and beads. I think anyone can do this!

Katie Castles x Naoshi Sweets Babydoll collab tee.

Q: How do you know when an outfit is 'done'?
A: When I cannot fit any more accessories on my head or body.

Katie Castles wearing a holographic lolita look.

Q: Do you usually have a theme in mind when creating a look or do you freestyle it?
A: Sometimes! I find that themes can be really fun but also restrictive so it depends on how I feel that day. I love making coordinates inspired by animal motifs and also holidays! Some of my favorite outfits were from past Christmases and Halloween! If I'm trying to do something new I'll often consider a theme challenge, as my friends are always creating new ones to try during quarantine!

Katie Castles goth outfit.

Q: What do you love most about Naoshi's artwork?
A: I love the bright and vibrant colors, but most of all I love the small details in the prints and designs that make me smile. I really love art that makes me have a positive reaction like that or produces a light inside of me! In many of my favorite designs, she uses sweets motifs but with a wink! I always like to notice what the characters in the background are doing in her art prints and the fun and whimsical worlds she creates!

Katie Castles smiling with Naoshi's Sweets Babydoll t-shirt!

Q: How do you work a face mask into your outfit?
A: Of course I have face masks that are the same colors as my outfits! I also love to color coordinate my accessories and jewelry to match, however, in my opinion, one does not need to match their face mask to what they are wearing! Like my insulin pump, a face mask is a medical device! It is something that keeps you and me safe, and so to me, it is not necessarily a fashion item. I wore face masks a lot when I visited Tokyo because it was considered polite on crowded trains where most of the time people are packed together like sardines! At that point, I did not care if it matched my outfit, as long as I could make sure no one coughed in my mouth!!!

Katie Castles Face Mask

Q: You've styled a lot of incredibly detailed lolita coordinates, how long does it usually take to don a full lolita outfit?
A: I would say shorter than you'd think, probably only about an hour and a half, for a very detailed outfit maybe two hours. The longest part of the process is arranging the things on my head so they don't fall off, as I want to wear as many as will fit! Also, doing makeup! It always takes so long...since we are all wearing face masks nowadays, sometimes I cheat by only doing it on half my face!

Katie Castles Lolita Co-ord
Q: Who are your style icons?
A: I surround myself with people that inspire me so many of my friends who are also influencers and interested in J-fashion! I'm also inspired by Japanese street fashion icons and models that have grown up from the pages of the print magazines I used to love! Haruka Kurebayashi and Misako Aoki are two I find particularly inspiring because they are always doing something different and living their lives dressed to the nines!

Haruka Kurebayashi and Misako Aoki.


MEET NAOSHI

Naoshi was born in Iwate, Japan, and currently lives and works in Los Angeles. She works with the medium of sand art known as Sunae in Japanese. Using brightly colored, shiny grains of sand, she visualizes a fantastical world of her own, imbued with a sense of nostalgia.
About the artist. "Some of my characters are quite whimsical.  I imagine myself visiting their worlds and  observing their daily lives. The characters  usually show no emotion. This enables viewers  to project their own emotional responses.  I also wish to portray the characters as living  lives with a quiet attitude of sincerity  and earnestness." See more.
Did you know that you can win the entire 'Sweets Babydoll' collection?! We are currently running a J-fashion dress-up contest on our Instagram until September 1st. It's easy to enter, see the rules below! Click through to learn more.

1. Take pictures in a sweet J-fashion look.  2. Post to instagram and tag:  @Popkiller_us @Katiebabydoll @Naoshisunae  3. Join us on Popshop Live Sept. 1st  where we will announce the winners! Use code: POPPIN to join the app!

🍓Good luck!🍓
Miranda and the Popkiller Team


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