Anouk nominated for an award!

I am extremely proud that Anouk has been nominated for an award by DollObservers.com Fashion doll awards. She has been nominated in the best collectible Vinyl/ Plastic fashion doll category. Thank you so much to anybody who nominated her. Please vote if you are able. Winner announced on Feb 19th.

https://m.facebook.com/pg/dollobservers/photos/?tab=album&album_id=1602730716420626

http://dollobservers.com/dofdas-vote

Anouk in Japan - Print adverts

Gearing up for the release of the very special and limited edition " Anouk in Japan" dolls.  In preparation I designed and made these adverts. They are intended to call to mind those old vintage ads for the Japanese releases of Tammy, Francie and Barbie etc.
I made two versions. The first has an emphasis on the westernised fashions:

 

 The second gives prominence to the exquisite Kimonos that have been made for this line of dolls:

The background is the Olympic complex in Tokyo in 1964. A fitting backdrop for these ads I thought.
 

A special thank you and mention here, go to Kazuko Hosokawa who translated the text for me, and Fokke Hoekman who helped me to place Japanese text on the images.

Here are black and white versions:

The dolls will release at the end of January / early February 2017. I just received the booklets today which look fabulous! Stay tuned here or at the Facebook group and Flickr for more updates.

For all enquiries contact Nav at navsikand@aol.com

Anouk, Fabrizio Viti and the Valentino gown!

Fabrizio Viti's lovely Anouk in her new home.

It was a great honour and pleasure when Fabrizio Viti, a partner and chief designer at Louis Vuitton, bought an Anouk. Given his artistic credentials, Fabrizio couldn't resist putting his own stamp on his Anouk and updating her. As if that were not enough, his Anouk got to wear an exclusive and genuine Valentino designed gown. A short interview with Fabrizio:

Tell us a little about who you are and how you started an interest in dolls.
I can’t really tell when i started to love or collect dolls because they’ve been part of my life since I can remember.
I fell in love with the glorious Dramatic Living Barbie in 1971 and since then I did not spent a day without a doll in my hands ( maybe a few days).
The dolls has been a very important inspiration in my work as well: I design the shoes for Louis Vuitton now after being at Gucci and Prada and I launched my own shoe brand in 2016.

What dolls do you collect?
I collect ( well play) with many kind of fashion dolls, like the obscure ones from the’60 , the Italian Furga and Italocremona , the Korean BJD dolls and now I love the new wonderful Russian dolls from artists like the Popovy Sisters, Tender Creations, Enchanted Dolls.
That said,my heart will always belongs to Barbie because she is the most perfect and glamorous doll of all times.

How did you hear about Anouk?
From the “ Les poupee d’autre fois” magazine website.

What attracted you to Anouk in particular?
To be honest before the doll I was charmed by the art around the doll….I find the booklet and her graphic version so carefully made and considered , so unique and beautiful.
Then I loved Anouk herself for her vintage appeal but most of all for…the look in her eyes!

Friends or rivals? Anouk with Queen B, Barbie.

What do you like about her best?
I love to touch her and to feel the weight and the quality of the material and to comb her hair because they are strong and yet soft. I also love the fact that when she’s around you HAVE to look at her and she looks at you….

Fabrizio's updating of Anouk with a new make up and simple elegant hairstyle.

Your inspiration for her makeover?
It was my own references like the beautiful Catherine Deneuve that to these days is still my biggest inspiration for my shoes ( and she wears them all the time).

Anouk in the stunning Valentino designed gown.

Tell us about the Valentino gown.
The Valentino gown was made by Valentino ( it’s a real one! ) for Barbie Style on Instagram and then a friend of mine give it to me….called it fashion mafia.
I was looking for something for Anouk that was not a vintage Barbie outfit just to make her classic but more now, and the Valentino dress fits her perfectly.

What's next for you?
I am working on the second season of my own shoe line, on the next Louis Vuitton fashion show as well as on the LV shoes mainline….and it’s enough for the next 5 months or so, I guess!



Many Thanks to Fabrizio, and our best wishes for 2017!