million dollar orchestrA and fangophilia Pop-up Shop In Los Angeles Report

PC: Manuel Figueroa

PC: JRockinLA

Takeru, lead singer of the visual kei band SuG and designer of million dollar orchestrA, and Taro Hanbusa, designer of custom jewelry brand fangophilia, teamed up for a pop-up shop event in downtown Los Angeles. million dollar orchestrA is a “street gothic” Japanese fashion brand started in 2010 and fangophilia is a custom-made silver jewelry brand with a “body modification” concept - a perfect pairing for the pop-up shop. The event was held across two days, Saturday May14th and Monday May 16th from 12:00 PM until 8:00 PM at The Well in Los Angeles, California. An interesting choice in venue, The Well is home to a boutique and hair salon during the weekdays and the back becomes a party area on the weekends.

Upon entering The Well, attendees of the event had to walk past the boutique to the back of the room to find the fangophilia and million dollar orchestrA pieces. A flyer notifying fans of the minimum purchase requirements for fan activities was the first sign that this area was for the pop-up shop. A minimum purchase of $200 was necessary in order to get a picture with Takeru, though any purchase would get one an autograph, and time to speak with him. There were two racks full of clothes from million dollar orchestrA’s eigth and newest line, “VIRGIN”. The pieces were all in shades of black, grey, white, and pink and they were mostly in the form of long flowing shirts and hoodies. Of the more stand-out items was a stylish black leather jacket that was seen being worn by mstr_of_disguise on Takeru’s Instagram. For those that are fans of Takeru’s band SuG, you will notice that “VIRGIN” is also the name of SuG’s most recent mini album that dropped on March 9th of this year. The influence of Takeru’s musical profession can be seen further in the pieces themselves, with one shirt in particular that had the word “SICK’S” (a song off their “VIRGIN” album) patched across the entire piece.

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PC: JRockinLA

Directly across from these hangers was a bench divider that was the backside of the hair salon but also served the purpose of displaying both the professional shots of each clothing item and the physical “VIRGIN” line jewelry pieces. There was a set of dangling half-heart earrings with the letter “fa” etched on one and “te” on the other so that when the earrings are placed next to each out they complete a heart with the word “fate”. Silver necklaces and bracelets were among the other custom designed jewelry with a lover’s flair that Takeru had designed. The centerpiece was an event special item that was a collaboration between Takeru and Taro - a whole finger ring with the word “VIRGIN” inscribed across the middle.

Continuing down the divider, Taro Hanabusa’s fangophilia products could be found at the far end. Sporting classic fangs, teeth grills, and nail rings, the collection also had more uncommon face pieces and even a full metal hand. Fangophilia’s founder, Taro Hanabusa, is originally a dentist from Japan who began making fangs (hence the name fangophilia) and finding that he had a talent and passion for it. Now his brand has been worn by recognizable names such as Nicki Minaj, Lady GaGa, CL (Korean band 2NE1) and GDragon (Korean band Big Bang). He admits that almost 95% of his customers are from overseas which is why his Instagram is vital for reaching his international client base (@fangophilia).

And if all of this was not enough, attendees of the event might have been treated to the sight of Taro lightheartedly playing catch with the hair salon’s Yorkshire terrier – a physical representation of the excitement and memorable experience that the fans attending had gained that day.

-Christina (JRockinLA)

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PC: JRockinLA

For More About The Brands:
million dollar orchestrA: http://million-d-orchestra.com/
fangophilia: http://fangophilia.com/