Victorian Elegance and Storybook Looks: An Interview with Saki Tachibana, Elle & SELEN

In recent years, lolita fashion has boomed outside of Japan. Elegant dresses with elaborate details and matching accessories are a more and more common sight, both at conventions and outside of them. These princess-like looks have found fans worldwide, giving their wearers a sense of fairytale wonderment and decadence in their lives.

A long running lolita fashion brand, Baby the Stars Shine Bright was recently at A-kon 2019 [You can see the gallery HERE], along with their sister brand, Alice and the Pirates. Baby is celebrating 30 years as a brand, and Alice 15, and show no signs of slowing down. We got to sit down and chat with some of the designers and one of the brand models about their works, international lolita events, favorite dresses, and more!

Saki Tachibana

Elle

SELEN

A-to-J: Hello and thank you so much for talking with us today! Would you please introduce yourselves to our readers?
Saki: Hello, I am a Baby the Stars Shine Bright designer, Saki Tachibana. Thank you for having me!
Elle: I am Elle from Alice and the Pirates. Thank you for having me!
Selen: I am Selen, a model for Baby the Stars Shine Bright and actress.
 
A-to-J: How are you enjoying Dallas? Is there anything you were excited to do in America on this trip?
Saki: I heard that Texas is famous for barbeque, so I tried that. It was very good!
Elle: This is our fourth day in Texas for A-kon. While there are many people who wear lolita in Japan, being here and seeing how much fun the local community is having is exciting. I feel as though I’m gaining power from the energetic people I’m meeting here.
Selen: This is actually my first time in America! I got to participate in the A-kon lolita events, and see how lolita fashion differs in America. At the fashion show, the audience was whooping and cheering loudly for the models. This is completely unheard of in Japan! Even during the tea party, they clapped for us when we came out. I wish I could have cheered back, but Japanese lolitas have to do a cute little wave. Overall, it has been a really enjoyable experience!
In my own time, I went to the Starbucks in my hotel. When I saw the colorful drinks they had available, I was very surprised! They were so intensely bright, like, can you actually drink this? It was quite a shock!
 
A-to-J: Could you tell us about your inspirations for your respective brands? What is your design process like?
Elle:  For Alice and the Pirates, we try to tell stories through our designs, and are inspired by fairytales. Every month or two, we come out with a new design. We go back and forth between our two designers. Recently we have been interested in darker themes for our designs, and are including more backgrounds and characters in them. In general, we are able to create whatever we want.
Saki: For Baby, we have six designers working in teams of two. Each team goes their separate ways to discuss what they want for their next design. They consider textiles, the illustrations and the details they wish to use. This is how we proceed with design work.
 
A-to-J: How do you feel about attending overseas events?
Saki: Attending events outside of Japan makes me happy because all of the attendees are visibly excited about them and meeting us. I just feel so welcome here. It’s a bit different in Japan, as it feels like there is a sense of distance and formality. But here everyone is very close and expressive about how happy they are to be here. In turn, I feel energized by their feelings, and I’m very happy as well.
Elle: At Japanese events, there is a noticeable separation as the attendees there are often really shy.  Here, everyone is very welcoming, and will even tell us the types of items they would like to see next from the brand. It is inspiring.
 
A-to-J: Is there any unique styling that you have seen from overseas lolitas with your clothing?
Elle:  A lot of people we met had handmade pieces, like corsages and hair accessories. It’s as if they took their ideas and made them reality. We are getting a lot of ideas and inspiration from that. The coordinates sometimes also have themes that we haven’t seen as much in Japan.
Saki: In recent years when we have attended overseas conventions, looking at coordinates and seeing people wearing dresses from years ago makes me happy. They’ve been looking out for our items since then. It pleases and surprises me. We had no idea lolita fashion was so popular here.
 
A-to-J: Baby the Stars Shine Bright has a popular mascot character, Usakumya. Could you tell us about them?
Elle: Before Alice and the Pirates, I previously designed for Baby. I was actually the one who designed Usakumya. When the mascots were originally conceived, it was planned by the CEO and upper management. The Usakumya design they came up with had a sharp face and a smart, slim body. There wasn’t any lace or ribbons. It wasn’t as cute as they are now! They have been evolving to be cuter and cuter. We are adjusting to the taste of what girls now would like to see in a mascot.
 
A-to-J: Can we expect an Alice and the Pirates mascot in the future?
Elle: At the Q&A here at A-kon, someone asked a similar question. Since it’s the 15th anniversary of Alice and the Pirates, maybe it was time for Alice to have a mascot. We cannot say anything about the details now, but there will be more information coming out soon!
 
A-to-J: Boy style (Ouji) has been really popular in the west lately and Alice and the Pirates is one of the most influential brands for that look. Are there any trends we should look out for?
Elle: I can’t really tell you about the specific trends as Alice and the Pirates outfits are more based on specific stories. For example, if there is a princess then we would want her perfect prince as well. We aim for the ideal prince charming to compliment the princess. It will vary a lot depending on the story that is being told.
During the fashion show, we coupled the matching sets on stage. This is our vision for how they would be worn, together. Especially since non-Japanese people have a very specific face shape that works really well with the fairytale princess themes we’re going for. I am so pleased we got to make those looks a reality.
 
A-to-J: What future plans are there for your brands?
Saki: It’s Baby’s 30th Anniversary this year and we are starting a new chapter of the brand. Ever since the beginning, we have been trying new styles. As we move forward we want to evolve with new trends and tastes.
Elle: For Alice and the Pirates we would like to continue to collaborate with others. This is what helped spread our name initially.
 
A-to-J: Are there any particular items that you've designed that stand out to you?
Saki: After I came to work for Baby, it’s the first dress that I was able to design from start to finish. The theme for it was Snow White. At tea parties when I see people wear that dress, it makes me glad to know that someone still has it. It has a lot of meaning to me.
Elle: There are several items. When I was at Baby there was a jumperskirt I designed and it is still very popular to this day, the Millefeuille jumperskirt. I even saw someone wearing it today! It made me very happy. After coming to Alice and the Pirates, there is another jumperskirt that is still quite popular, and a jacket for the boys as well. It makes me happy when an item sticks around and everyone loves it for a long time.
 
A-to-J: Has the worldwide popularity of lolita fashion changed how you approach new item releases?
Elle: The popularity hasn’t really changed how we work. We have people tell us what they would like to see, like “we would love to see you make this”, but it doesn’t affect how we complete our design process. We make what we want to make!
 
A-to-J: Selen, In addition to modeling you are also a stage actor. Could you tell us about your recent play Second You Sleep?
Selen: In Second You Sleep, I play a girl who starts out fine, but as the play progresses she gets sicker and eventually loses her vision. In the end, I actually took out my contact lenses and threw them into the audience. It was a very hard role to play.
 
A-to-J: Are there any other acting roles you’d like to tell us about?
Selen: The next play I am going to be in is a comedy. It has been a while since I have done comedy, so I am excited about that! I haven’t read the script yet, but I think it will be fun.
 
A-to-J: How did you end up becoming a Baby model?
Selen: About ten or so years ago I met a hair and makeup artist who told me he thought I would be a good fit for Baby the Stars Shine Bright. He introduced me to the brand.
 
A-to-J: You have been to at several lolita fashion events in Shanghai, which are known for their decadence. Can you tell us about your experiences at events in different parts of the world?
Selen: Everything is very showy and elegant in the fashion show in Shanghai. By the end everyone was so excited that you could feel the tension and passion in the crowd. It felt high class. You could tell that everyone paid a lot of money to be over the top. It was so beautiful.
Saki: We have been going to a lot of international events in Paris, Russia, Chile … last year it felt we were going somewhere every week! Shanghai is a little different, though. Even their photos and handmade props look to have taken so much time and effort. Every photo seems to be taken professionally and everything seems to be set perfectly.
 
A-to-J: Lastly, do you have a closing message for your fans?
Selen: This has been my first time in Dallas and I am so excited to be here. It was my first time seeing Japan and America connecting through lolita fashion and it was quite enjoyable for me. I would definitely come back! Thank you!
Elle: Coming here I was so inspired by what I saw and I want to take these feelings back to Japan with me so I can make great designs for my fans.
Saki: This was my second year coming to A-Kon and some of the attendees remembered me. It was so nice seeing them again! I would definitely love to come again next year!

For More Information:
Baby The Stars Shine Bright Website: https://www.babyssb.co.jp/
Baby The Stars Shine Bright Twitter: https://mobile.twitter.com/BABY_THE_STARS
Selen Twitter: https://mobile.twitter.com/SELENdipity

Interview conducted by Janette G and Emily G