Interview with costume maker Wilma

I had an interview with very talented costume maker Wilma. Here is the result:


What is your name and how old are you?
My name is Wilma Vermeulen.....my age has been 35 years for almost a decennia now ;-)

When did you start making your own costumes and why?
9 years ago I started again with my hobbies sewing and crafting. Before this I was spending a lot of time with my other hobby, twirling.
At first I made something original from old or purchased clothes by just decorating them. Then I started with making gothic and historical dresses.
My first big fantasy costume I made in September 2008 for the Elf Fantasy Fair in April 2009. I wanted to create something unique.
I like fantasy very much, because there are no boundaries to your imagination. I can use more techniques than just sewing.

What inspires your costumes and how long does it take for you to create them?
I've got a lot of inspiration from the internet, movies, games, history, fantasy artists, designers and my own twisted mind. You can always see my darkside in my costumes. They are not sweet.
I've a job and a household. So you know how it works....in the evening hours, weekends and holidays.
But my first two costumes took me 6 months. My last two costumes 3 months.  I'm become faster and more experienced. But every time there is something what I've never done....so I learn from every progress.

Which costume are you most proud of and why?
Wow, that's a difficult question, because I like them all very much. They have their own story what makes them special to me. When I'm in progress of making a costume, I'm growing in the costume and the story.
With three of four custumes I won the costume contest at the Elf Fantasy Fair. That was "The end of the time elf" 2009, "The dragon warrior" 2010 and "The protector of the tombs"2012. So it will be these 3 then.

Do you ever not make a costume for a fair/party you attend?
I do not make a new costume for every event. I try to make one big costume for the Elf Fantasy Fair and a historical dress a year. Because it's a lot of work and it becomes very expensive when I make more costumes.
I wear my costumes and dresses more than one time at several events and parties. For example Wave Gothic treffen, Gala Nocturna and as a walking act for some events.

Is there anything else you would like our readers to know about you or your costumes?
I don't know what more I can tell about my costumes. Only that I like it a lot to make and wear them. And I have a something strange with wings.

Here are some pictures of Wilma and her gorgeous costumes:

Picture made by Henk van Rijssen

Picture made by Henk van Rijssen

Picture made by Marc Loos

 Picture made by Tatsu

Thank you Wilma for this wonderful interview.

Interview with gothgirl Sabrina

I had a lovely interview with Sabrina, some time ago.

Here is the result of that interview!

What is your name and how old are you?

My name is Sabrina and I’m 43 years old.

Can you tell my readers something about what gothic is?

Gothic is a way of life. Gothic people love the planet, the humans, the animals and the plants.

We honour and respect this. We don’t waste products but we give it away or we sell them. If

it’s broken and you can not fixe it, then we will trow it away. We honour forgotten Mediaval

times and Death and with our creative minds we love to dress up.

Do you have a gothic character and what is her name?

For many years some people called me goldilocks because I’m a blond lady. This is why I have

chosen my character name in Greek: “Chrysomallousa”.

What does gothic mean to you?

It’s important to be myself, to wear black clothing and when I’m in the mood, colour. Proud to be a part of this scene because the people I know they are very friendly and very creative.

Where do you think gothic is heading?

The gothic scene will exits for many years to come, because people create new kinds of clothing and there are lots of places we can go out.

What got you into gothic originally?

It’s a combination of music and clothing. My big inspiration for some clothing is Liv Kristine

(Leaves Eyes) and Margriet/Karin de Moll (Asrai). They wear different kinds of clothing

but I love them both. I’m also inspired by Kemi Vita (The Dream Side). Kemi is such a great

performer and her clothes are magnificant. I like this al lot.

What inspires your costumes, do you make them yourself and how long does it take to create them?

I check internet, other people, books, movies (vampire, fantasy, mediaval times, tudors).

Unfortunately I don’t have the time to make my own costumes (I write reviews for metalbands

in my spare time www.musiccredo.wordpress.com) and that is why other people make my

clothes. It’s easier to choose my clothing when there is a theme. For many months I have some

inspiration for a vampiredress but can’t find the fabric.

Do you see a difference between the gothic culture in the Netherlands and the rest of the world?

Oh yes there are lots of differences but only in the way that people are dressed. Not in the way

they think. I have been to several countries (Mexico, Finland, Germany, Romania) and the

atmosphere is the same. It’s friendly and everybody respects oneanother. I can’t remember that

I have seen people get into a fight.

Is there anything else you would like our readers to know about you or gothic?

Don’t think we are depressed or negative, it’s just the opposite. We love are lives and we love

to dress up and listen to some great music while we meet our friends.

 Sabrina in her everyday outfit

 Sabrina when she is in her gothic outfit

Thank you Sabrina for this interview!

Too long, so here are several interviews!

Well, it's been too long again since I posted anything.

You know how that goes, holidays are coming, busy busy busy. Only 2 weeks till Xmas! And 3 till the new year, if we ever make it to that haha.

I have some interviews with some cool people that I made several months ago. I feel that it is time to post them all :-D

I have some Steampunkers and some Goth girls.

Hope you like them!

The first one is John, he is a steampunker.


What is your name and how old are you?
Basics first, eh? Name ‘s John van den Bos and I’m 27 years old.


Can you tell my readers something about what steampunk is?
There are as much opinions about what Steampunk is and isn’t, as there are people doing
something, anything, with Steampunk.

I believe that’s part of it’s charm. If you ask me it’s, in essence, speculative fiction. It’s fiction
speculating about what a world would look, feel, taste, smell, … like, when you’d have all
of today’s technology realized in the Victorian era, with the help of steam engines and other
steam-boosted machinery.

The one person visualizes this concept in one way, the other is of opinion that it’s a genre to
criticique today’s real-world problems with, yet another uses it as fuel for stories, etcetera,
etcetera.

Me, as someone who is strongly focused on making costumes, see it as a genre of fiction with
a certain visual aesthatic. Nothing more, nothing less – as much as some attach political and
social ideas to it, I don’t buy into that.


Do you have a steampunk charactre and what is his name?
As I’ve implied above, I love making costumes. That love stems from my roots as far as
my hobbies go; I’ve ‘always’ played a lot of roleplaying games and making characters is
something I do very often.

So, yes, I do have a Steampunk character. His name is Torvald Faust and he’s a bit like me
– chaotic, tinkerer, persistent…He’s also things I’m not, such as a privateer and an airship
captain!

At the moment, I’m even considering ‘launching’ a second Steampunk persona.


What does steampunk mean to you?
Steampunk, to me, is ‘just’ another genre, another visual style, in which I create costumes and
costume bits. But at present, it’s also the genre for which I made props from scratch I’m most
proud of, such as my ‘Valkyr Rifle’.

I guess that to me, Steampunk is also a very positive genre. I do a lot with the Fantasy genre, but those things tend to be dark and brooding. I know that Steampunk can be that, as well, but so far, everything I have done with and for Steampunk, is marked by many of the positive things of the Victorian era; exploration lust, empowerment and a mercantile leaning.


Where do you think steampunk is heading?
As much as I’d love to say otherwise, I’m afraid it’s heading ‘nowhere’. It’s in a long list of
genres, together with, say, High Fantasy, Cyberpunk and Science-Fiction. Most would say it’s actually a sub-set of the latter.
I’m guessing the question implies, that the real question is, if Steampunk will ever be more than ‘just a genre’. It does seem to gain traction these last few years, but other than seeing more full-fledged Steampunk movies in the same way we see more and more Superhero movies lately, I doubt it’ll do anything big soon.


What got you into steampunk originally?
Arcanum: of Steamworks and Magick Obscura. It’s a RPG for the PC by the now rather
unfortunatly defunct Troika Games.
As the title implies, it has got a blend of both Steampunk and more traditional Fantasy and it
has a wonderfull atmosphere. Reading about it, playing it, it slowly made me aware that next
to all the genres I already knew, there was this thing called ‘Steampunk’.
I’m not quite sure what sparked me into actually making my first Steampunk outfit. I’m
chaotic by nature and I’ve a hard time remembering that...


What inspires your costumes, do you make them yourself and how long does it take to create them?
My inspiration comes from anything and everything. From things I find on the flea market, to artwork, to music, to movies, to...well, anything and everything!
For Torvald specifically, I wanted a costume that was decidedly Steampunk, but shied away from the typical bowler or top hat, dress coat, et all. I like guns and I cannot lie – hence him ending up being a privateer, a bit of a mercenary or a soldier.
As far as making the costumes go, I make as much as I can myself. I’ve got high standards, however, and though I find myself more and more able to work to my own standards, I often end up adapting existing items or having things made for me.
To fit with the tinkering nature often found in Steampunk, the clothing for Torvald’s costume is all adapted items. Most of the assesoires as well, though I carry a big rifle with it that is made from scratch.
Initially, making, or rather, collecting one of my costumes can take anything between a week and a month. The fun bit starts afterwards; in years to come, I’ll tweak it to my heart’s content. For instance, my Witch Hunter, one of my more elaborate costumes, has taken me three to four years so far, to get it to its current state.

Do you see a difference between steampunk culture in the Netherlands and the rest of the world?
Truth to be told? No, not much. Aside from the Dutch Steampunk culture, I know most of
the British Steampunk culture and these two seem pretty alike; people interested in ‘the days
of yore’, who are good at DIY and all kinds of tinkering. And as with most sub-cultures, we
seem to be a very open sort, very welcoming to newcomers.

Is there anything else you would like our readers to know about you or steampunk?
Making (or collecting) costumes is awesome. I’ve been told I’m not too bad at it, and I’ll
gladly lend my knowledge to anyone who’s interested.

This is John in daily life

This is John in Steampunk Style. Picture made by Henry Faber http://www.henryfaber.nl/

Thank you John for this interview!

Interview with Sherpa

I had an interview with the lovely Sherpa, maker of dollhouses!

Here is the result:

What is your name and how old are you?
Sherpa is my name and I’m 50 years old.

When did you start making the dollhouses and why?
In 2006 I started my first dollhouse because the person I was living with at that moment had
asked me to make her a gazebo. It should have been a project of a month and became eight
months work.

What inspires your dollhouses and how long does it take for you to create them?
I love weird stuff and going back in time. Weird like the beach hut I have seen on a vacation in Caye
Caulker, Belize and I participated with it in a contest in the UK. Or weird like the Bedouin market
stall in a porcelain elephant.
Back in time like the Victorian lighthouse or what I'm working on at this time, a tudor house.
But also the individual miniatures are inspired by old or gothic, just look at the coffins.
The time that I need to make a home varies per house, there is a lot of time in designing and developing the houses. Some are specially designed and published in a dollhouse magazine and get no interior. The interior of the beach hut is down to the smallest detail.

Which dollhouse are you most proud of and why?
There is no house of which I'm most proud. All have their own unique style and look. What I am
proud of is that the homes that I design can be built as a real houses to live in. The scale in which the houses are built is 1:12 and if it cannot be seen in the picture that it is a scale model, my goal is reached.

Do you make other things as well? If so, what do you make?
I have painted and worked with small seed beads. And now I am beginning a traineeship for make up
for 3 years and if I complete that, I'll see what the future brings.

Is there anything else you would like our readers to know about you or your creations?
I am remarkable enough and there is no need to put even more attention to it. As long as
I can put a smil on a person's face every day, my day is made.
A very good friend of mine always says, "Blessed are Those Who live out their dreams." ................ be
blessed.

http://the-sherpa2001.blogspot.com/

Below are some of the things Sherpa has made and Sherpa himself :-)
Thank you for this lovely interview.

Last photo made by Anomalis Photography

Interview with Steampunker Ro-i Berg

I had a lovely interview with Ro-I Berg, a Steampunker.

This is what came out of it:

What is your name and how old are you?
My name is Ro-i Berg and I am 27 years old

Can you tell my readers something about what steampunk is?
Steampunk to me is a subcatagory of science-fiction. To build or wear stuff that people in the
1800’s thought we would have today. And I love that you can apply it to a lot of themes.

Do you have a steampunk character and what is his name?
Not really. I play so many characters. They don’t stick around long enough to earn a name. When I make and play characters I call them what they are. Carnival rufian. Railroad worker. Steampunk diver (swimsuit edition). Drunken thug, etc.

What does steampunk mean to you?
It’s a dream platform. It gives a bit of a direction to what kind of crazy stuff I’m going to make next.

Where do you think steampunk is heading?
It’s growing and maybe too fast. My hope is that people will start taking more risks with their
characters. Less gears and goggles, and more original takes on the genre. We have seen all the
gountlets and wings you can think of.

What got you into steampunk originally?
Some French paintings of a 1800’s futurist. With the tag steampunk.

What inspires your costumes, do you make them yourself and how long does it take to create them?
I’m inspired by everyday things mixed with the thought, what would this looked like 200 years ago?
Kind of like the Flinstones.

Do you see a difference between steampunk culture in the Netherlands and the rest of the world?
I don’t have a lot of experience with the international scene. But from what I see online, at
least in style it’s generally the same.

Is there anything else you would like our readers to know about you or steampunk?
When looking for inspiration, look for everything except steampunk. Don’t listen to the
scene. If you want to dress up as a Davinci statue and use just a metal leaf to cover your
private parts, do it. You will have a blast. And the people around you too. If they say it’s not
steampunk enough, screw them! First and foremost it’s about creativity and having fun.

Thank you Ro-I Berg for this interview.

Top pic made by Alex de Jonge

Interview with Rosies Art

I had a wonderful interview with Rosanna from Rosies Art:

What is your name and how old are you?

My name is Rosanna, I'm 28 years old.

You are the owner of Rosies Art, please tell our readers what you do.

Rosies Art is a unique Steampunk/Dieselpunk label. I design, make and sell one of a kind steampunk items.

When did you start with your company and how did this happen?

Well, that depends on how you define "start": 

After graduating as a fashion designer from the Rotterdam Academy of Arts, I started working as a designer of mens polo shirts and jackets. 

I got a little bored there, so to counter that, I started making goth (I started out with goth) hairpieces.

I quickly branched out to masks and so forth and then in the winter of 2009 I ran into steampunk and fell in love.

Rosies Art was officially registered with the Chamber of Commerce on january 1st 2010.

By then I had switched completely from goth to steampunk.

What inspires your collection and how long does it take for you to create them?

I get most of my inspiration from stories, books and poems. Atmosphere and interesting shapes I run into make up for the rest. 

It's hard to be more specific; the ideas just well up in my head. There's still so many unused ideas in my head, it feels I can go on forever!

As for how long it takes to make a collection: that really depends on how you define "collection".

I have an ongoing collection that never ends. I make new items whenever there is demand for them, or when the shop gets too empty.

Also, I have produced two big special collections under the name "Post Nuclear Steam" in the past two years. 

I haven't really kept track of how long they took me to make, but over all I think making them took at least half a year.

Which outfit are you most proud of and why?

Hmm, good question.... I consider all my outfits my babies. But yes, there are a few I am particularly fond of. 

As for this years collection, I would say the Odette skirt, the Victoria, Isadora and Adorabelle coats, the Agatha peignoir (I'm a sucker for simple elegance) and the coat I made for La Dutchessa's performance at the last Post Nuclear Steam show. 

This coat is currently in La Dutchessa's posession.

Pictures are included in order of the names listed above.

Do you make other things as well? If so, what do you make?

I do projects for bands and theatre on the side, the latest including the tour outfits of Delain and Schwarzblut. Besides clothing, I also make hats, belts, goggles, gasmasks, etc.

Is there anything else you would like our readers to know about you or your costumes?

Everything is handmade with a lot of love and great attention to detail. I NEVER make the exact same item twice.  

That means: if you own one of my pieces, you are sure to have a unique item in your posession.

Credits for the photographs:

Odette:

Photographer: Jaap Broeders

Model: Iris Xenia

Clothing: Rosies Art

MUA: Mirjam van Wiggen

Victoria:

Photographer: Jaap Broeders

Model: Nina Fooij

Clothing: Rosies Art

MUA: Mirjam van Wiggen

Isadora:

Photographer: Sonja de Ridder

Model: An Tierra

Clothing: Rosies Art

MUA: Chloe Bakker

Adorabelle

Photographer: Tomas Franssen

Model: Fleur Smit

Clothing: Rosies Art

MUA: Angela Franssen and Diana van den Berg

Agatha:

Photographer: Sonja de Ridder

Model: An Tierra

Clothing: Rosies Art

MUA: Chloe Bakker

La Dutchessa's coat:

Photographer: Martijn Cruyff

Catalyst styling and design/Rosies Art
KVK:30278684
BTW: NL170517718B01

 

 

Interview with lolita Damien

I asked Damien to tell me a little more about himself and Lolita and a lovely story came out of that!

What is your name and how old are you?

My name is Damiën and I'm 24 years old.

Can you tell my readers something about what lolita is?

Lolita is a Japanese street fashion inspired primarily by the clothing and general aesthetics of the Rococo and Victorian periods. This fashion movement started in Japan in the 1980’s and has evolved greatly since.

Do you have a lolita character and what is his/her name?

I don't have a lolita character. When I wear lolita I'm just being myself.
So, I'm still called Damiën, while in lolita or not.

What does lolita mean to you?

For me lolita isn't only about the fashion either, but it has changed me in so many ways. Much more than I could have ever imagined. Lolita made me come out of my shell more, and I have met the most amazing people thanks to this fashion style. I can't imagine my life without my friends, and I hope we will be friends for a very long time, even when we don't wear lolita anymore. I have gotten more self-esteem and more secure about myself due to lolita. As for lolita itself, I fell in love with the details, the frills and design of the dresses. Not looking like any random teenager, but wearing a more unique fashion style. You can show elegance, beauty and class in gothic lolita, or, look very cute, playful and colorful in sweet lolita. And I also feel comfortable while wearing it ♥ I wouldn't want to miss this for anything in the world!

Where do you think lolita is heading?

I'm not sure, but the styles have become more over the top than it used to be in the beginning. When I started with this fashion style nobody was wearing any wigs, and every style looked much more toned down than it is now. Now a lot of people are wearing wigs with their lolita outfits and most outfits aren't toned down anymore.

What got you into lolita originally?

I came across the lolita fashion at the time I dicovered manga and ball jointed dolls. I fell in love with the clothing because it was cute and not a regular fashionstyle. I always loved to dress differently from most of the people and I felt this was the perfect style for me because I loved how the dresses looked with all the frills and bows on it.

What inspires your costumes, do you make them yourself and how long does it take to create them?

I don't make my outfits myself. I buy them from stores or I commission an outfit. How long a commission will take to finish depends on the design and if the designer isn't too busy. My lolita friends are the ones who inspire me the most, because everyone has their own style, and always look incredible.

Do you see a difference between the lolita culture in the Netherlands and the rest of the world?

I myself haven't seen big differences between the Netherlands and the rest of the world.

Is there anything else you would like our readers to know about you or lolita?

Don't let anyone hold you back from wearing this wonderful fashionstyle. Everyone is able to wear it, boy, girl, short or tall. If I can do it, everyone can. It's a great way to express yourself and be creative with coordinating an outfit. So, let's be creative together!

Thank you Damien for taking the time to do this interview.