Andrew Yang, the up and coming young doll maker from New York, has collaborated with Joyce to create mini A/W 2010 outfits for fashion dolls. His latest exhibition, titled ‘The Kouklitas’, is now shown in Hong Kong.
THE YOUNG ARTIST AKA DOLL MAKER
Yang has been collaborating with international fashion labels and he has already interpreted Rick Owens’ dark vision, Comme des Garcons’ quirkiness and Marc Jacobs’ girlie aesthetic in the past. His miniature versions of seasonal fashion are considered as collector’s items. Counting Anna Wintour as one of his celebrity clients, the young doll maker shares some thoughts with Think Silly.
Are you drawn to dolls from a young age?
My mother’s passion for Madame Alexander dolls inspired me. She would save up ten-dollar notes in order buy the whole series, and then carefully put them in a glass display box. As a Barbie owner, I didn’t understand why a doll would be so much effort, and then it just sat in a glass box. Eventually I had a chance to place my hands on the most expensive doll. I took it out and straightened her curly hair. My mother was terrified when she found out! I still think dolls are for the owner’s pleasure. I used to play dolls with my younger brother, although I wasn’t sure if he enjoyed it. I set my eyes on my sister’s dolls too. I used to persuade mother to buy her a doll that I liked, and then took it from my sister.
I used to build houses for them, I even made movies ─ there were some scary ones.
Has there ever been an issue, you being a boy, when your mother bought you dolls?
Salt Lake City is rather traditional and of course boys are meant to play robots or wrestle each other. I never got into those games. My mother wanted me to be more sensitive, and she didn’t think it was a big deal. She never actively stopped me, she bought me dolls. I don’t think she wanted me to be addicted to violent video games.
Have you always wanted to become a doll maker?
They always ask a child what he or she wants to do in future. I wanted to dress dolls since a young age. I wanted to create them from scratch ─ hair, face to make up. Sadly, ‘I want to become an artist’ didn’t go down very well with grown-ups, so they said ‘being an artist is so miserable, you end up working extremely hard with no money in the pocket’.
And then you wanted to become a fashion designer?
My father is from Taiwan. Between the age of twelve and eighteen, I used to spend summer holiday in Taiwan every year. When I was sixteen I brought lots of fabric from a factory, and made a dress for my sister. It was amazing to witness a sketch on a piece of paper turned into a three-dimensional object. That got me thinking about being a fashion designer ─ at least it would be a creative career path.
And then you pursued fashion for two years?
Yes, I spent the first year interning in a very well established design company. Everything there was of the highest level, all the designers I saw in ‘Vogue’ were working there. It was a dream came true. But at the same time it was such hard work, making designs on Photoshop every day. It felt very industrial, despite I was working in fashion. Enough was enough. I then went to a high-end wool company to work as assistant fashion designer, and we were using the best leather, most expensive material. It was not bad as a ‘fashion job’, but I missed the creativity.
You founded The Kouklitas in 2008 and handmade your first doll. How did it all happen?
It was just fun in the beginning, I didn’t expect it to become a career. The Kouklitas doll is a luxury item and I use the most amazing fabric, real leather and handmade everything. Luckily, the cost has been kept down by my archive of fabric in the studio. Thanks to my previous jobs.
How does fashion connect to doll making?
They are connected, I think. Fashion creates a whole world, not just an item of clothing. It makes you think ‘what do people do wearing your clothes, where do they go? Are they travelling or going to a party?’ You would even think what kind of people they are. It is similar when I make dolls. Funny enough, I hesitated when my doll work first overlapped with fashion. I didn’t want it to happen then, as I was keeping it as a hobby for my own pleasure. That feeling lasted about a year. Now I’m back again participating in fashion.
The Kouklitas dolls wear amazing outfits. Like you said, they really are luxury items much more than toys. Would you encourage their owners to play with them?
I very much hope so! If you were to buy some outrageously expensive clothes, you would want to wear them, don’t you? Of course you’ve got to play them with a ‘luxury concept’, take them to a fabulous party for example.
Your dolls are slightly larger than most doll size, is there a particular reason?
Some people are scared of dolls, especially the bigger ones, for they look more real. It doesn’t make sense to make them very small, because that would be hard to play them. I’d like my dolls to be somewhere in between, so that they look small enough on camera and big enough in real life.
How come some of the dolls smile, some have their eyes shut……?
Since they are all ‘models’, I want them to look cool ─ but how did I decide? I went with the feeling from the designers. For example, Donna Karan gave me a more relaxed vibe, because she is so friendly. I try to capture the feeling from the designers first-hand, or it could be from runway. It could be something I want to capture. I prefer to make the decision before hanging out with them. As an artist I hope my work radiates its own attitude, otherwise it is not that different from copying existing outfits.
You are showing lots of work from S/S 2010 collection – Rick Owens, Comme des Garcons, Lanvin and Gareth Pugh. How did it feel to work with them?
I’m so pleased, especially that they are very respectful to young designer. It is a challenge to work with so many different styles simultaneously, but it was an extremely interesting process. The designers would tell me the looks they prefer, and then I told them whether something would work or not on the dolls. What would work best on dolls, what we should try to achieve. It wasn’t easy to work with the high-end labels, as they want to protect a certain brand and image. I’m showing at Barneys in September and each look has to be approved by the individual designers in advance. I heard that we didn’t get the nod from Comme des Garcons and Junya Watanabe, but Rei Kawakubo said she loved my dolls once. I’d be very happy to send her a doll.
Which is your favourite doll in this exhibition at Joyce?
Comme des Garcons. I helped fixing the skirt when they took a picture just now. It has been a wonderful process. I would be perfectly happy to just create dolls for Comme des Garcons from now on!
Is there a particular reason that you only make female dolls?
I will be making a dozen male dolls for the Barneys exhibition, which will be my first attempt. I have been trying to make their bodies bigger and giving them stronger arms.
For me personally though, it is starting to feel like something different, like robots. I still prefer to make females, for their elegant silhouette and beautiful dresses.
Do you collect dolls?
Yes, but my roommate won’t let me collect too many of them in the house. I’ve got around thirty at the moment, and I’ve gotten into some unusual dolls lately. I also like dolls from the 1960s and classic Barbie. My father brings me vintage dolls occasionally. I love handmade objects, like mermaid and Victorian dolls. My friends always buy me dolls if they see something special.
I understand you also work as an illustrator and photographer. How do you define your role?
I see myself as an artist. I guess it is something to do with justifying my childhood dream. Artist is never restricted to one medium. When I pick up the camera, I speak with an image. When I work as an illustrator, drawing is my medium. Now I express through dolls. I spend a lot of time shooting my dolls, and I draw every single one of their faces. I did all their hair, make up and clothes. It’s all the same thing.
Are you making any particular plans at the moment?
I’d like to make a film with my dolls, as well as a few other ideas. But I don’t want to overdo it, I just want to keep doing what I like and take it from there.
ANDREW YANG
Age 25, American Taiwanese, grew up in Salt Lake City, Utah (US) and Taipei (Taiwan). Influenced by his mother, Yang’s passion for dolls started from a young age. After completing his studies in New York, he worked as an assistant fashion designer in a high-end wool company. Yang founded The Kouklitas in 2008, which was well received. He has collaborated with Joyce this year, and designed forty-three dolls wearing A/W 2010 fashion collections. Yang is also taking sixty new creations to show at Fashion’s Night Out, Organised by ‘Vogue’. He is recently commissioned by Barneys New York to create dolls based on fashion icons Anna Wintour and Grace Coddington.
THE KOUKLITAS
kouklitas.com
Text: iemi | Translation: dilettante
Photo: Kimio Ng & ‘The Kouklitas Runway A/W2010′ Photobook (Image 4 – 5)
Update: 1 Sept 2010
THE KOUKLITAS RUNWAY A/W2010
DOLLS EXHIBITION FOR JOYCE
16 Queen’s Road Central, Hong Kong.
Until 5 Sept 2010
www.joyce.com
