"I recognise you""I recognise you, too!"
So began a random encounter when I unexpectedly ran into a fellow ex-Camberwell College of Arts student earlier on today while we were hunting for more Craft Crunchers.
Since I last saw Rosie and Fumie five years ago their passion for illustration has developed into a succesful business making super cute soft toys with their own personal biography attached. The dolls first came about as an accompaniment to the stories the girls were writing and illustrating. Now those pesky critters have taken over and the girls have had no choice but to take them on full-time!
Each toy is handmade using reclaimed fabric and buttons and has a label telling you which magical place he or she has come from. I fell in love with the cute monkey with a brass nose who says "I escaped from the zoo but don't know what to do with myself now" (see below). The toys cost from £10 - 25 each. Bobby Dazzler has been operating full-time for the last year.
" We like having our stall here because you meet the customers and get immediate feedback. We also have a lot of friends with stalls nearby ".
Name: Rosie Short, 29 & Fumie Kamijo, 28
From: Brick Lane
Are: Illustrators and makers of dolls & soft toys
Brand/label: Bobby Dazzler
You can give a Bobby Dazzler creature a home by visiting the girls at Sunday Upmarket (you won't be able to walk away empty handed!), or at Super Superficial on Fouberts Place, W1. They're also available in Rome, Tokyo and Cornwall! To find out more, look here
How not to want everything I read tonight? This is surely the beginnings of crafty shopping - everything at a good price that makes sense, communication with the creators and going home with a little something which has a story that you know intimately.
ReplyDeleteNice. We need more crafty shoppers!