#‘bouquet print’ is it sugar bouquet? usakumya sugar bouquet?

[strawberryteabunny]

Baby’s designer profile on the NYFW website

“Established in 1988, we present our 36th annual collection, drawing inspiration from our origins and inspired by our excitement and gratitude.”

The Global Fashion Collective website has more information:

“Established in 1988, we present our 36th annual collection by returning to our origins and inspired by our excitement and gratitude. The “heart” motif has long been a core element of our brand as part of our logo since its creation.

Our latest collection is inspired by our brand icon “Usakumya-chan” (bunny-bear mascot), capturing a cute moment in a bouquet print, appearing in an Alice in Wonderland-themed heart print, and showcasing a cuteness only BABY can convey through a curtain of delicate embroidery and into an adorable “heart-ful” world filled to the brim with our grateful emotions.”

The 2024 Tokyo show is also going to be just a couple days after the NYFW show- this one definitely also includes AatP and I’m not sure that NYFW does. It’ll be interesting to compare though if the Baby stuff is the same? It looks like they’re both A/W 2024.

Blurb from Baby’s website (translated by Google):

“The new fashion show of BABY, THE STARS SHINE BRIGHT and ALICE and the PIRATES will be held in Shibuya Hikarie on February 18, 2024.

2024 is a commemorative year for the 35th anniversary of the founding of the BABY, THE STARS SHINE BRIGHT brand, and the 20th anniversary of the founding of the ALICE and the PIRATES brand. We were invited by Global Fashion Collective this time, and at New York Fashion Week in February 2024, BABY, THE STARS SHINE BRIGHT new fashion We are going to hold a show.

Starting with New York Fashion Week, the new curtain of BABY・PIRATES, which will disseminate Lolita fashion to the world, will finally rise.”

I think that buttcape is posting as the Stephano blog now (please correct me if I’m wrong!) and she has a quick write up on the fashion show and will be attending/taking photos, including attendee photos (which I am SUPER excited to see).

Tbh I think Baby could have put more information on *what* their inspiration and origins are in the NYFW description. Even compared to other designers that only had a couple sentences this is remarkably uninformative- they could definitely have written more about who the designers are, past collections, inspirations, who the Usakumya mascot is, being the brand for the Kamikaze Girls movie, etc.

The description makes it sound like they’re a new designer or unknown on the scene when in the lolita fashion/Harajuku/jfashion subculture(s) they’re super well established (obviously not new, I guess, since it says 36th annual collection but not a lot of people outside that scene will have heard of them, and this description tells them nothing- when a lot of other brands that are much newer have way more about their origins and inspiration). Even comparing Baby’s own website, the Tokyo show lists designers, models, and has a bunch of video clips from previous shows and the NYFW has basically nothing. They could definitely have used the concept blurb from Baby’s website which mentions Shimotsuma Monogatari and some of their inspirations along with the GFC blurb.

They also stand out by having just the logo for a picture instead of a photo of the designers, but tbh I like that better- designer headshots tell me basically nothing about the brand’s aesthetic whereas a stylized logo does.

I’m very excited to see an Usakumya-inspired collection with another Alice print and embroidered pieces. Personally I’ve been enjoying Baby’s new collections way more than AP’s and ‘returning to our origins’ sounds like they’ll have a more oldschool aesthetic which sounds perfect to me.

If anyone reading this is attending or planning to host a watch party, etc. I would be super curious to know what your plans are!

I am simultaneously so excited to watch it and super worried about what the public/press reaction is going to be to lolita fashion having such a huge spotlight…

I really hope we get lots of photos/clips/blog posts from any lolitas who get to attend! When it comes to assessing a Baby fashion show I trust our own community a lot more than the regular fashion press who just aren’t going to know much about the style.

Anyway, starting this thread to compile posts/videos/thoughts etc.