Astazi este o zi mare pentru acest blog. Din doua motive: 1. voi incepe sa postez articolele si in limba engleza deoarece multa lume de pe forumurile straine si-a exprimat aceasta dorinta si 2. Am cel mai extraordinar interviu din viata mea de colectionar Barbie.

Incredibilii, senzationalii Nik Moronese si Marie Lebreton de la Ninimomo au fost asa de draguti incat mi-au acordat un extraordinar interviu. Timpul m-a impiedicat sa il public pana acum, dar uite ca a venit momentul sa impartasesc si cu voi magia creata de acesti doi minunati oameni.

Sper ca o sa va placa interviul si multumesc din suflet celor doi pentru marea onoare pe care mi-au facut-o.

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This is a great day for this blog for 2 reasons: 1. I’m going to start writing the articles in English also ’cause a lot of people from forein blogs have asked me this and 2. I have the greatest interview that I’ve ever did as a Barbie collector.

The incredible, the amazing Nik Moronese and Marie Lebreton from Ninimomo have been so nice and answered my questions in this extraordinary interview. The lack of time has prevented me in translating it, but he time has come and I can share with you the magic created by these two great designers.

I hope you’ll enjoy the interview and I wanna thank them from the bottom of my heart.

Varianta in limba romana:

1. Buna! Stiu ca vi s-a mai pus aceasta intrebare, dar spuneti-mi cum ati inceput sa creati papusi OOAK?
In 1996 am mers la targurile de Barbie, aici in Long Island, pentru a gasi Barbie pentru colectia mamei mele. Eram impreuna cu Marie (partenera mea de afaceri) cand am vazut pentru prima oara papusi OOAK semnate de designeri de marca. Amandoi am fost foarte impresionati de concept. In timp ce eram la expo, Marie si eu am discutat despre posibilitatea de a crea o papusa OOAK proprie pentru a o oferi mamei mele. Dupa multe incercari si esecuri, am creat prima noastra Ninimomo, care nu era prea grozava. Totusi potentialul exisra si mai mult, ne-a facut placere s-o c ream. La acel moment ma reintorsesem la scoala, Marie renuntase la slujba ei din sanatate si am inceput sa studien ideea de a crea o serie de papusi speciale pentru ca, fiind pasionat de cand ma stiu de concursurile de Miss, m-am gandit ca ar fi o idee minunata sa creez un grup de delegate, fiecare reprezentand o natiune. Amandoi fiind iubitori de calatorii, moda, concursuri de miss si fiind interesati de cultura popoarelor, am considerat ca era un concept perfect pentru noi si ne motiva sa incepem sa lucram serios la primul nostru grup de papusi.

Am avut norocul de a avea destul timp sa ne concentram adupra acestor OOAKs pentru ca a fost nevoie de multe incercari si cercetari pentru a pune conceputl pe picioare, dar, dupa vreo doua luni, am realizat prima serie. Nu a fost usor, dar ceea ce era usor a venit din concept si din tema.

2. Te-ai gandit sa creezi propria linie de papusi pentru colectionari pornind de la o OOAK pe care au creat-o anterior?
Daca te referi la ideeea de a ne produce propria papusa si a fabrica pe scara larga asa cum a procedat Jason Wu cu Integrity Toys/Fashion Royalty, am discutat aceasta idee, dar mie imi place sa lucrez cu Barbie si cred ca transformarea lui Barbie este ceea ce ne atrage pe noi si pe colectionari. In plus, imi displace ideea de productie in masa. De fapt, productia de masa este cea care i-a indepartat pe multi colectionari de serii obisnuite Mattel si i-a apropiat de OOAKs. Consider ca papusile OOAK au ceva special pentru ca sunt cu adevarat speciale, unice.

3. Barbie sau alte fashion dolls? Ce preferati si de ce?
In mod clar preferam sa lucram cu Barbie, iar motivul este simplu: Barbie este un simbol. Oriunde ai merge in lume oamenii stiu cine este Barbie si aceasta universalitate este minunata. Am lucrat si cu alte papusi, de aceeasi dimensiuni sau mai mari. Ne-a fost mai usor sa lucram cu papusile mai mari si a fost plaut sa le imbracam, am si vandut multe prin siteul Ninimomo, dar nu a fost ceva pe care sa ne dorim sa dezvoltam. Cred ca Barbie si dimensiunea ei sunt foarte bune pentru noi si ne ofera cea mai mare satisfactie creatoare.

4. De ce Miss Peagent? Crezi ca tarile straine pot sa-ti ofere surse de inspiratie in moda?
Dragostea noastre pentru concursurile de Miss, Miss Univers in mod special, a fost ceea ce ne-a determinat sa dezvoltam tema “concursuri de Miss”. Papusile noastre si rochiile lor sunt arareori replici ale concurentelor. Conceptul este cel care ne-a oferit prilejul sa creem rochii spactaculoase dupa designul nostru – pe asta dorim sa concentram Ninimomo. Papusile OOAk delegate sunt imbracate in rochii de seara, dand impresia ca sunt pe cale sa concureze pentru un titlul de Miss. Din 2004 ne-am concentrat pe designeri si couture, in paralel retinand ideea rochiei de seara pentru concursul de Miss, dar la un nivel inalt si mai rafinat, unic. Cred in mod hotarat ca stilurile de orchii din tari straine este cu adevarat o sursa de inspiratie si o parte vitala a succesului nostru.

Nu numai ca noi (si clientii nostri) invatam mai mult despre cultura unei natiuni studiind costumul national, dar conceptul le confera papusilor unicitate si prospetime. Tema internationala joaca un rol major in compania noastra si cred, in ceea ce ne priveste, ca m-as plictisi daca nu as putea sa incorporez stiluri exotice din toata lumea. Daca ii privesti pe unii din cei mai mari creatori de moda din lume, precum Dior si Gaultier, vei vedea in ce masura sunt inspirati de hainele din tari straine. Daca gandesti global, nu exista limite.

5. Am vazut multi colectionari purtand tinute inspirate de rochiile purtate de papusile lor. Te-ai gandit sa creezi o linie vestimentara pentru colectionari pornind de la rochiile pe care le-ai creat pentru papusile Miss in decursul timpului?
Nu cred ca este ceva care ne-ar placea sa facem. Partea frumoasa a creatiei de papusi OOAK este exact aceasta: ele sunt papusi. cand este vorba sa creezi haine pentru forma umana apar atat de multe aspecte tehnice incat procesul poate deveni plicticos. Prefer sa-i las pe adevaratii designeri sa se ocupe de asa ceva. In trecut am creat haine pentru concurentele pt totlul de Miss USA si, desi am avut succes, nu n-ea facut cu adevarat placere. Dimensiunile unei Barbie nu se schimba iar Barbie nu se plange niciodata.

6. Am auzit ca ai creat papusile OOAK pentru ca nu-ti plac cele oficiale. Ce parere ai?
In ceea ce ne priveste nu se poate spune ca nu apreciem papusile oficiale. Papusile sunt in fond fundamentul companiei noastre, dar cred ca intr-adevar ca se pierde ceva in productia de masa, in primul rand calitatea. Caracteristica principala a lui Ninimomo este broderia manuala, stilul unic si calitatea materialelor pe care le folosim. Nu cred ca acestea se pot produce pe scara larga, in special la un pret atragator pentru colectionarul obisnuit. Cred din tot sufletul ca cei care colectioneaza papusi OOAK cauta ceva unic, ceva care duce colectionarea la un plan superior, ceva care poate fi etalat cu mandrie, stiind ca ceea ce constituie colectia lor nu poate fi vazut in mii de case din toata lumea.

7. Te-ai gandit sa organizezi o expozitie internationala dupa modelul Mattel? Sa calatoresti cu expozitia din tara in tara?
Ar fi minunat, dar cred ca Ninimomo este o companie prea mica. In fond suntem o subcultura in cadrul unei subculturi. Dorim totusi sa ne concentram pe showurile de papusi, poate la Paris anul viitor.

8. V-ati gandit sa creati papusi OOAK inspirate de celebritati si tinutele pe care le poarta la diferite evenimente?
Deja cream replici ale tinutelor celebritatilor, de exemplu purtate pe covorul rosu, dar nu ne place sa cream celebritati. Moda si nu celebritatea ne inspira. Pentru noi Barbie este celebritatea si moda este fantezia.

9. Aveti clienti faimosi?
Nu pot spune ca avem clienti faimosi, decat doar in cazul in care acestia folosesc pseudonime cand cumpara de la noi.

10. Te rog transmite-le cateva cuvinte colectionarilor din Romania.
Cand am dat de blogul tau mi-am dat seama ca Barbie este cu adevarat universala. Este fascinant sa descoperim ca mica noastra companie este prezentata si se scrie despre ea in toata lumea. Sunt mandru si fericit si, sa fiu constiti, nu stiam ca Barbie este admirata in tara ta. Lumea pare astfel mai mica si mai accesibila. Avem clienti din toata lumea si ne-ar placea ca intr-o zi sa putem spune in mod oficial: “Avem primul nostru client roman!“.

English version

1. I know everybody asked you this but please tell us how did you start creating OOAKs?

Back in 1996 i was going to the local barbie shows here on long island, ny, to find second market barbies for my mom’s collection. I was at a show with Marie (my business partner) when I first came across OOAK designer barbies. Both of us were completely amazed by the concept. While at the show, Marie and I talked about the possibility of trying to create a OOAK kind doll of our own as a gift for my mom.
After a lot of trial and error, we created our first Ninimomo which was nothing exciting!, however, we knew the potential was there and even more so, we really enjoyed creating her. At that time, i was back in school, marie had just left her job in healthcare and we started to research the whole idea of creating a line of customized dolls. Having been a huge pageant fan all my life, I thought it would be a great concept to create a group of delegates each representing a different nation. as the two of us loved travel, fashion, pageants and were interested in world culture, it was the perfect concept for us and it actually motivated us to begin some serious work on our first group of dolls.
We were lucky to have the time to focus on these OOAKs as it took A LOT of trial and error and research to get a momentum going but, within a couple of months we had our first grouping. It wasn’t easy but what was easy was coming up with the concept and theme.

2. Have you ever thought of creating your own collector line starting from a OOAK you have created previously?

If you are asking if we’d like to fabricate our own doll and then mass produce it – like Jason Wu with Integrity Toys/Fashion Royalty – it is something we have discussed but I really like to work with Barbie and I think the transformation of Barbie is what really appeals to us and to the collector. I also don’t like the idea of mass production. it is mass production that steered a lot of collectors AWAY from Mattel’s regular line of dolls and to focus on OOAKs. I think there is something very special about OOAKs as they are truly unique and no one else has that particular doll.

3. Barbie or other fashion dolls? What do you preffer and why?

Definitely Barbie is our favorite doll to work with and I think that is simply because she is such an icon. wherever in the world you are, people know who barbie is and I think the universality of that is cool. We have worked with other fashion dolls, the same size and larger. The larger scale dolls were a lot of fun to do and perhaps less challenging due to their scale. We have sold several through the Ninimomo website but it wasn’t something we really pursued, i think Barbie and that scale is really what works for us and brings us the biggest amount of creative satisfaction.

4. Why Miss peagents? Do you think that foreing countries have a lot of inspiration to offer you when it comes to fashion?

Our love of pageants, in particular, Miss Universe, was the driving force to hone in on the “pageant” theme. Our gowns and dolls are rarely replicas of contestants. It was the concept of the pageant that gave us the open door to create glamorous gowns from our own designs which was really where we wanted the focus of NiniMomo to be – OOAK delegate dolls dressed in evening gowns as if they were about to compete in a pageant. Since 2004, we’ve really turned our focus on designers and couture, while still keeping that pageant evening gown competition in mind, just at a higher, more exquisite and unique level.
I absolutely believe that the dress styles from foreign countries is completely inspirational and a vital part of our success. not only do we learn (and customers) more about the culture of a nation by researching the national attire, but it also keeps the dolls unique and fresh. the international theme plays a huge role in our company and I think, for me, I would be bored if I wasn’t able to incorporate the exotic stylings from around the world. I think if you look at some of the world’s greatest couture designers, like dior and gaultier, you’ll see so much of their inspiration comes from the dress of foreign countries. When you think globally, there is no limit.

5. I’ve seen a lot of collectors that wear outfits inspired from the dresses their dolls wear. Have you ever considered creating a line of clothes for collectors taking inspiration from the dresses you have created over the years?

I don’t think this is anything we’d ever like to do. one of the most beautiful things about creating OOAKk dolls, is that they are just that, dolls. When it comes to working with the human form, there are so many more technical aspects to clothing design and it can become tedious. I prefer to leave that job to the real designers! we have created evening gowns in the past for miss usa contestants and although we had a lot of success, it wasn’t something we truly enjoyed. The size of Barbie never changes or complains!

6. I’ve heard ppl say that creating a OOAK means you don’t like the official dolls. What do you think about this statement?

For us, it isn’t that we don’t like or appreciate the official dolls. it’s the dolls that are the foundation of our company. But I do believe that something is lost in mass production, primarily the quality. The hallmark of Ninimomo is the hand-sewn beadwork and the unique stylings and fabric qualities we use. I don’t believe this can ever be mass produced, especially at a price range that works for the general collector. I truly believe ooak collectors are looking for something unique, something that takes collecting to a high caliber that can be proudly displayed, knowing that their collection isn’t the same collection being displayed in thousands of homes across the world.

7. Have you considered doing an international expo just like Mattel is doing? Going from country to country with your creations?

That would be amazing but I think Ninimomo is too small – afterall we are a subculture within a subculture. we do however, want to being focusing on international doll shows, perhaps in paris next year.

8. Would you consider creating OOAKs after celebrities and the fashions that they are wearing at a certain show/premiere/party etc?

We do create replicas of celebrity fashions seen, for example, on the red carpet, but we don’t like to re-create celebrities. Its the fashion not the celebrity that inspires us. Barbie is the celebrity for us and the fashion is the fantasy.

9. Do you have famous clients?

Unless someone is using an alias when they purchase from us, I cannot say we have any famous clients!

10. Please say smth to the collectors in Romania.

When I first came across your Romanian blog, it made me realize that Barbie is truly universal. Its fascinating to see our small company being written and showcased around the world. I’m so happy and proud! and I honestly didn’t know that Barbie had a following in your country – it makes the world a little smaller and a lot more accessible. We have customers all over the world and I would love to someday officially say, “We have our first romanian client!“.

Sper ca v-a placut acest interviu. Eu il ador si acum, mai mult ca oricand, sunt convinsa de cat de extraordonari sunt Nik si Marie de la NiniMomo. In incheiere va las cadou cateva imagini a unor papusi care vor fi expuse la Conventia Natioanala Barbie de luna viitoare. Nu-i asa ca sunt “to die for”?

I hope you’ve enjoyed the interview. I love it and I’m now more convinced that Nik and Marie are just A-M-A-Z-I-N-G! I’m leaving you now with a couple of images with the delegates that will premiera at the National Barbie convention next month.