HANDMADE DOLL DESIGN PROCESS
Often it’s only an emotion, an intuition which evolves little by little into images, then into a vague prototype, improved and refined ten, sometimes twenty times, until it finally evokes the first feelings. Design usually starts with some research about the animals themselves, about their features, their habits and their temperament. Some things cannot be argued with, like the shape of an ear, a large nose or big teeth. That’s always a good place to start. Slowly the details take shape in her sketches… A captain costume for him, a bathing suit for her, to suggest the respect and the water these animals inspire. Then the photoshop madness starts and all the scenarios transformed themselves into options… Which kind of captain?… A cap or a beenie? Shorts or pants?… Stripes? Each of those details somehow convey a different feeling. The options narrowed down, it’s time to make a prototype. The specs drawings are sent to Peru, where our talented teams of knitters make the images come to life. The process can be long. Things never turn exactly the way you think that they will… but eventually after several months of trials and errors, the final touches are made and the doll is approved. Ta-Da! Now it’s time to confirm their name. Everybody around our office gets involved. It’s always fun. Sometimes we have to vote. For the hippos, Jacques was named after Jacques Cousteau and Esther after a synchronized swimmer from the 20s.