Living doll trend in Tokyo fashion scene

TOKYO: Meet Lulu Hashimoto, a “living doll” and the latest trend in Tokyo’s fashion modelling scene.

Lulu — a full-body doll suit consisting of a wig, a mask and stockings patterned with doll-like joints — was born from one woman’s desire to become cute.

“I have always really liked dolls, and for me, the epitome of cuteness is dolls,” said the 23-yearold fashion designer Hitomi Komaki, who created Lulu.

Dressing up as a mascot, called “kigurumi” in Japanese, is a popular art form in Japan. Komaki has taken it to a new level by creating a body suit that looks like a doll and lets you move like a human.

“Many people call my project a fetish, but for me it’s not a fetish, but fashion,” she said. “It’s like wearing nice clothes or putting on false eyelashes to become cuter.”

There is only one Lulu body suit, Komaki said, but dancers, designers and models were among those who had worn the costume.

The identity of exactly who was inside is secret, she said.

The stockings worn by Lulu were created by fellow fashion designer Koh Ueno, 29, who airbrushed doll-like joints onto the material.

“I want to see women wear these stockings and transform. I want them to experience the extraordinary — to become otherworldly, artificial, or like a doll,” Ueno said. Reuters