Fumiko Kawamura Interview + Enchanted Holiday Party Report

This post was written by Mis of froufro.us as part of F Yeah Lolita's new blogging team. 

Last Sunday, Fairytale Boutique held "An Enchanted Holiday Party" at Chado Tea Room in Los Angeles. The event featured Fumiko Kawamura and her brand, Enchantlic Enchantilly, as well as the premiere of local brand Automatic Honey’s newest jewelry collection. It was a fabulous time all around! We had the chance to attend the event and sit down for a chat with Fumiko- read on to find out all about it!

The party was held in the main room at Chado- a modern and inviting space lined with shelves full of teapots, tea accoutrements, and canisters of exotic loose-leaf teas.

Each attendee was presented with a goodie bag that contained exclusive branded buttons, postcards, and an Enchantlic Enchantilly folder with stationery featuring artwork from their newest print series. VIP ticket holders also received Enchantlic Enchantilly bow brooches and pillows from the Queen Cat series.

Once everyone had settled in, we were presented with full tea services. Each person received four tea sandwiches (smoked salmon on rye, egg salad infused with smoked Lapsang tea, cucumber & chive, and chicken with cranberry-lingonberry compote), a fresh scone with clotted cream, strawberries, and apricot preserves, and a sugar cookie and cup of chocolate mousse. Delicious and filling!

As a special treat during the service, we were also provided with a special blooming tea: “Flower of Wealth & Rank”. The waitstaff came around periodically with extra pots of black tea and Chai.

When everyone was fed and full, we snapped a group photo before heading into Little Tokyo for the afterparty at Fairytale Boutique! Everyone looked so amazing.

VIP attendees were allowed into the boutique first to shop the Enchantlic Enchantilly exclusive pieces and Automatic Honey’s new jewelry. Those of us waiting outside took the opportunity to mingle and take outfit snaps until we were let in.

Nearly everyone was dressed in classic or gothic, to fit the theme of Enchantlic Enchantilly’s aesthetic. Jewel tones and elaborate prints abounded!

It was really impressive to see how many people were wearing Enchantlic Enchantilly pieces. They had such opulent coordinates, and a lot of them made amazing accessories to go along with their dresses- seriously creative!

The interior of Fairytale Boutique is very open and has plenty of cute home goods, magazines, brand posters, and plush toys on display. The racks were filled with Enchantlic Enchantilly’s newest pieces, as well as dresses from Angelic Pretty’s fall/winter collections and some indie and consignment goods.

The afterparty certainly kept Fumiko busy- she was always up and about, signing autographs, chatting with guests, and helping the staff with party activities.

She also gave some enlightening demonstrations on how to tie perfect bows with waist ties and corset ties.

Raffle tickets were sold, and attendees were given a chance to play a festive ring toss game to win Swimmer prize packs. Super cute!

And for the grand finale, more Swimmer packs were raffled off, as well as an Enchantlic Enchantilly “After Tea Party” print skirt in the black/gold colorway- very fitting! The lucky winner had been wearing a wonderfully intricate Queen of Hearts-themed outfit (pictured earlier), and after having seen it, I can’t wait to see how she coordinates her new skirt!

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And finally, we were fortunate enough to sit down with Fumiko after the tea party for a quick interview. Fumiko wore her newest print series, ~The Tale of Snow Swan~, with Chandelier Ribbon socks and Chantilly exclusive Elegant Ribbon shoes from the 2012 collection. Her translator, Yuki from Harajuku Hearts, wore the After Tea Party OP with Chandelier Ribbon socks and Elegant Ribbon shoes in the black colorways.

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You’ve been designing cute fashion for quite a while now.

What are your biggest inspirations when designing for Enchantlic Enchantilly?

“My biggest inspiration is seeing cute customers wearing [Enchantlic Enchantilly] designs… each girl has her own unique style, and seeing how she wears an outfit in her own way makes me say, “I want to make something new just for her!”.”

What are some ways that you've noticed Lolita fashion has changed since you first began designing?

“I’ve noticed that there has been an overall increase in the quality of garments, not just in lolita, but in [mainstream] fashion as well. In lolita fashion, what stands out most is that there’s been an increase in complexity… in the details of garments, in print artwork, and in the designs overall.”

Fumiko says that she’s always learning and studying new trends while she creates new designs. She works closely as a team with her preferred illustrator, Tsubaki Torii, and together they develop more and more fanciful designs.

Are there any trends that have caught your eye recently?
“Cats!! I will definitely be making more cat designs in the future!”

You also have a unique position as a Japanese designer who sells clothing and participates in events inside and outside of Japan. How has the international audience influenced your work?
“International lolitas have been a great influence. It’s made me want to focus on creating pieces that fit everyone’s needs… I want my clothes to be comfortable, and design them so that they’re maybe not so extravagant, but easy to wear and to coordinate. With these clothes, people get to choose what they want to wear. The clothing doesn’t choose the person.”

Do you think that lolita fashion will continue to become more international?
“Yes, absolutely, and I hope that it spreads to all the girls in the world.”

You’ve traveled to quite a few international events recently- is there a country or city you dream of visiting, or perhaps returning to?
“I’d like to return to every place I’ve visited, so that I can see everyone I met there again. Of course, I’m also interested in seeing new places, and I’d like to travel all over the world. Taking care of [Enchantlic Enchantilly] keeps me very busy, but I hope I’ll have those opportunities.”

What are some of your fondest memories of the events you’ve attended?
“Everything! All of them are memorable and enjoyable in their own way. I love to meet girls who love lolita [fashion], because they’re the ones who inspire the designs I’ll make in the future. I love to see everyone’s unique styles and the different ways they wear this clothing, and I always want to see more.”

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Our thanks to Fumiko for the interview and for being such an inspiring designer, to Yuki for facilitating the interview and being such a pleasure to work with, and to Fairytale Boutique’s staff for working so hard and putting on an amazing event! It seemed like everyone had a wonderful time.

We hope to see more great events from Fairytale in the future, and more international appearances by Fumiko and Enchantlic Enchantilly!

About The Blogger
Mis is a long-time lolita fashion aficionado, amateur seamstress, and intermittent blogger at froufro.us. She accumulates brand, BJDs, and miniature perfume bottles like a magpie with overly expensive tastes.