I like things that are kawaii – that’s cute in Japanese. I like the Harajuku style – it’s usually very bright and quirky. From that, it only makes sense to try and enhance clothing which is bright already by adding more reflective material, as well as adding LEDs and making electronic fashion look good.
On business
I sell bears – they were originally called Gummy Bears because they look quite gummy (these are made from resin), but I have rebranded them as Kira‑Kira bears. Kira-Kira means shiny in Japanese. I sell them on Etsy. Each bear is unique – it has its own serial number, and an authentication certificate signed by me.
Because I’m doing a PhD in stem cell research – that’s my full-time job – I haven’t done as much in terms of making as I have sales. I’m planning on doing more exhibitions and things to promote my products. I’ll be at Hyper Japan, which is a Japanese convention in London that happens twice a year. Last year, when I wore this to Hyper Japan, a lot of people were asking me where I got them from – the ears! This year I’ll be selling there because it’s a very targeted audience, and a lot of people who go there like the same things.
One of the reasons that I do conferences and exhibitions where there are children is because I want them to know that when I make with electronics, it doesn’t have to look bad. I feel like a lot of young girls think that it’s going to look bad – just a bunch of wires. But I believe you can make it look aesthetically pleasing, and be a fashion statement. Electronics can look good – be girly or just look good. Also, a lot of girls think when they see me, ‘oh you do fashion, you do beauty’, but that’s not the case. I want them to know that you can be incredibly intelligent and nerdy and do electronics or fashion or anything else. I’m doing a PhD in stem cell research – I use stem cells to grow eyes in the lab. A lot of people don’t think that when they first see me. People think scientists are grey old men. That’s not the case.
I try to do [outreach crafting work] through Raspberry Jams or workshops to encourage more girls, but I was actually quite surprised – a lot of boys like to do crafting as well. I feel that because they’re deprived of a chance to craft, alot of boys want to spend time crafting. If you give them a bunch of craft materials, they want to be able to be free with it and craft with it. In electronics, there are certain rules that you have to follow.
If I give you a bunch of materials like cardboard, coloured paper, pompoms, googly eyes – what are you going to do with it? What are you going to build? I was so amazed that the boys spent more time making craft than the girls did. I don’t know if [the girls are] so used to seeing crafting done in a certain way that they’d do it in a way where everything has to be symmetrical, whereas the boys are like ‘I’m going to make this cyborg that has a wand and is going to kill the other cyborgs.’ There’s the whole fantasy world, and they’d spend three hours while the girls would be done in an hour because they’re kind of afraid to explore. I think it’s great – through these workshops – because you get to study and understand what the kids want. For me – I have this scientist mind to look out for this kind of thing – I would cater to and style the workshops in such a way that I can adapt it to both the boys and the girls.
Looking to go pro?
Personally, I’m not sure I can give advice because I’m not super-successful. I’ve attended some talks. I think one of them was by Rob Ives [at the Guild of Makers launch event]. He said that all you need is 1000 fans. If you have 1000 fans supporting you, you’ll have enough to have a business that will support you. You don’t have to sell something so cheap you have 100 000 buyers. All you need is a group that loves what you make and will support what you make.
You can follow Rachel’s adventures on Twitter at @konichiwakitty, or see her products on Etsy at hsmag.cc/vdwoaF
