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Interview to Joe Tai
(10 questions to the artist)
by Giorgia Testa
(for Doll Collector Club Italy
newsletter)
** pictures courtesy
of Joe Tai
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Imagine to talk to one of
the most creative doll designers, a new icon in the fashion doll
world…well, ladies and gentlemen here
we have the pleasure to welcome Mr. Joe
Tai.
So get comfortable in your
favourite armchair as we are about to discover his success secrets through
his own words…
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Welcome Joe and thanks in advance for your kind responses, I feel
blessed to have this chance to interview you, so let’s begin with the first
question:
Questions & Answers:
1. Giorgia: Have you been always interested in dolls or
is it a quite recent passion that came out all of a sudden – like “love at the
first sight”? Tell us about your artistic background…
Joe Tai: Oh, I have been interested in dolls for ages since
I was a kid. I got my first doll when I was 9 years old and fell in love with dolls immediately.
2. Giorgia: Tell
us also about your first works, how came that you decided to create doll
accessories – have you got, perhaps, an
“inspirational muse”?
Joe Tai: In the very first beginning, I did design a lot of
OOAK dolls, and after few years, I felt kind of disappointed because I needed
some nice accessories, however, I could not find any in the market, so I decide
to produce some good quality shoes and other accessories. I started from making
shoes, and slowly I developed more other accessories, I guess I always have
inspirational muse, LOL.
3. Giorgia: In
Europe we especially love your doll shoes line. Your jewelry shoes are so fine detailed and elegant, tell us about the
materials you use to create them –
is it difficult to find the right material to make such jewelry shoes?
Joe Tai: Oh, it is long story about jewellery shoes. Actually
I did encounter many difficulties when making them. First, the metal is not
easy to handle, second, not many factories were willing to give a try. My idea
is not only to make glamorous jewelry shoes but also heavy and high quality
ones, and I would like dolls can stand alone with my jewellery shoes, so they
have to be heavy enough. So to find the right metal was really killing. I tried
several, and lucky and finally found the perfect metal. And I also use the
Austria rhinestones to enhance their beauty and glamour.
4. Giorgia: How
about time that needs to make a pair of jewelry shoes?
Joe Tai: It takes
about 2 to 3 days per pair.
5. Giorgia: Recently
you’ve produced a brand new doll named Ingrid. She’s lovely (I proudly own two of them) and looks so sweet, also she
has a name of Scandinavian origins, does she remind you a woman you’ve got to
know in person? Or is it a sort of homage to someone you like (maybe an actress
like Ingrid Bergman – also my favourite)?
Joe Tai: LOL, you are very smart. Actually I named my
Ingrid after Ingrid Bergman. She is definitely my all time favourite, and I did
hope that my Ingrid is as elegant as herJ
6. Giorgia: Before
your Ingrid doll line, you’ve been a OOAK artist, tell us about your pervious
works, which was your favourite doll to repaint or to make dress for?
Joe Tai: My favourite doll to repaint was Barbie, I think
at that moment I didn’t really have many choice, L too bad. After bigger girl 16” Tyler came to market, I have decided to
quit OOAK and produce my own Ingrid doll line.
7. Giorgia: Talking
again about your jewelry shoes: is there any future plan for a new line of
shoes suitable for dolls like Sybarites or Momoko dolls or even Blythe dolls?
Joe Tai: Yes, I do have plan for them, but as you know it
will take really long time to open another different molds to produce jewelry
shoes for different dolls, so it won’t be so soon or in near future.
8. Giorgia: What
about your opinion regarding the European market? I bet you have numerous customers who love your dolls &
accessories? Are you satisfied of your success in Europe?
Joe Tai: To be honest, sometimes I feel guilty and sorry
for European customers, some have e-mailed me that my auction ending time is
late night in Europe, so they cannot stay up so late and bid them. It is the
time difference problem. L But I am really
happy to know that I have so many great customers all over Europe, like Italy,
Germany, UK….etc. But of course I do hope that more people will recognize my
dolls and accessories. J
9. Giorgia: I know you’ve a team of talented artists -
behind the mark of Joe Tai original -
who support you with all your wonderful works, who are they ? Let us
know more about them…
Joe Tai: My team is pretty interesting and talented. My
sales manager lives in Berlin, Germany, he is the one who takes care of all my
sales and customer service. And I have 20 artists here working in my studio,
they all graduated from National China Art College, good at painting and
sewing, and since I don’t really mass produce my items, so it is easier for me
to control the quality.
10. Giorgia: My last
question – Is there anything you would
like to say to your Italian customers/ fans ? And most of all: would you like
to join a Fashion doll Convention in Italy one day, being the artist who’ll
provide the official Convention doll?
Tell us your opinion… (It’s only an idea for the
moment, but we’re working on the possibility of having a special guest artist
to design our Convention doll in the near future)
Joe Tai: Oh, that would be my honour!! I would be more than
happy to join some doll convention in Italy one day and being the artist who
provides the official Convention doll J I will be the
artist to provide the official convention doll for the doll convention in Canada
next year and would be nice to travel to Italy as well, just hope that I would
not over spend, hahaha, I love fashion stuffs as well .
And I would also like to thank all the fans and customers in Italy, your
support is always the power to keep me going on, I love you all!J
Thanks again Joe for your
time and I wish you all the best for your future creations and works.
- To contact Joe Tai, please
visit his websites: www.joetai.com or www.joetaidoll.com
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