Ziamela Loon of Jador
Meet Ziamela Loon
Ziamela Loon is the designer behind Jador, an absolutely gorgeous store that not only provides you with ziamela’s beautiful designs, but has thoughtfully collected some of the works of other designers and made them available for you conveniently right in the middle of her own store.
Jador and Ziamela Loon
by Bliss Windlow
Ziamela Loon is the designer behind Jador, an absolutely gorgeous store that not only provides you with ziamela’s beautiful designs, but has thoughtfully collected some of the works of other designers and made them available for you conveniently right in the middle of her own store. You can pick up a great outfit and see shoes, hair and other accessories that compliment it, right there.
Like many designers Ziamela began designing, creating things that appealed to her and very quickly others wanted to buy her items. She began to sell on a small scale and worked her way up with many hours of hard work and learnings along the way.
BW: Tell us about Jador and what it means to you. What is your intent with each design you create?
ZL: I'll try to create something original, something i would like to wear in my RL. I love to be Ziamela Loon, I love my RL too, and i try to mix both my life and put all together in my creation.
BW: What inspires you the most - real fashion, the change in the seasons, textures, shapes .. Where do you find your inspiration and what is the process of design for you? Do you start from a sketch and piece it together or do you have the whole concept and then have to figure out how it will work?
ZL: I really don't know where I find inspiration, cause sometimes is a texture, sometimes is a sculpt, and sometimes is only an idea...I never had in mind the dress at the beginning.... it grows while I'm building... I really don't know the final project until I end it.
BW: How much do you think culture plays into a designer’s interest? How does your culture influence you? Does culture ever impede progress and if so how has that impacted you and what can we do as a community to correct those problems?
ZL: Since I have been in SL I have learned to respect the different cultures. We are all different, even within the same culture. All we have to do is respect each other. That's the secret!!!!
BW: What does it take to be a designer and to last in SL? What are some of the biggest mistakes that people make when they enter the fashion arena?
ZL: When you start to be a designer, you have to forget night parties, discos and friends as you did before. You will not have the same free time as before. There are a lot of things to do: CREATE, PHOTOGRAPHY FOR THE VENDORS, PROMOTING, REZZING, and when you finished all that, a new season will come... and you have to do all again!!!! There are some things I love!!! Such as creating, and others I hate such as rezzing vendors.. but is all part of the game, and I love it!!!! About new entry in the fashion arena, I only can suggest to be original, and don't try to just copy a style! You must have your own style!!! You must be recognizable!!!!
BW: Do you think you have a specific style to your clothing or do you resist being pigeon holed into a label??
ZL: I think my stuff is recognizable, people looking at an object know it is made by Ziamela Loon.
BW: Are there days when you just do not want to turn the computer on, when the work load or the expectations are just too much to handle? If so, what do you do on those days?
ZL: I'll go with my daughters for a walk, or for some shopping. Or I will lay with them in the big bed, and I will read them a good fairy tale.
BW: If you had to grab your things from your desk and move to work in another area for a few weeks, besides your computer etc .. What three things would you insist on taking with you?
ZL: My family portrait, my credit card for shopping, and a good book to read!
BW: I want to ask you about the freebies. There are hundreds of hunts, tons of events, charities everywhere, where do you stand on the freebie culture and the whole idea that designers should participate .. How and where do you draw the line.. because no-one can do everything?
ZL: I listened to the advice of Mimi Juneau, she is asking me about some freebies, sometimes I use old stuff, some others I will do new. I really don't love freebies to promote my new stuff, I think freebies must be used only to help people to play SL with dignity. Not to promote your new collection. People who want buy my stuff, know where I am and which kind of quality could find in my outfits, they don't need my freebie. I started design in SL just because I did not like wearing things that all the people wore. If you love to be original, you can't wear freebie, unless you are so original to mix them together.
BW: And finally, what is fashion? How do you define it? What does that word encompass for you? AND what is it definitely NOT??
ZL: Fashion is Jador!!!! I'm joking, Fashion is all u can wear, but everybody, must have an own style!!!!
Designers seem to have such a clear idea of who they are and what they are designing. I love that about all designers, but one thing is clear ziamela is one of the best SL has to offer and her enthusiasm and love for what she does is infectious. I found myself wanting to go back to her store after the interview and just look at her designs with fresh eyes. It is so lovely to have the opportunity to get to understand the designers a bit better. I was already in love with her clothes before I met her but now I see and understand the spirit that is in them – that essence of her. Jador is Fashion!!
Jador - http://slurl.com/secondlife/Jador%20Fashion/0/152/22
