Joey Dollmaker Versaw invited Julian Kalinowski to an interview for his YouTube vlog series Joey and Friendz featuring independent doll artists, and the end result, over three hours of captivating repartee, had a moment in which Kalinowski, upon learning that Versaw loved one of his past creations, offered him a collection of his Miss Sévinyl doll to use as he saw fit. And the rest, dear readers, is the reason for celebration and, most importantly, a moment of importance in fashion doll history.
Dolldom could not be more honored to present the Stellar Rose Collection, a magical collaboration that exemplifies -magnificently- what happens when generosity of spirt and a true love for the art of the doll unite.
Dolldom: Julian, what’s this all about? Are we in the virtual version of Warhol's Factory?
Kalinowski: Never that! This is simply a means to have fun and a way of being pragmatic. I created Miss Sévinyl at the time of Séverine in 2015, and I had a few leftover dolls in storage that, not unlike many of us, were telling me that they just wanted to have fun. Hearing that Joey loved the sculpt, it was my pleasure to send them to him.
Dolldom: Joey, tell us how this panned out.
Versaw: What started out as kind of a joke started rolling down a hill and gaining steam. When Julian jokingly said he had a bunch of dolls he was going to do nothing with and he would send them Joey‘s way, Joey took on that offer. And suddenly there was an importance and substance in this project. As a community it’s so important to band together. Many people in the doll world feel like outcasts. And with the current political climate there is a safety in escape. Two queer artists who realize there is power in numbers, put their years of work into action by forming a simple collaboration.
Dolldom: And the name Stellar Rose?
Versaw: The name Stellar Rose is a joke. When Julian and I were doing the interview, I couldn’t remember the name of David Rose’s new Grace doll, so I called her Stella Rose. Julian and I had a little laugh over my lapsus mentis and I thought that that moment of levity and humor had given birth to the name of the collection.
The love letter to Julian is to represent our bond in the love of dolls. Here it is:
A Love letter to Julian Kalinowski- from Stellar Rose
“Dear Julian,
Growing up is a peculiar kind of heartbreak. One day we are children chasing fireflies beneath summer skies, and the next we are expected to know who we are, where we belong, and which dreams must be abandoned. But who decides when childhood ends? Somewhere between yesterday and tomorrow, my love for you followed me into adulthood. Steady as the moon. Unwavering as the tide. They tell us love must obey rules — society, time, distance. But I wonder if love was ever meant to be contained at all. Perhaps we spend our lives caught somewhere between devotion and duty, forever looking backward at the people who made us feel alive. No matter what strange corner of the universe finds us, my hand will always reach for yours.
Forever yours,
Stellar”
Dolldom: Would you describe the collection to our readers?
Versaw: Collection I — Triangles
Draped in a brightly colored vintage shift dress, Lovesick Stellar Rose awakens adrift within the Bermuda Triangle after a violent storm at sea. Radios crackle with voices from nowhere. Clocks refuse to keep time. The stars above no longer match any map known to man. Something unnatural lives here.
Versaw: Collection II — Utopia
Clothed in a rough-spun gunny sack dress and corset gifted by the silent citizens of a mysterious city beyond time, Stellar Rose searches for answers among glowing corridors and endless neon skies. The people here smile too perfectly. The music never stops. And no one speaks of the world beyond the water. Something about this place feels terribly wrong.
Versaw: Collection III — The Escape
Dressed in shimmering cocktail attire, Stellar Rose slips quietly into the velvet-drenched lounge at the center of the city. Beneath the haze of cigarette smoke and the hum of slow jazz, secrets move like ghosts between the patrons. The inhabitants of this strange paradise have no intention of helping her leave. If she wants freedom, she will have to disappear before sunrise. But beyond the city limits lies only static skies, black water, and the unknown.
Anyone captivated by the art of the OOAK doll creation that is finished by hand and dressed in unique garb and wishing to welcome one in their collection, make sure to visit Versaw's Boutique: Miss Mary Dolls
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