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Down to Business with Mami Jewell
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AZUL defines elegance in Second Life with it’s inspired formal creations. Join us as Mami Jewel, the woman behind the AZUL brand, sits down with AVENUE Magazine to share insight into her life as a fashion designer.
Vixie Rayna: Thank you for taking the time to chat with AVENUE Magazine. We are very honored to share your life with our readers. Tell the readers a little about yourself. What brought you to Second Life? Mami Jewell: My friend in Brazil told me it will be fun, and I also saw some program about SL on TV. I was wondering how it will be, and I wanted to create something in virtual world. VR: Second Life is very special in it’s ability to allow us to create. How did you enter the world of SL Fashion? Tell us about your first design. How has that led you to the designer you are today? MJ: I came to SL to create, but I didn’t know how to do it. I am not a designer in RL and I didn’t know how to use even photoshop. I searched online on what is ‘texture’, ‘shape’, or ‘layer’ by website. I didn’t even know type of format to upload. Then finally I could upload and wear simple tops which I
made. It was horrible really (lol) but there were not so many shops that time so my friends enjoyed wearing them (I hope). I didn’t think of having my own shop at that time so I just gave my items to friends. One day one of my friend told me that I can have free space for selling. After that, I opened my very first shop in November 2007. Then I met Edo Tone from Styles of Edo. He invited me to his brand, and I was a designer for women’s formal wear at Styles of Edo from July to December 2008. Since then I make formal clothing mainly. VR: You’ve had a long history in SL design, tell us what inspires you to create. Inspiration takes so many paths. For some it is art, music...life. MJ: Anything inspires my creations. am not a designer in RL and I’m not a fashionista so to speak in RL. But my mind takes in everything that I see. And, I need music and coffee when I design.
VR: Caffeine is the fuel of many!! Speaking of many... You have very loyal customers and fans! What do you do to keep them coming back for more? What plans do you have for the future of AZUL? MJ: Honestly I am very happy that so many people like my designs! I know my designs are not ‘super cool’ or ‘super lovely’. I just design what I want to wear. I take care of what i feel, what I like the most. Maybe I have similar ‘feeling’ or ‘taste’ with many customers have :). For the future, I am planning to have ‘Miss AZUL contest’ in Spring. This will be the first model competition for AZUL. VR: I’m sure many ladies will be excited to be Miss AZUL. Designing in Second Life is very complicated work. What drives you to create here? What is your biggest struggle with design in a virtual world? MJ: I love to create first of all. I can work for designing whole day without eating (lol). I always believe my next design will be my best work, so I could never be able to be satisfied. I can not stop. Also my SL business is my main job, and I am a serious worker. The biggest struggle is to control my time as I am living 17 hours ahead of SLT. VR: Sometimes I wish we were all in the same time zone, life would be easier! SL just as Real, is about balance. How do you find balance in your SL? Besides your work with AZUL, what occupies your time here?
MJ: Last year I spent almost all my time in SL and I slept in front of PC many times. Of course I lost balance between RL and SL and also I lost something important in RL. This year I am trying to take care of RL issues and my health well. VR: I’m glad you are working on balance it’s so very important. Tell me a little about your FAVORITES here in SL. MJ: Unfortunately I don’t go out of my SIM usually (lol). I have some favorite brands as Bliss couture, Virtual Impressions, Baiastice, Stiletto Moody, Morea Style, Tukinowaguma who are all good friends of mine and enjoy having good business relationships too. And of course Edo Tone from Styles of Edo - he is my teacher, the one who gave me ideas for SL business. VR: Thank you for taking the time to speak with me. Is there anything you would like to add? MJ: Enjoy your SL :D VR: Simple, but so well said. :)
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