Azul: Formal Defined by Mami Jewell

Mami Jewell: Creator of Azul designs
Photograph: courtesy of CKDexter Howley

In the far far  distances of my SL memory, I remember looking for a formal gown and complaining to anyone who would listen that I did not want to look like a shuttlecock blown across the dance floor. One reason I was in a determined search of a gown is that Franks Place would have hostesses hovering around you and complaining if your skirt went above your knees.  Yes, these are ancient times we are talking about. Now, walk in showing more skin and you are loved more. Go figure. But, I digress. As always.  Back to my search story: a friend, who is, sadly, long since gone, told me “I know just the place” and took me to (perhaps the very first) Azul store. I doubt there are any of you who would argue with the fact that Azul defines formal in SL. And, it comes as no surprise to you that many of MVW candidates have dresses and outfits designed by the one, and only, Mami Jewell.

Mami has just opened a new flagship Azul store, which is certainly worth a re-visit. The new store has open spaces that make shopping more fun than ought to be legal. The store also offers some limited editions that are always a treat to have. This new opening was a perfect excuse for me to hunt down Mami Jewell for a chat.

Mami has an elegantly beautiful avatar, as you would expect from her designs. She showed up to our appointment in a beautiful gown that she made for BOSL Fashion Week. Mami is not one of those SL successes who simply expect you to see them as great. She is frank and authentic in her approach and unbelievably sweet.

If I had to pick the top two reasons I like an Azul gown, one would be the beautiful lines of the designs. I wanted to know if design had been an RL passion for Mami as well, because it seems to be such an organic part of her creation.

Leda Carter: Have you always been interested in designing?
Mami Jewell: First, thank you so much for giving me a chance to tell you about AZUL and about myself. I graduated from the Art University, majoring in Graphic Design. But, after graduation, I went to work as an architectural designer, and never did fashion. For some time, I designed apartments, houses, and resort hotels. However, in Japan, I cannot legally be an architectural designer if I have not graduated from a school of architecture. I did have a number of good designs, and even won competitions, but my boss was always the one who was awarded, because I do not have the right licence.

Finally, I gave up being an architect. Then, I started to study English by myself in order to be able to work with English-speaking clients. I worked for a trading company for almost 10 years. It was fun, because I got the opportunity to go to many places for a few weeks here and there. But, when the company asked me to work in the US, after having been in Miami for a while, I had to quit. I have only my mother in my family, and I did not want to leave her alone. Currently, I am focusing on my SL business.

Leda: Maybe you could tell us a little something about Mami Jewell besides her educational background. Who is Mami?
Mami: I am a pessimist, but also an optimist, difficult, yet simple. I can think que sera sera, and can think seriously & worry & worry at the same time. I guess I have both positive and negative ways of thinking. I have two sides to think through things, and the two sides are always far from each other. I feel I have extremes in my character. But, basically, I am a serious person, a hard worker, and a person who is easy to talk to.

I have lived in Tokyo since birth, and don’t have a driver’s license *laughing*. My favorite artists to listen to, when I use  Photoshop, are Radiohead, Calm, Natural Calamity, Chouchou, and so on. I love to keep my place clean – maybe too much! What I do after waking up everyday is to clean my place. Oh, and I drink 2 litres of coffee everyday.

Leda: Is that how you found your way to SL, in the midst of cleaning and coffee-drinking?
Mami: I heard about SL from a friend in Brazil, in early 2007. It sounded very interesting that I could create something in a virtual world. At the beginning, it was quite hard to understand what SL is, how to play it, or what I could do, because, at that time, I couldn’t find the right answers on the Internet in Japanese. I tried to find the answers one by one, with frequent tries. But, I never thought to stop, because SL was so FUN!

Leda: It sounds like you learned the technical aspects of the job on your own. Was that challenging?
Mami: I have been learning to draw textures in Photoshop by myself since I came to SL. The only way for me to run this business is to ‘think’ it and then just ‘do it’. To be a designer is not challenging for me, yet every new creation is a new challenge. The best thing in SL is to be able to create something new. My main challenges have been using English and getting used to new viewers when SL makes that change.

Leda Carter: You were a fast learner. You came to SL in 2007, and opened Azul the same year?
Mami: I started by creating something simple for myself, and occasionally for friends to give as gifts. I came to SL in March of 2007. I came to SL for the purpose of creation, but I didn’t want to spend RL money because I was not expecting this to be my RL job. So, I started by getting some money by camping in order to be able to upload textures. My avatar was the default for the first few months – you can imagine what the ‘default’ avatar looked like in 2007! *laughing*

I was looking at my old blog yesterday, and saw that SL was soooo simple at that time. Anyhow, I needed to learn how to use Photoshop better. I spent some time learning how to do things. After a while, I made a skin for myself. Frankly, it was horrible, but the experience helped me a lot towards creating outfits.

I opened the very first Azul shop in November 2007. For a while I was a designer in Styles of Edo, and closed Azul from summer to November of 2008, re-opening it in December 2008. When I reopened the new Azul, I was very busy handling the whole business by myself. One part of the difficulty was to find someone who could speak Japanese and English both, plus someone whom I could trust. Finally, I hired Poohta Bailey to be my manager. I have known her from when I was new to SL, and she is not only helping me a lot with the business, but she is very sweet and reliable.

Leda: Does this success motivate you to start designing in RL?
Mami: Not really. We know SL has limitations for creation, but RL has them too. I have never made any clothes in RL, and don’t know the rules or details about fashion in RL. However, I know what I want to make, what I want to wear, and I can make them in SL. I don’t own the type of clothes I make in SL. In other words, I don’t have the elegant fashionable gowns in RL, but, as a woman, I have the desire to wear them. I can buy and wear casual clothes in RL, so I do the elegant formal line in SL.

Leda: Does this mean that your designs reflect your personal taste more than customer demand?
Mami: What I make in SL is what I want to wear. I guess many designers are the same.  I can not design without the influence of my own taste. I still add my flavor when I make gowns for special orders, otherwise it would be painful for me to create.

Leda: Do you even try to keep SL and RL separate anymore?
Mami: To be a designer and running my SL business has become my RL job now. my SL = RL *smiling*
I do love the creation in SL, to see people enjoy my work.

Leda: Have you considered having a more casual Azul line?
Mami: I had the ‘Azul basic’ line 2 years ago, but I started to focus on formal because one of my goals was for people to understand that ‘formal is AZUL’ (i.e., not ‘AZUL is formal’).

Leda: And you have achieved that it seems. I think you do set a standard in formal design.
Mami: Oh, I don’t know *smiling*. That’s something for other people to judge. There are so many great designers.

Leda: There are, I agree. and it is great to have new blood coming in. It keeps everyone on their toes and keeps their designs fresh. But, I think you have created a design house that has an impact.
Mami: Ahh, thank you so much! Now, I feel like I want to make more casual lines, simple, easy cocktail lines. Like I said, I’m not a designer in RL, but I have loved to draw, to design, and to create since I was a kid. Everything I see and hear inspires me in some way. I always have full images in my head, but I can not create them all, with my current skill and time.

Leda: We will look forward to seeing the images in your head actualized. It was truly a pleasure to meet you, Mami-san.
Mami: Same here, Leda-san.