[NSFW] These Intimate Fashion Dolls Are Handcrafted to Bare All

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Fashion dolls are usually designed to be a blank canvas for the outfits in which they’re dressed, but one Swedish artist’s handcrafted dolls have an idiosyncratic look that’s all their own, even in the nude. Emilie Steele creates incredibly detailed ball-jointed dolls that are designed to tell their own stories. “I’ve always had the urge to create characters and [tell] their stories through handcraft and design,” Steele tells The Creators Project. “When I was a child, handmade dolls were one of my many ways to express myself, however back then they were made out of paper or textile. I suppose my fascination [with] representation and construction, as well as stop-motion animation being one of my biggest inspirations, made my interest [in] dolls linger beyond childhood play.”
 

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Steele’s educational background includes fashion, and metal arts, as well as crafts and design. The combination of these experiences have certainly given Steele a foundation for making dolls that go beyond a kid’s fascination. “Doll-making enables me to combine my artistic interests as well as create non-static, open-ended pieces of art.” In addition to her education, Steele says that her work is informed by illustration, films, books, and her gender identity.
 

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According to Steele, the crafting of the dolls varies from doll to doll and, although she often adorns them in handmade garments, she also treats the surface of the dolls as if they’re meant to be seen without clothes. “When it comes to my process the pattern of making is always different but what can be said is that I focus on research and exploring rather than aiming for a result.” In general, however, she does use certain processes and materials. “I sculpt each part of the original doll in clay by hand, then silicone molds are made from which the dolls are cast (most often) in resin.” But it’s the diversity of these processes and materials, depending on the story she wants to tell, that keeps her interested. “There really is no limitation to what kind of materials I use, but mostly it consist of plastic, textile fibers, clay, paint, metal and so on. Coming from someone who thrives on variety; this is one of the biggest perks of doll-making.”
 

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Despite having only made these dolls for the past few years, Steele has already garnered an impressive following on social media and is now making them full-time. As a result, photography plays an important role in the development of Steele’s work. “Photographing has been a part of my method for the longest time, starting merely as a way of documenting my ongoing process and collect inspiration. But while working on my [master’s degree], during which time I began making the dolls I’m still working on today, photographing became another tool to communicate a narrative.” Just like in the fashion industry, the clothes and models are only part of the story, the rest is told in the way that they’re documented and presented to the public.

She’s also conscious of when to let her work bare all. “Also, publishing finished pieces and work in progress for all to see makes me constantly reflect what to [censor], both in terms of what to include in each picture and which experiments are meant for my eyes only,” says Steele.
 

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See more of Emilie Steele’s work on her website and keep up with her progress on her Instagram!

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Source: vice.com

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