THE STUNNING FASHIONS OF MUNCHFLOWER ZAIUS

Part Six in a series, featuring Selectees of New World Notes Fashion Expo 2004. (Context here, here, and here.) Today we present Munchflower Zaius, whose fashions can be purchased in Indigo, at a boutique called Mourning After-- "173.2 meters Northeast, 22.1 meters Down," says Zaius.

MUNCHFLOWER ON THE ORIGINS AND STYLES OF THE FASHIONS SHOWN HERE

"I searched for the best of my designs which I created as much as possible from base textures. I created them as I create everything, in Photoshop. (How very boring.)

"Style, wow. I really don't know anything at all about fashion. It boggles my mind that I've made it this far. I really think the look and feel of anything is determined as much by the person wearing it as the person who created it, so that's the best answer I can give you there."

MUNCHFLOWER ON WHAT SPURS HER

"A driving, obsessive-compulsive Photoshop addiction. I like being able to make my own things, and amazingly, there are a lot of wonderful people out there who happen to like the same sorts of things I do. I've been designing since shortly after I came to Second Life, but only on a personal basis until a couple months ago, when I decided I wanted to go bonkers with it and have a store."

MUNCHFLOWER ON WHAT INSPIRES HER

"I can't say any real world designers inspire me at all. I seriously don't have any concept of fashion. Music inspires me, people's art inspires me. Deviantart.com is a fabulous site full of art from all facets. I go there for inspiration. I look to abstract concepts for inspiration."

MUNCHFLOWER ON THE COMMERCE OF SECOND LIFE FASHION

"I do amazingly well. I'm still blown away by how much I make from it, by how much people like it. By the fact that ANYONE likes it, let alone so many people. This is my real life job, and I do well. I won't say how much I make. I don't think it needs to be common knowledge... I'm not giving a number, but I do alright. I make a nice supplemental income.

"So far my designs have been doing just peachy, advertising themselves. I don't have a real need to advertise."

MUNCHFLOWER ON THREE FELLOW DESIGNERS WHO INSPIRE ADMIRATION

"Oh, thank you for this one. Here's a question I can answer without feeling weird.

"I worship Jennyfur Peregrine's work. She, shortly after she started designing, went completely mental with it. She's super-productive, and she makes everything from base textures. I so envy that; I wish I was better at it.

"Zaige Lumiere also does everything from base textures. He's extremely prolific and does excellent work. The two of them will have me out of business in a month.

"It's hard to narrow it down to three. I fall in awe of so many of the people I see. I stumble before Phobos Designs. Ferran [Brodsky] and Surreal [Farber] make everything. Clothing, animations, scripts.

"All three of the above mentioned are far better than I am. I so bow to you."

MUNCHFLOWER ON THE ASPECTS OF HER FIRST LIFE THAT SHAPE HER STYLE

"In real life I'm a secret agent for the underground Aztec Goth movement. We like to eat hearts. I'm not sure how that influences my fashions, but I'm sure Goth must have something to do with it."

MUNCHFLOWER ON THE HOURS INVESTED IN HER DESIGN

"Oh he'p me lord, I have no idea. Far too much. If I'm not actively messing around in Photoshop I go mental. In a bad way. I'm always working. In order to tell you how long my best work took, I'd have to decide what it was. The highcutlowcut Dress took forever. Anything that involves lining up seams or top and bottom [segments] always takes a long time. I don't think I have a best work. I have lots of decent work, but I don't think I've reached my best yet."

MUNCHFLOWER ON ANY DESIRE TO ENTER THE REAL FASHION WORLD

"Not one bit." [grins]

MUNCHFLOWER ON WHAT SHE DOES AFTER HOURS

"Oh, hanging out. How I miss hanging out all the time and doing nothing. I still go clubbing, as it were. I like to have myself a simulated dance on a regular basis. I like meeting new people and being insane. I used to like making skins, and I'm getting back to where that's fun again."

MUNCHFLOWER ON HER FASHIONS FOR THE FRUGAL, AND FOR THE EXTRAVAGANT

"Almost all of my fashions are really cheap. Most of my designs sell for a hundred Linden Dollars and under. Way cheap!

The big spenders can look to my sets. Anything from the Relic sets or the Linsner Line will [cost] you up to 500 Lindens, and even then that's not too shabby for an eight piece outfit."

MUNCHFLOWER, WHEN ASKED TO SPEAK ON THE FUTURE OF MUNCHFLOWER FASHIONS

"Well, I would, but then I'd have to kill you. I'm working on a monstrous line of clothing right now, sixteen or so pieces (men's and women's ) based on some abstract concepts. It looks to be like fun for the whole family."