Indie Lolita Brands

Lief

2015-06-05T10:41:00.003-07:00

Brand: Lief
Country: Korea
Best Known Print: Sacred Night, Gardenberries
Sizing: S/M, L/XL; max bust on op/jsk: ~110cm, max waist: 90cm
Plus-size friendly: YES
Pricing: $49 - $270
How to order: Send an email to info@lief.kr with order form information. Usually limited to preorders aka reserves internationally; also sells a few leftover items on their Facebook page.

Links:

Launched in 2010, LIEF 리프 has gone through the cycle of infamy and rebirth as an independent lolita brand. They first came to my attention after I realized that my dream dress is Sacred Night.

Unfortunately, there were production problems in the Lief/Mew collaboration. There were 2 main people running the company: Chunghui (seamstress) and Sora (illustrator). After Sacred Night was shipped out, many international customers were upset with the quality of the print and structure of the dress. A list of old reviews from this time is listed here.

They rebooted the company in 2013 after the drama with Sacred Night. Sora reappeared in the international scene selling with the help of One Day In Paradise (defunct Australian consignment shop) with the Matryoshka The Nesting Doll series and My Tart series. They have recently partnered with Ergi for European distribution and Lolita Collective for selling leftovers from older releases from ODIP. Also, Lief sells internationally from their website.

In more recent news, they have been selling in Japan in specialty shops! They often retweet updates and coordinates on their twitter.

Items sold by Lief: skirt, JSK, OP, bows, bonnet, tights

Potential problems: high shipping cost (EMS), delays in communication due to high demand and different time zone in Korea

Special discounts: N/A

Want inspiration for your coord? Look at #Lief tag on Tumblr OR Customer Photos Album on Lief's Facebook page.

SACRED NIGHT SERIES

THE GARDENBERRIES RABBIT SERIES (RE-RELEASE)

ANGELA STELLA SERIES

BASILICA AT NIGHT SERIES (CLOUD CHAMBER COLLAB)

INSTRUMENTS REGIMENTAL STRIPES SERIES

MATRYOSHKA THE NESTING DOLL SERIES

THE NOBLE HIGH TEA SERIES

PERFUME COFFRET SERIES

ALICE IN MIXWORKS SERIES

MY TART REFIT SERIES

APPLE BLOSSOM SERIES

LIEF LOGO RIBBON SAILOR SERIES

VERY BERRY SERIES

ACCESSORIES

Featured Brand: Lady Sloth

2014-10-14T15:56:00.001-07:00

Brand: Lady Sloth
Country: Poland
Best Known Print: Clock print, Silk Cherubims print
Sizing: All Custom Size
Plus-size friendly: YES
Pricing: $35 - $150
How to order: Send her a PM via Facebook and she'll reply with an order form. Must know measurements. Payment is via Paypal.

Links:

This fairly new indie brand was established in February 2012 and soon became well known for its affordable and beautiful pieces. Behind the scenes, the shop is managed by a mother (tailor) and daughter ("designer") duo in Poland. They have never been pictured! They promote online via egl_comm_sales and their Facebook page. What made them even more popular was their policy on sizing: everything is custom sized and there's no extra fee for plus sizing! There was also the fact that their shop is generally cheaper than any major indie brand on the market right now besides Taobao shops. If you want a custom order, she is always open for different designs.

Items sold by Lady Sloth: blouse, bolero (lace/cotton), skirt (regular/high-waisted), JSK, OP, petticoat, bustier

Potential problems: moderate English communication (English not first language), fitting problems (happened to someone I know where it was TOO big but she didn't bother contacting about it), unflattering stock photos, wait time (~2 months from payment to arrival)

Special discounts: win the monthly outfit contest or buy something in preorder event

Want inspiration for your coord? Look at #Lady Sloth tag on Tumblr OR daily-lolita on Livejournal.

Fun fact: The silk cherubims fabric is used by Surface Spell (left) AND modified for a Juliette et Justine OP (right). Lady Sloth JSK (center). Currently out of stock.

Featured Brand: Haenuli

2014-10-14T15:06:00.000-07:00

Brand: Haenuli
Country: Korea
Best Known Print: Sleeping Beauty, Stained Glass of St Giles, Royal Kitten
Sizing: Size 0, Size 1, Size 2, Size 3; max bust on op/jsk: ~110cm, max waist: 90cm
Plus-size friendly: YES
Pricing: $25 - $245
How to order: Send an email to haenulishop@gmail.com with order form information listed on Livejournal or buy direct on Storenvy webshop. Usually limited to preorders internationally; can only buy older release items at their vendor booth at conventions.

Links:

Founded in 2007, Haenuli, a Korean indie brand, is taking the lolita world by storm with their vibrant and detailed prints, often featuring wonderous photoshoots with beautiful models. It certainly makes them stand out from the other 2 well-known Korean brands, Baroque and Lief. There has been no drama in the past; however, they sell out pretty fast on preorder. Their items are mostly sold internationally on preorder status only; good luck finding it secondhand or at their vendor booth at conventions!

I personally found out about this brand through Cute in Korea, a blog about an American living in Seoul, South Korea. She wrote about Lolita Day in one of her blog posts and later mentioned Haenuli! in a photoshoot post. In addition, my local anime convention had a lolita fashion show featuring the Stained Glass of St. Giles jsk, along with a lolita in the audience who was wearing a complete Sleeping Beauty coord. Seeing Haenuli's clothing in person also helped me admire the brand even more.

Haenuli portrays professionalism in their presentation and handling of sales and website. The owner or friends who help Haenuli out frequently updates on egl_comm_sales, Tumblr, and Facebook. By incorporating Tumblr into their social networking sites, it reaches out to an international audience of lolitas, who have switched over to Tumblr for the reblogging pictures aspect from Livejournal. They will reblog posts with reviews, photoshoots, or OOTDs as long as you tag #Haenuli. She has also teamed up with The Snow Field to become sister brands, furthering their exposure into the US lolita awareness.

This brand often features uncommon cuts in their OPs compared to other indie brands. For example, the angel sleeves on their Royal Kitten OP, curtain bustle to open up to view the castle print underneath in their Dreaming Cinderella OP, drop cut back in many of their OPs, and long sleeves in their Stained Glass OP. Utilizing a dropped waist bodice in their JSKs, it elongates certain body shapes and makes it a great addition to the usual normal or high waisted cuts of brand clothing. Additionally, they have a wide variety of uncommon colorways such as violet, green, wine, ivory (offwhite), and lavender.

❤ Please view this fashion film for Haenuli by Deerstalker Pictures. It incorporates the fairytale themes in her prints into the visual narrative. ❤

Lastly, what makes them stand out even more is their physical boutique in South Korea. Located at #128 , 171-1, Songgangdong ,Yuseong-gu, Daejeoon 305-802, it can be a lolita destination when visiting the country! This brand also hosts tea parties and gatherings so be on the lookout if you're an international student studying in South Korea or just even going there for vacation.

Items sold by Haenuli: skirt, JSK, OP, bows, bonnet, tights

Potential problems: high shipping cost (EMS), delays in communication due to high demand and different time zone in Korea

Special discounts: N/A

Want inspiration for your coord? Look at #Haenuli tag on Tumblr OR Customer Photos Album on Haenuli's Facebook page.

Fun Fact: Haenuli was featured on a Korean broadcast about lolita after KBS saw a mother and daughter dressed in lolita fashion on the streets!

Korea Public TV “SBS” (Seoul Broadcasting System) “생방송 투데이” –LOLITA FASHION

Welcome!

2014-10-14T13:36:00.002-07:00

I'm trying to reboot the Indie Lolita Brands website... on blogspot!

I will be featuring a new brand every month.

Taobao, Western (US, Canada, Australia, etc), European, and Asian indie brands are going to be introduced, especially if they have been established for a long time.

Do you have a new indie brand that isn't on the Indie Lolita Brands list yet? Email the admin!