TOKYO: Meet Lulu Hashimoto, a “living doll” and the latest trend in Tokyo’s fashion modelling scene.
Lulu — a full-body doll suit consisting of a wig, a mask and stockings patterned with doll-like joints — was born from one woman’s desire to become cute.
“I have always really liked dolls and for me, the epitome of cuteness is dolls,” said the 23-year-old fashion designer Hitomi Komaki, who created Lulu.
Dressing up as a mascot, called “kigurumi” in Japanese, is a popular art form in Japan. Komaki has taken it to a new level by creating a body suit that looks like a doll and lets you move like a human.
“Many people call my project a fetish, but for me it’s not a fetish but fashion,” she said. “It’s like wearing nice clothes or putting on false eyelashes to become cuter.”
There is only one Lulu body suit, Komaki said, but dancers, designers and models are among those who have worn the costume.
The identity of exactly who is inside is secret, she added.
The stockings worn by Lulu were created by fellow fashion designer Koh Ueno, who airbrushes doll-like joints onto the material.
“I want to see women wear these stockings and transform,” said 29-year-old Ueno.
“I want them to experience the extraordinary — to become otherworldly, artificial, or like a doll,” he said.
While popular among fans of Japanese subculture, Lulu is now turning heads at the annual Miss iD beauty pageant where she is among the 134 semifinalists chosen from around 4,000 entrants.
The pageant, which includes “non-human” characters generated by artificial intelligence and three-dimensional computer graphics for the first time, will announce a winner in November.
Lulu’s ability to blur the line between reality and fiction has mesmerised fans on social media, where the Lulu Twitter and Instagram accounts have drawn tens of thousands of followers.
“I find it miraculous that dolls and humans — two things that exist in different planes — are standing in the same space,” said Erika Kato, 24, who met Lulu for the first time at a recent fan event.
The possibility of wearing a suit and becoming Lulu also appealed to fans like 22-year-old Miu Shimoda.
“I’d like to be a beautiful girl like Lulu at least once in my life,” she said.
Meet Lulu Hashimoto, the “living doll” fashion model
Meet Lulu Hashimoto, the “living doll” fashion model
Bella Hadid’s Orabella launches new collaboration
DUBAI: American Dutch Palestinian supermodel Bella Hadid is expanding her beauty brand, Orebella, into the world of accessories — and she’s doing it with a little help from her close friends.
Hadid has teamed up with Wildflower Cases co-founders Sydney and Devon Lee Carlson to launch a limited-edition collaboration featuring two dreamy new products: an iPhone case and a “Scentable Wristlet.”
Hadid took to Instagram to announce the launch, writing, “Feeling like the luckiest girl in the world to be able to be creative with my beauty boss sisters. Life is beautiful when we have the opportunity to watch our friends winning. So proud of you two. So proud of our teams. So proud of us. Love you all — thank you for bringing this vision to life.
“Cases ANDDDD our most special scented wristlets to keep the orebella scent of your choice on you at all times! Been wanting to make this accessory for a while, had the idea for scented bracelets and wristlets, and my sisters pulled it all together for us. Love you guys so much,” she added.
Teased earlier on Instagram through behind-the-scenes campaign shots, the collaboration blends Orebella’s fragrance-forward ethos with Wildflower’s unique phone accessory style.
The iPhone case is designed with a celestial sky motif and a delicate crescent moon, channeling Hadid’s signature mystical aesthetic — part of what the trio call a “girl gang collection,” celebrating the friendship between Bella, Devon, and Sydney.
Meanwhile, the Scentable Wristlet introduces a functional — and fragrant — twist. Designed to hold a small vial of Orebella’s signature scent, the wristlet allows users to carry their favorite fragrance with them wherever they go, seamlessly merging style with sensory self-expression.
Orebella, which launched in May last year with a sell-out line of clean fragrance mists, is rooted in Hadid’s love of scent layering, spirituality, and beauty rituals.
Hadid wrote on her website at the time: “For me, fragrance has always been at the center of my life — helping me feel in charge of who I am and my surroundings. From my home to nostalgic memories, to my own energy and connection with others, scent has been an outlet for me. It made me feel safe in my own world.”
Gigi Hadid’s latest cashmere launch inspired by New York
DUBAI: US Palestinian Dutch supermodel and brand founder Gigi Hadid has released her latest collection — and a new summer campaign — under her cashmere label Guest in Residence.
The new line was inspired by New York, according to Hadid, who founded her brand in 2022.
“I’m endlessly inspired by New York City — a place I’ve called home for many years — and the notion that we’re all guests here. For our collection, we embrace the great duality every New Yorker faces in Summer: the thrill of a busy day in the city, paired with the urge to hop in a car with friends and escape to somewhere quiet and laid-back. No matter where you find yourself, our cashmere pieces embrace a spirit of timelessness that always works,” Hadid is quoted as saying on the Guest in Residence Instagram page.
The launch was complemented by a video campaign shared on social media, in which Hadid is joined by fellow models as they explore New York in the summer.
Paolo Santosuosso acted as the campaign’s art director, while the looks were styled by Elizabeth Fraser-Bell.
Hadid launched her clothing label, which features soft, colorful knitwear, in September 2022.
“Over the last handful of years, I didn’t want to be backed into starting my own line just because there was an offer on the table or a deal to be made,” she wrote to her followers on Instagram at the time.
“The earliest days of Guest in Residence came about when I started to question the cashmere market, and those answers gave me a path,” she added.
“I believe that because of its sustainable qualities — natural and made to cherish and to pass down — cashmere is a luxury that should be more accessible.”
Celebrities including Blake Lively, Ryan Reynolds, Taylor Swift and Bradley Cooper have been spotted wearing the label’s designs.
In June, Hadid also unveiled a new campaign with Brazilian footwear brand Havaianas.
The model, who launched a line with the flip flop label, starred in a vintage-inspired series of photographs. In the shots, she shows off slippers from her collection with the brand and is seen wearing retro outfits on a beach.
Amira Al-Zuhair celebrates her birthday
DUBAI: Birthday tributes poured in for part-Saudi model Amira Al-Zuhair, who celebrated her 24th birthday this week.
From producer Kawther Alrimawi to lifestyle publication Hia Magazine, fashion and entertainment industry insiders took to social media to wish the runway star a happy birthday.
The model wrapped up shooting a campaign for an unnamed brand in Milan when the clock struck midnight. She marked the beginning of her birthday with a candle-topped dessert at a restaurant in the Italian city.
Al-Zuhair, born in Paris to a French mother and Saudi father, has made her mark on the fashion world and appeared on the runway for an array of renowned fashion houses such as Missoni, Maison Alaia, Brunello Cucinelli, Balmain, Dolce & Gabbana, Giambattista Valli, Giorgio Armani, Elie Saab and many more.
In addition to her runway appearances, Al-Zuhair has featured in campaigns for high-profile brands such as Prada, Chanel and Carolina Herrera.
Al-Zuhair returned to the runway in May when she walked in Louis Vuitton’s high jewelry collection show, held at Bellver Castle on the island of Majorca, Spain.
The show marked her return to the runway after she hit the catwalk at the amfAR gala in Cannes in May, before which she walked for Australian label Zimmermann at Paris Fashion Week in March.
For Louis Vuitton, the model wore a strapless white gown featuring a fitted bodice and a soft, flowing skirt. The dress was detailed with cascading ruffles outlined in dark trim, which ran down the front and sides.
She also made a statement at the Zimmermann show wearing a burnt-orange ensemble. The sleeveless, fitted dress featured draped, ruched detailing that added movement to the design. The look was finished off with strappy brown leather sandals and gold accessories, including chandelier earrings and bracelets.
In late May, Al-Zuhair also reflected on her recent campaign with Balmain, sharing photos from the Resort 2025 collection shoot. “Had so much fun shooting inside the Eiffel Tower herself!” she wrote in the caption.
It was not Al-Zuhair’s first collaboration with Balmain. She previously walked for the brand during Paris Fashion Week in September.
Designer Alina Anwar takes over Times Square
DUBAI: Dubai-based designer Alina Anwar, founder of Alina Anwar Couture, this week appeared on a digital billboard in Times Square, New York.
Well known for dressing celebrities in Hollywood and Bollywood, including Mariah Carey, Toni Braxton, Kareena Kapoor and Idina Menzel, Anwar has expanded her reach internationally with her gowns and suits.
The billboard featured Anwar, who is famous for her structured silhouettes and feminine designs, wearing a red sequined skirt from her own collection, accompanied by her brand’s statement: “My aim is to empower women through powerful dressing and to set them on a path of personal freedom and possibilities.”
In a statement she said: “I created this brand to empower women, to make them feel confident, unstoppable and seen. To have that vision now broadcast in Times Square is surreal, but it’s also just the beginning.”
Anwar’s brand is a luxury eveningwear label that creates gowns and tea-length dresses using contemporary couture techniques and French finishing. The brand’s pieces feature fine fabrics and detailed tailoring, and are made in the UAE.
In 2019, her work gained global attention when US singer Mariah Carey wore one of her designs in a remake of the “All I Want for Christmas Is You” music video, released to mark the song’s 25th anniversary. Carey wore a pine green, fully sequined, long-sleeved cocktail dress with a scooped neckline, designed by Anwar.
“I hope to see more and more Hollywood stars wear my brand and as a Dubai-based fashion label, I am so overwhelmed by the trust that they are giving me. I am here to advocate UAE-made products (that) are world-class,” Anwar said at the time.
Anwar is not the only regional figure to appear on a Times Square billboard.
Several Arab artists have featured in recent years.
Egyptian singer Amr Diab became the first Arab musical artist to appear on a Spotify billboard in Times Square in 2019.
Since then, others have followed, including Palestinian-Chilean singer Elyanna, who was featured in December as part of Spotify Arabia’s “EQUAL” campaign spotlighting female artists from the region.
From Shanghai to New York, stars show off Lebanese looks
DUBAI: International stars including Hollywood actress Emily Blunt and Chinese K-Pop singer Victoria Song showed off glittering looks by Lebanese designers at global events.
Blunt attended the American Institute for Stuttering's Annual Gala in New York late last week in a gown from Lebanese label Elie Saab’s pre-fall 2025 ready-to-wear collection.
The pleated gown came in a simmering shade of burnt sienna and incorporated a bouquet of ruffles on one shoulder. The Oscar-nominated actress chose to keep things relatively simple when it came to her accessories, opting for minimal earrings, bracelets and a few shimmering rings. Blunt’s look was put together by celebrity stylist Jessica Paster, who also works with singer Paris Jackson and actress and comedian Quinta Brunson. Launched in 1998, the American Institute for Stuttering is a non-profit organization offering speech therapy and community support for people of who stutter.
Blunt previously wore an Elie Saab design for the 2024 BAFTAs in London and proved she’s a fan of Lebanese creations by attending the Clooney Foundation for Justice’s Albie Awards in a hot red dress by Lebanese designer Zuhair Murad in September 2023.
Meanwhile, Chinese songstress Song showed off a full beaded lilac number by Elie Saab at the 2025 2025 Sina Weibo Movie Night Awards on Friday.
The red carpet in Shanghai, China, played host to a number of decadent Lebanese designs, with the likes of Elaine Zhong showing off a Zuhair Murad gown as Tong Li Ya opted for Georges Hobeika and Chen Du Ling stunned in Georges Chakra.
The actresses all opted for floor-length shimmering gowns in various shades of gold, with Zuhair Murad’s social media team describing the fashion house’s creation as “an embroidered corset with leaf petal detailing in champagne and silver paired with a draped silk chiffon skirt from the Zuhair Murad Couture Spring 2025 collection.”
