Foundation is hosting an exhibition of sorts. They have called upon their creators to “push the possibilities of 3D NFT’s” and for them to list their artworks tomorrow, Tuesday, Sept 21st, on the platform using the tag ‘new dimensions’. You can view all submissions here.
In anticipation of the event, I watched the new mints throughout the week and was inspired to do today’s article on one of the participating 3D artists.
Additionally, this week, with the Apes encouraging everyone to #suitup4christies auctions and several social events in the metaverse and real life, I found a significant portion of my time focused on physical and digital fashion. So, when I saw @uwabami, aka, Uwa’s submission, it felt like the universe was telling me to “dig here”, so I just had to ask Uwa, a few questions.
JL: What does Uwabami mean?
Uwa: The word “uwabami” in Japanese means “big snake”, and I like snakes, that’s why I chose it.
JL: Do you have any snakes?
Uwa: I don’t. I wanted one Mexican black kingsnake as a pet, I even found one single breeder here in Serbia, but for now, it’s simply impossible for me to own one since I live in a tiny apartment, but who knows, maybe in the future, I can make that dream come true.
JL: How are you finding your NFT journey so far?
Uwa: It has been pretty fun and rewarding. I started at the beginning of April on Foundation, and I think I sold my genesis pretty fast. After that, it was a bit slow, and sometimes I would doubt myself, but then I would get reminded of the importance of having patience, I would focus on creating. Only recently stuff has picked up, and I started making more sales, which is pretty awesome and satisfying to see more people enjoying my work.
JL: Was this your first mint?
Uwa: Yes, LOVING 2.0 is my genesis. It is based on a painting I made back in 2020, a few months after I got out of a psychiatric hospital and decided to go back to art and myself, take things slowly, without stress. It represents my love and passion for creating.
JL: What is your creative process like?
Uwa: It varies from medium to medium. For paintings, I start with sketching in my sketchbook, then do a painted sketch and the final piece.
For my 3D fashion, I don’t sketch, I start with a basic shirt pattern in Marvelous Designer (MD) and play with it, maybe look at Pinterest for reference if I want a specific silhouette, to see how it looks on the body, but mostly I experiment and come up with something in the end. After making the garment in MD, I export it to Substance Painter, where I texture it, and after that, I import everything to C4D and play a little more with materials and then render or export as .glb.
JL: How did you become interested in fashion?
Uwa: I was very interested and decided to pursue fashion since I was very young; everything from costume design to everyday garments was so fun to me. Then I learned about cosplay in 2009 when I went to my first Japanese and anime-themed convention. I started making plans about all the cosplays I wanted to do and create. I’ve only done a few, but still hoping to get to do a lot more. My next big cosplay project will be Zero Two, from anime Darling in the Franxx, and I’m sooo excited about it.
JL: Did you study fashion in school?
Uwa: Yes, I have studied art and textile design in high school and am currently studying fashion design at a university. I have a few exams left and some other stuff but will graduate next year. I’m not worried about it much since the stress can get to me. So I decided to go at my own pace and focus on what makes me happier, which, at the moment, are NFTs.
JL: Who are some of your fashion influences?
Uwa: To be completely honest, I don’t really follow the fashion world or events. I have a few favourite designers like Alexander Wang or Jean Paul Gaultie, but I am mostly inspired by the moment, emotions or music.
JL: I noticed that ROYAL has lyrics from The Royal We by Silversun Pickups written in the caption. How did the song influence the piece?
Uwa: I don’t know how to explain it, but when I was listening to it, I felt inspired to make that piece, and after I did, I went through the lyrics and it kind of made sense. It is just so powerful, makes me full of energy and makes me feel strong.
JL: Can you tell me a bit about your collection on Foundation?
Uwa: I like to think of my fashion pieces on Foundation as unique since they are minted as 3D objects, and ROYAL is even a bit different from my other 3D objects because I had to texture the model's body too and make and texture the wings from scratch, but I love doing experiments like that and will do more similar stuff to this in the future.
JL: What about your other collections?
Uwa: With my Known Origin collection, I’m experimenting with water simulations and playing with materials. Venus has a glass blouse that was supposed to be silk, but I started thinking about how 3D lets us bend the laws of nature, so I went all in and made the blouse glass and pants metal since we can’t have that in real life.
For the Makers Place collection Modern Witch, I’m playing with smoke rising from the clothes, essentially a similar idea, but I like to think of them all as separate collections. Modern Witch was inspired by the Greek goddess Hecate and her nymphs-lampads. The smoke represents the torches they use to light the way.
JL: Are you on any other platforms?
Uwa: I also have a collection on open seas. That collection started as an idea that each piece would have a wearable version, but I kind of gave up on it at the moment since it didn’t quite work out as I had planned, but who knows, maybe I’ll continue in the future.
JL: When you design clothes, do you make them for yourself or create with a different kind of person in mind?
Uwa: I like to make clothes I would wear, but I also want to think of what would look good on other people of different ages and sizes. I have really only just started with fashion NFTs, and I hope to create many different designs and not just one same style over and over again.
JL: What is something you are proud of?
Uwa: I am proud of myself for taking a year break from uni when I was going through a challenging depressive episode and admitting myself to a psychiatric hospital for three months. It has helped me realize how important life and my own well being is. If I hadn’t done that, I probably wouldn’t be here today.
JL: What is a typical day like for Uwabami?
Uwa: I try to wake up between 7–9 am since I feel like I am more productive in the morning and my body likes it better. I always look at my journal in the morning since I plan my days the night before, and I just go off my to-do list. I try to make art every day, but sometimes I just can’t, and I use those days to rest or do university work. In the evenings, I play video games or work out. It’s essential for me and my mental health to have a solid routine to follow, and for now, this kind of routine works.
JL: Is there anything you want people to know about you?
Uwa: Hmm, I don’t know, really, haha. I like to be pretty open about everything in my life, which can be wrong sometimes, but it’s just the way I am, and I love helping others who are or were in similar situations like me. Hmm…here’s a fun fact, in kindergarten, I was the only kid who knew how to draw a fish!
JL: I love that fun fact! Do you remember drawing the fish, or is it a story your parents told you?
Uwa: I remember it! Haha, everyone gathering around me, in awe, watching me draw a fish. Haha.
