The human behind the avatar currently lives on the east
coast of the United States. Her background is in fine arts and graphic design.
She originally came to Second Life after reading an article about it somewhere.
She logged in, looked around and left... It held no draw for her. But luckily
for the fashionista’s of SL, about six months later she was bored one day and
decided to take another look. And she was hooked.
After being in Second Life for several months Carrie became
interested in SL clothing. She loved buying clothes but was never quite
satisfied with what she had bought. She always thought she would like the
outfit better if this part were different or that part was shorter. So that
dissatisfaction is what put the idea of designing her own line in her mind. She said “Why purchase clothes that I want to
change? Just make the outfit I really want!”
Her design style is creating for herself. When she is am
making a dress, she makes something that she wants to wear, and that she thinks
is pretty. Her design aesthetic is feminine, elegant and sexy but not overly
so. She thinks the flood of club wear and slut wear in Second Life is really is
what helped to make her store successful in the beginning. Back in 2009 when she opened her store sexy
clothing was everywhere. She said “I think elegant feminine clothing was a
little difficult to find. So when I started offering outfits that were
different from every other mall store women noticed.”
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| Madchen Lace Dress |
I asked Carrie who she thought the lady who wears Snowpaws
is. She said “The lady who wears a
Snowpaws outfit is looking for beautiful feminine clothing that makes her feel
confident, beautiful and tastefully sexy.”
Carrie draws her inspiration mostly from real life. Walking
down the street and observing what people are wearing, real fashion magazines,
fashion shows, and award shows like the Oscars. She added “You should see me watching
the red carpet on Oscar night, with my pencil and sketch book drawing out
ideas. It’s fun. I start with my sketches and then let my imagination take over
as I create. So generally my end product does not look at all like the outfit
that inspired it.”
I asked her what impact that mesh has had on her
designs. She said “I am very proud to
say that I make my own mesh creations now, so yes while I have used templates
in the past I am proud to be able to put the word "original" on my
vending boards. The process of learning took me a long time but has given me
such satisfaction! The ability to offer my customers many options for clothing
has been very rewarding and I know my customers appreciate it. I do not think
the introduction of mesh into the Snowpaws collection has changed my style
though. I still strive to create beautiful well-fitting elegant clothing
regardless of the medium used.”
For those of you who are considering going into fashion
design in SL, Carrie would recommend that you only getting in the business if
you love the creation process. If you are doing it to make money then you will
be disappointed. The market is flooded and the ability to stand out and be
noticed in the field these days is very slim. She would also recommend that you
try to avoid using templates. She said “Everywhere I look I see the same base
mesh items over and over again. The ability to create completely original items
will make you stand out.”
She doesn’t have a specific design that is her favourite
but she explained “My favorite outfit is generally the last one I created. So
today it’s the Madchen Lace Dress. But there are a few outfits that stand out
for me. The Sadire Gown, the Maselan Gown, the Rosazul Gown made for Miss
Venezuela, and the Notte Nera Cocktail Dress are probably some of my favorites.”
Keep your eyes open for more spectacular outfits, made with
love by Carrie Snowpaw of Snowpaws. Come down to Sweethearts Plaza and get your very own Snowpaws outfit.
Sweethearts Plaza Satellite Store:
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Sweethearts/167/79/27
