Imai Kira
 | |
| Birth | December 17 |
|---|---|
| Associated Brand(s) | Angelic Pretty |
| Website | website |
Imai Kira (今井キラ) was born on December 17th in Hyogo prefecture and lives in Tokyo.[1] She is best known for her work as a print designer and illustrator, and frequently collaborates with Angelic Pretty.[2][3]
Life and Career
Imai Kira attended a junior college with a Fine Arts program and created a homepage with her illustrations while in school. Someone from Angelic Pretty saw her work online and offered her a job as an illustrator. In an interview with Le Pannier magazine she says that there were not many lolita illustrators at the time, and being called by Angelic Pretty felt like being in a dream.[3]
When she was young, there weren't any lolita stores near by her, and lolita clothing was generally uncommon. Many lolita would modify or handmake clothing themselves. So, she imagined up things and drew them instead.[3] She said in an interview that as a young person she associated fluffy lolita clothing with the lives of protagonists in manga series and she thought maybe if she could dress that way, she would have a special life too, but the reality is that people lash out when you look different.[3] But she persisted anyways saying:
"Yet I wore my clothes as armor on my heart, like a doll I pretended not to feel."[3]
In an interview at Tekko in 2019[4], she revealed she often watches the popular American TV crime drama show Criminal Minds while drawing. [5]
Publications
She has published several books, including "Hitosaji Hime", "tsuki Kō shōjo / Moon Girl", "Shōjo no Kuni / Girl's Kingdom" from Studio Parabolica, and the maiden's bookshelf series "Schoolgirl" from Rittorsha.[1] Her work can also be seen in the two Angelic Pretty Postcard Collection books as Angelic Pretty postcards are almost always done by either her or Maki.
When she finished her book Shojo no Kuni (Girl's Kingdom) in 2014[2], she felt like she had reached a point where she had finished exploring lolita, and wanted to branch out into something new and different.[3] This led to her working on Hitosaji Hime where she expirmented with mixing different styles with lolita.[3]
Influence/Legacy
This section is incomplete, you can help by adding information about Imai Kira's influence/legacy.
