is the ShiftUp aesthetic the next wave?

{looks bemused} I'm afraid I don't recognize anyting you mentioned except BJDs and the company name Fairyland.

Teddy

 

Whatever floats your boat. I don't hope so... but I'm good at ignoring trends and waves anyway

 

Oh, I know a few more of the words so I'll try to help fill the gaps, because I didn't know this connection until just now and it's somewhat interesting.

CP is Cerberus Project, a team of artists who sculpt figurines and dolls. They were the team behind the original Fairyland and Delf sculpts.

ShiftUp is a video game company, and Goddess of Victory: Nikke and Stellar Blade are two of their games. Both games are known (controversially) for their idealized female character designs and the cosplay-like costumes you can dress them in.

Apparently CP has sculpted figurines for both franchises (among others). So since both Fairyland dolls and ShiftUp characters are known for their elaborate costume designs and pretty faces, I think OP is suggesting that CP might be a crossover point leading to a trend in BJDs designed in the style of ShiftUp characters.

~explanation end~

Personally I doubt it, because imo the ShiftUp style is not really that groundbreaking.

Some costumes are creative or striking, sure, but at the end of the day it's just sexy anime/idol girls. That niche already exists within the BJD hobby. I'm sure there will be (probably already are) people who make dolls based on some of those characters, but i doubt it'll be a major trend.

Besides, the styles and details that make the costumes cool are the same things that will make them impractical to replicate in doll form (embedded LEDs, skintight latex, lots of tiny detail, implausible physics, etc).

 

I had to look up what they did for Nikke and I thiiink I agree? I do adore FL fantasy fullsets, but they do typically lean 'historical' fantasy. I would like to see their take on a futuristic/tech fantasy fullset

 

Fairyland occasionally does collabs with companies like this. A couple years back they released two nekopara characters as dolls, and cp shrapnel (one of their sculptors) also sculpts figurines. I don’t think that fairyland is going to shift their style or anything. Their branding is really strong and deeply rooted in the bjd community. If anything they might do a collab but it’s hard to say.
If you’re looking for dolls in this style, I suggest maybe checking out what Dolk has. They’re an authorized dealer that has both vinyl and resin dolls. They also sell really cool characters dolls occasionally. They might have something in the style you’re looking for but I can’t say for sure.
The really cool thing about bjds is that the longer the hobby continues, the more pockets and niches begin to form and bloom. Even if the mainstream dolls start to shift one way or another, it’s still pretty easy to find a small group of people dedicated to whatever you’re interested in.

 

Fairyland has been sculpting figures for a very very long time. So it's not new. If anything there might be a collab, but I doubt it. It isn't realistic to think Fairyland would change that drastically, especially not when they've been sculpting for a while and have been a community staple for many many years. Not only that, but people still love and buy their whimsy aesthetic and the more "realistic" or darker historical fantasy dolls generally don't do as well.

 

Fingers crossed for you (and the other ShiftUp fans) then

Teddy

 

I wouldn't know stuff from video games if it bit me, but my first BJD (20 years ago) was a CP Luts Delf Chiwoo (pictured inn red and blue on all my posts here on DoA).

Teddy

 

Probably the many, many people who also readily pay 300+ bucks for the elaborate pleather outfits certain Chinese BJD clothes brands put out every other month. Beats me. But I hear you.

 

The existence of Hot Toys suggests that yes, yes people will shell out for outfits that self-destruct. And that you don't dare move your doll out of museum pose in.

 

And here's me, reluctant to even buy a pair of shoes for my dolls unless I know they're real leather so will still be in one pice a few years down the line.

Teddy

 

Tbf though, I have some 15 year old pleather still perfect, my cheaper pleather went after 10 years. 5 years? Not happened to me that thankfully

 

After image searching "Shiftup" and "Stellar Blade" all i got were screenshots of hot video game ladies

and if you ask me, that's an aesthetic that never goes out of style

 

That's the problem, though, you can't tell when buying how long it will last - I have some doll shoes that are still in prerfect conditon after 20 years and others that crumbled within a few years. I'm now reluctant to shop for replacement shoes for my dolls that need specific styles that mostly aren't available in actual leather, since I've wasted so much money on shoes in the perfect styles that are now all shedding. It would be even more disheartening if it were happening to an entire full-set outfit.

Teddy

 

I think this styling is already very prevalent, but with vinyl dolls (who are more anime style from the get go, similarly to the game characters).

I doubt Fairyland would tap into it, given the way their stylise their bodies and how detailed fantasy inspired their fullsets usually are. Tbf, I'm not really expecting anything like this from most Korean dollmakers' work, which tends to lean more cutesy, romantic or casual I'd see something like the ShiftUp girls coming from Ringdoll, as they do regularly make dolls with this tech-y anime aesthetic, but they also tend to focus more on male dolls.

But yeah, all in all, I think it's mostly in the vinyl territory at the moment if anyone is looking for inspiration or outfits.