#37 the fantasy of Closet Children
behind a badass heavy metal brand, with founder Rachael Cheong
Welcome to Objectively #37! Creative Living (previously Object Talks) is a series on conversations with creatives—such as craftspeople, artists, and designers—about their practice.
Nothing makes me feel quite like when I wear my Closet Children vertebrae earrings. Perhaps strikingly different from the rest of my outfit, it also makes it more ‘me’. It’s one of those things that lends confidence, at the same time protecting you from the outside world. “A cloak of armour”, as its founder Rachael Cheong calls it.
Taking inspiration from the magical worlds of anime and the transformative powers they represent, Rachael wants to recreate a fantasy and make you powerful. In this interview, we learn why she draws from the “inherent evil” in people and what she hopes for those who reach for their Closet Children.
“It can become quite disturbing but I enjoy being disturbed. It makes life a little less boring.”
Rachael Cheong is a fashion graduate of the Royal Academy of Art The Hague (KABK), and has swept floors for A.F. Vandevorst and Marine Serre before starting her label Closet Children.
She is also the co-founder of the evolving lifestyle studio Awkward Party where she explores a very different side of her creativity—the side that thrives on kitsch aesthetics from childhood and merging them with cheeky, experiential installations that bring art to the common man.
You describe what you create as fantastical objects—what fantasy are you trying to make manifest? And for whom?
I was watching an interview with entrepreneur Daniel Priestley on YouTube, and he mentioned that most entrepreneurs are trying to recreate the feeling of empowerment they felt when they were 12-13 years old. I also believe that the fantasy I want to manifest occurred to me during that age and has shaped my current business and practice.
Rediscovering anime again few years after I stopped watching them, I became really obsessed with the magical worlds anime created, especially Akazukin Chacha’s magical princess transformation.
Since then I’ve wanted to recreate the magical girl fantasy for myself and my customers. I’ve always likened my jewellery to the ones in anime like Sailor Moon, Nurse Angel Ririka SOS, Cardcaptor Sakura, and Akazukin Chacha. The bejewelled transformation brooches and weapons that look almost as beautiful as jewellery. They make me feel as though I, too, have been secretly chosen to be a magical girl to fight the forces of evil.
During the same period, I got my first copy of Kera Magazine as a Christmas gift. That was when I discovered Japanese street fashion. The worlds they created with the combination of their hair, makeup, accessories, and clothes were truly inspiring for me. It was the start of my understanding that fashion could be so powerful.
And I’m not alone. Through blogs, Tumblr, Instagram and now TikTok, thousands of people are essentially looking to create their own worlds everyday. The pieces I create are grounded in a level of storytelling, whether their names suggest that they are cheeky criminals or making reference to anime weapons and characters.
I think most people who wear Closet Children feel the need to express themselves with their clothes, maybe they’re introverted and shy or they hate looking like everyone else and want unique pieces. What I create adds to the fantasies that they create with their clothes. Even as statement pieces that blend so seamlessly into someone else’s wardrobe and makes them feel powerful and badass.
You’ve said before that the “inherent evil in human beings” inspires your work, and I see it translated into something alluring and attractive. What do you think this means for what you’re trying to convey, and why are you drawn to a kind of darkness?
I think this stems from my christian upbringing and how good and evil is so black and white. But I believe that there are so many grey areas in life, given the right conditions and nurturing we are all capable of doing evil. It is alluring to give into the seven deadly sins: lust, rage, jealousy, greed, …
To some extent I understand how addictive certain emotions can be as I’ve recognised the darkness in myself. I always like to see the ways in which the concept of the seven deadly sins are portrayed in television, films, animation, and manga. The cause and the effect. It can become quite disturbing but I enjoy being disturbed. It makes life a little less boring.
Why have you decided to deviate from clothing and hone in onto jewellery?
While I have the desire to create details on a large scale, being able to make something detailed into jewellery is really satisfying and accessible. I never actually intended to just do jewellery, I mostly followed my intuition to create wearable items that encapsulated the feeling of “heavy metal”.
That’s when I stumbled upon the technique of chainmail. I would not limit my jewellery to just the necks, wrists, and ears. They’ll be expanded to be layerable harnesses and belts that enhance any outfit. My pieces are like a cloak of armour.
From a business and sustainability perspective, accessories definitely have more bang for your buck than clothing. I’m a conscious shopper and I make sure that everything I buy can be worn for the long term with more than one outfit. I would hope that the Closet Children customer is also the same.
Can you share what inspired any one of your Closet Children pieces?
I don’t exactly have anything that inspired any one piece, because my pieces carry an overall style that has the friendliness of vintage plastic toys but the spikes of an iron maiden. I’d say one of these objects that has inspired my work is also my first cosplay: a DIY heart eye patch from the anime Jubei-chan: The Ninja Girl.
This is perhaps less about the look of it but more about the preciousness of the object, and its ability to grant transformative powers (with my imagination). If you grew up watching magical girl anime it’s something you would understand—owning a transformation object has so much meaning and can make you feel powerful.
Where do you like to work from? Help us picture what your workspace feels like…
The Closet Children studio definitely feels like a fashion studio with thread spools and tools hanging on the wall! It’s cosy and not very big. There is a large central table that was custom built for pattern making. It’s a 90cm high standing table with lockable wheels. I also have two mannequins, a replica Jumeau antique doll hand painted by a friend’s mom, two Iron Maiden masks, and separate tables for jewellery making, sewing and computer work.
I prefer coming into a space with an association of work which is why I've separated my home from work. Having my bed too close to work makes me unproductive. It's the whole ritual of choosing the outfit for the day, applying makeup to really ‘become productive’.
I also need to listen to music, my brain gets bored even if I’m working. I have a playlist of magical girl anime instrumental background music when I need to think. Otherwise I’ll listen to anything from Caroline Polachek to horsegiirL depending on my mood!
A dream project or partnership on your mind?
Not so much a dream anymore, I basically announced this to the internet and the video got so many likes on TikTok I don’t think I can postpone it anymore. I want to manifest the collection I started dreaming about in 2019, My Girlfriend The Showroom Dummy.
Based on a personal experience with emotional abuse in a relationship, the collection explores other ways women are just not seen as human beings in the eyes of men. It highlights the intersection of femininity and violence. I’ll be creating characters that basically come back from the dead as powerful living dolls to haunt their perpetrators, wearing Closet Children armour, of course.
Come to think of it, it sounds as though I’m describing the plot of that Avenged Sevenfold song A Little Piece of Heaven, but make it girly. It really took so long to conceive as I’ve been busy with my business and have not been able to really go deep into the collection. I attempted to get funding for this collection twice but to no avail, so this will be self-funded and hopefully crowd-funded. I really want to collaborate with a perfume maker for this collection. I won’t say who yet but I should reach out to her soon.
I am also collaborating with my friend Jade and her partner Christian of Christian+Jade to make “Closet Children Objects”. It really hits different when you collaborate with someone who has known your work and style since you were both teenagers. I won’t reveal what the objects are yet! The only clue I would give is: they are for your vanity.
💫 A wild card: Imagine you could be any object, what would you want to be?
I want to be a porcelain doll. Porcelain dolls know everyone’s secrets. They sit there with their vacant stare and frilly outfit pretending that they are just an object but I know they come alive at night to gossip with other dolls. They’ll never let any human know your secrets though, that’s why they’re one of my favourite things in the world.
Before you go, who’s another creative that you enjoy or find inspiration in? If given the chance, what’s one question you’ll ask them?
I love Daddy Bears’ soft sculptures. I would love to ask her: do your fantastic creatures come to you from free form fabric cutting or do they come from drawings first?
Check out Closet Children and follow along @closetchildren.
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