Ever wonder who thought up those crazy yet oh so feminine and snazzy Tokidoki handbags? Pondered what kind of twisted mind could make the avatar of death so CUTE? We owe it all to the surprisingly young artistic entrepreneur, Simone Legno. He was born in Rome, one of the holiest and most religious of cities in the entire world. Yet from this atmosphere emerged a mind capable of perky color, sometimes dark humor, and distinct lack of solemnity nonetheless laced with a continuing thread of joy and zest for life.
Classically trained as an artist, Legno eventually created a web site to showcase his work and also serve as a diary of sorts. This is standard enough for any artist, but Legno’s notable talent and very distinctive style garnered a great deal of attention. Eventually the site became so popular that a noteworthy British newspaper took notice and listed it as one of the top web sites of the week. This in turn attracted attention from American, in the form of a husband and wife business team: the co-founders of the Hard Candy Cosmetics company. This was truly a breakthrough moment for Legno, and the enthusiasm shared between the three is nothing short of remarkable. They provided Legno a plane ticket and held a meeting in Los Angeles, where they made an offer to turn Legno’s art style into a full-blown powerful fashion brand.
Legno found this offer too good to pass up, and left the holiness of Rome for the liberal urbanity of modern California. He created the Tokidoki brand with the help of his new partners, naming it for the Japanese word ’sometimes.’ He explains the choice of the word as a representation of his positive attitude on life, where ’sometimes’ represents the little subtle moments that give people the power to turn each new day into a positive thing.
He chose to visually represent this philosophy with artistic inspiration drawn from Japanese art. The characteristic large-eyed, round-headed, and small-bodied ‘chibi’ look of Japanese comics and cartoons translated well to his outlook. Through it, he has created fashionable purses, shirts, and toys that manage to turn even the grim reaper, a thorny cactus, or a girl wielding lethal weaponry into something adorable.
Initially the brand confined itself primarily to clothing, but its surging popularity has allowed Legno to branch out into ever more interesting and unique products. Particularly notable for its emphasis on modern urban life is the inclusion of such specialized products as the Tokidoki flash drive and laptop case. Legno has done an excellent job of using simple, colorful imagery to appeal to the slightly alternative inner tween in most women and even more than a few men, and has been an enthusiastic proponent of using art in one’s regular lifestyle and wardrobe to create an overall positive outlook. Today, Legno still lives in California, although he often travels for the sake of spreading the name of his beloved brand throughout the world.
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