Today we’d like to introduce you to Zoe Pappenheimer

Hi Zoe, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.

A few years ago I started looking at fashion online and creating paintings of clothes and shoes and accessories. A friend suggested I try putting the clothes on paper dolls. At first it didn’t sit right with me because I had a preconceived notion of paper dolls as very generic and bland. But then I painted and cut out my first person and it was not bland or generic at all. It seemed less like a doll and more like a portrait of a real person. It then became really fun to think of creative ways of transforming these people using clothes. A body could go from looking masculine to feminine, conservative to punk, just by whatever I decided to create for them.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?

The main struggle is finding time to work on the dolls. I work on them in short intervals while my kids watch tv or as I wait for something to cook on the stove. The detail work requires a focus that is relaxing and the final product is always surprising and fun to play around with.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?

I went to school for graphic design and it makes up the majority of my professional work, but painting and illustrating are where my passion lies. I started creating non-binary, body-positive paper dolls as a hobby, never expecting they would go anywhere. I was delighted when Chronicle Books picked them up and I can’t wait for them to be produced under the name Fearless Fashion in 2025!

Contact Info:

• Website: hellopaperdolls.com and zoedesignworks.com
• Instagram: z.pap

Image Credits
Product photos by Jo Chattman.
Portraits by Brian McDermott.