No Needle? No Thread? No Problem: Bandai America Launches Harumika, Inspiring Girls to Style Their Imaginations & Conquer the Catwalk
(NEW YORK, NY – February 2009) – Aspiring fashion designers can achieve “Runway Ready” status, with Harumika – the new dress-form fashion doll from Bandai America Inc. Already a huge phenomenon in Japan, Harumika lets girls “style their imagination” and easily design attire with colorful fabrics and fashion accessories – all with no sewing required.
To create “Ready to Wear” looks, all girls have to do is chose a swatch of the exclusive Harumika fabric, style it by wrapping the fabric around the dress form, then secure the look using the stylus design tool with the patent-pending Style Lock System on the back of the dress form. The exclusive signature Harumika fabrics can be used to design a “look of the day” everyday!
The fun and excitement of fashion design continues online at the “House of Harumika” website and design portal www.harumika.com launching in June 2009. Girls can upload photos of their favorite looks to their “Style File” and display their designs in their own virtual “Dressing Rooms.” They can also show off their hottest looks to all their friends by participating in online fashion shows or creating their very own “Look Book” for their collections.
“All girls dream of being fashion designers, and Harumika allows girls everywhere to create their own unique styles on a dress form doll and then show off their designs to friends on the Harumika website,” says Danielle Armbrust, director of marketing, Bandai America Inc. “By expanding our girls category and bringing this fashion design phenomenon to the States, Bandai is inventing a whole new way for girls to play and express their style. With Harumika, every day is a runway day!”
Available at major retailers in July 2009, the Harumika line-up includes:
Harumika Runway Showstopper Set makes fashion design easy and fun with the included pink dress form, stylus design tool, chic signature fabrics, fashion accessories and two Harumika charms, which unlock special features on the Harumika website! All girls have to do is pick the fabric, wrap it around the dress form, and then secure it using the stylus in the exclusive Style Lock System on the back of the dress form – the design possibilities are endless! With the included Harumika camera, girls can take pictures of their favorite designs and upload them to the Harumika website to join a fashion show and feature the styles in their very own online “Look Book.”
Harumika Style Starter Set is perfect for the fashion trendsetter in the making! Whether girls want to create a new outfit straight from their imagination or recreate and embellish a favorite one, girls have everything they need in the Style Starter Set. The Set includes a Harumika dress form and stylus design tool, signature fabrics, fashion accessories, a rhinestone sheet and fashion stickers to make fashion designing easy and fun. Girls can pick from different themed sets including Wild One, I ♥ Harumika, Precious Petals, and So Cal Casual to show off their style.
Harumika Designer Dress Form Set allows girls to show off their cool fashion sense and their designer aspirations. As with all the Harumika sets, no sewing required. Girls can create their own personal style with two stand-out designer dress forms, which are decorated with cool stamped art in an assortment of signature colors: pink and white or black and silver. Just use the colorful signature fabrics and fashion accessories as well as the stylus design tool that locks the outfits in place to create a new design every time. The set is available in three very cool styles including New York City; Harajuku, Japan; and Paris.
Harumika Fashion Show & Go Set lets girls take their Harumika sets with them in the exclusive Harumika fashion tote, a cool accessory on its own. Girls can create their dream outfit while on the road by using the included dress form and stylus design tool (this innovative set does not require needles and thread). Formal-inspired and deluxe fabrics, fashion accessories, rhinestone sheet and fashion stickers round out the set. With the heart shaped fashion clip, fabrics will be organized and ready for those quick fashion changes whether it is Enchanted, Party Scene or a Magical Nights theme.
Harumika Super Style Accents is a great add-on with its chic and exclusive fabrics so girls can design the trendsetting look without sewing! Each Set includes six chic fabrics so girls can design the next trendsetting look without sewing! Fabrics are sized to work with the Harumika Starter, Stylista and Runway Sets (each sold separately). Also included is an exclusive stylin’ Harumika charm bracelet that girls can wear themselves or use to accessorize their fashion designs for added flair. Girls can show off to their friends with the different available sets including Hip Star/Precious Petals, Eye Candy/Fash’n Peace, and Wild/Runway.
Harumika Style Accents is similar to the Deluxe set and includes three trendy and up-to-the-minute fabrics and accessories sized to work with the Harumika Starter, On The Go Style and Runway Sets (each sold separately). Girls can wear the included Harumika charm bracelet use it to accessorize their fashion designs for added flair. Girls can show off to their friends with the different available sets including Hip Star, Eye Candy, Sweet Rose, Fash’n Peace, Wild Style, Uptown, Holiday and Sporty.
About Bandai America Inc. A leader in introducing Japanese toy trends to the United States, Bandai America Incorporated is a subsidiary of NAMCO BANDAI Holdings (USA) Inc., an entity that resulted from the integration of Namco Ltd. and Bandai Co. Ltd. of Japan. Global interests encompass six strategic business units: toys and hobby (toys, models, apparel and sundries), amusement facilities, game content (home and arcade console gaming), network (mobile phone and PC content), visual and music content (including home entertainment), and an affiliated business group. Bandai America is the manufacturer and master toy licensee of some of the most popular brands in children’s toys and entertainment today, including Power Rangers™, Ben 10™, DragonBall Z® and Tamagotchi®. The company is headquartered in Cypress, California and information is available at www.Bandai.com..
