Self Portrait of Leyla Flux 2015

KoKoLoReS Skyler for Hair Fair 2015

It’s Only Fashion: What’s the craziest thing you ever did in Second Life? Most exciting? Silliest? Is there a story you can share that captures your Second Life experience? 

Leyla Flux: Actually, I don’t think I ever did something really crazy in SL. I came here in 2009 for the premiere of my Machinima movie “Saving Grace” at the Machiniplex theatre, which was run by Sol Bartz, better known as Phil Overman Rice in the machinima world. My film was not a Second Life movie but made using the program Moviestorm and footage taken in the game X³ Terran Conflict, and I was asked to do an interview with Overman and the interested viewers at the venue. That was in February 2009. So I stood in front of the audience, knowing next to nothing about SL, in my noobie avatar. It was fun, and frightening at the same time!

Later that year, my film was shown at the Machinima Expo, by then I was already infected with the SL bug and looked much more stylish than in February. If you’re interested, you can watch “Saving Grace” on Vimeo, I’m still very proud of it and sometimes sad about moving away from making machinima, but it just happened. And yes, that time might have been the craziest I had in SL!

KoKoLoReS Silence with Glam Affair Skin, Adam & Eve Makeup, Zaara Earrings.

IOF: What drew you to designing hair? When did you start? What are some of the changes that were most significant for you?

LF: Once I found my feet in SL (with the help of Riott Viking and Lainy Voom, both machinimators and creators), I knew I wanted to make things. I started out with system layer clothes, built prim houses. Riott (she did skins) and I had a shop together, and it was going nicely. Then mesh came, everything changed, and I realised that if I wanted to create still, I needed to learn mesh. I admit I was pretty daunted by the idea (I never learned making my own sculpties), so Riott and I decided to give up our store. For a time, my blog was my only creative outlet, then I started to itch for doing something creative again and learned making poses, and finally dabbled in blender. I did tons of Youtube tutorials (thank you, Youtube!) and as I’ve always loved hair, I pretty soon was sure that I wanted to make hair. Cyclic Gearz helped me a lot – if you need blender lessons, she’s great! And around April 2014, I released my first hair.

KoKoLoReS Lilibeth

IOF: How did you choose your store name? Does it have a special meaning for you?

LF: I’ve always loved the word “Kokolores”. To me, it’s nonsense in a positve sense, fun, light, entertaining, creative, colourful.

IOF: What is the most challenging part of being a creator in Second Life? What is most rewarding? 

LF: I strive to get better with everything I do, and I’m a perfectionist. Sometimes the real challenge is to let something go! And a big challenge also is that you’re not only a creator, but your own marketing force, too. So much depends on how you market your stuff. A picture can make or break an item. Packaging, making colour huds, doing marketplace all takes up so much time, time I’d rather spend making more hair!

KoKoLoReS Cameron

The most rewarding is the feedback I get. In essence, I make all my hair for myself. Yes, I do think about what customers may like, but I couldn’t make a style I personally don’t like at all. It wouldn’t work, because my hearts blood wouldn’t be in it.
So when people wear my hair, take awesome pictures, write a note to tell me that they love it, that makes my day and gives me a warm and fuzzy feeling! I have a few customers that have been with me from the very start, who stop by for every new release. That is a lovely feeling!

1992 Wrap Dress

IOF: Where do you get inspiration for your designs? What is your process like? 

LF: I’m a magazines /watching people in the streets/ pinterest /internet/ movies/ music junky – inspiration is everywhere! Very often I work from photos, other times I see a style in my minds eye and go from there. Once I roughly know what I want to make, I open blender and start making hairstrands. Sometimes things come out completely different from what I imagined them first, but that’s ok, too!

KoKoLoReS Effie

IOF: What sets your hair styles apart from other hair designers, in your opinion? What is your style or aesthetic? 

LF: I’m not sure I’ve completely found my style yet – one year of hair making is not much compared to many other hair designers I admire, who have years of experience under their belts! Undercuts have a big part in my work though – love them! And I have a thing for short hair – I really love making unisex styles and updo’s, too. I like edgy, modern styles – but there’s retro, too. So many hairs out there waiting to be made! As for what sets my styles apart from other designers, I’m not sure – I would have to ask my customers that!

IOF: How has your second life changed your first life?

LF: I’ve learned so much – working on images, drawing clothes, texturing, making poses, blender (though I’ve hardly scratched the surface there!)! Second Life has shown me once more that if I want to learn something enough, I can do it. Everyone can! That knowledge helps me in my first life, too!

IOF: Is there anything else you would like to share with readers?

LF: Thank you for asking me to do this, Casja, and thanks to everyone reading! And to all the lovely people who support me in what I’m doing, you’re much appreciated!

Hair Fair 10th Anniversary Gift KoKoLoReS Ash

IOF: What does Hair Fair mean to you?

LF: Hair Fair has been one of my most looked forward to events of the Second Life year long before I started making hairs. So when the invite to participate came in this year, I had a huge “yasssssss” moment and a big grin on my face! I spent a lot of time on deciding what I wanted to make, how I wanted to show my brand and the variety of styles I offer. So exciting! I hope I have reached people who didn’t know KoKoLoReS before, and that regular customers have found something they like in my booth. And of course helping kids in need is a big part of the event, and I’m very proud to be part of that. I hope there will be many more Hair Fairs!

Glamistry Aster Platforms

Store info at Blogging Second Life
****SHOPPING LIST******
Poses: Di’s Opera
HUDS: AnyPose Expression HUD
Skin: Glam Affair America
Mesh Attachments: -Belleza- Isis
-Belleza- Mesh Body HUD V3
Appliers:
.LeLutka.Mesh Head-KARIN v1.1
Glam Affair ( Lelutka Heads ) Tecla Mermaid – America 06
[PXL] Freckles HUD ~ FAIR TONES
AE EyeshadowG Smoke 2
AE Lipstick G Set 4
Eyes: Aphotic Gloom – Aquilius Eyes (Hazel)Small
Hair: [KoKoLoReS] Hair
Clothing: 1992 // Wrap Dress (Teal) M
Shoes: Glamistry : ASTER Heels – belleza
Jewelry: Zaara : Atiriya stone set – *turquoise-silver*, Zaara : Kashiti bobble ring *onyx* (silver), Zaara : Prata silver cuff *onyx* (hand R)