MILKBBI: Technicolour cuteness explosion

You have probably not heard of MILKBBI yet, but that is about to change. MILKBBI is the brand created by Justin Wallis to showcase his colourful and intricate drawings inspired by Tokyo street fashion and video games.

Justin is 23 years old and hails from the American South. His artistic skills are entirely self-taught and at the end of 2011 he decided to release his first collection. It is hard to pigeonhole Justin, as he applies his quirky style to everything from sweatshirts to stationery which can be bought from his online shop here.

All products feature beautiful hand-drawn designs of cute characters that live in a manga-esque fantasy world populated by strawberries, cacti, sunsets and digital pets. An avid Tumblr user, Justin is constantly posting pictures of his drawings, new products or inspirations and has built up a cult following with most of his products selling out rapidly.

But before you all rush to his site to get your hands on his cool designs, we have some bad news: Justin is taking a three-month sabbatical in Costa Rica, so his online shop will be closed for the duration. However, we all know what every cloud has, and the silver lining here is that Justin will be working on the new MILKBBI collection while he is away! The Upcoming caught up with Justin for a little chat before he leaves, and this is what he had to say:

Justin, we think your work is beautiful. Who or what inspires you?

Lots of talented people! “Ooh la la” is the first that comes to my mind – a Korean brand. Oh, and also Rodney Alan Greenblat: the character designer for “Parappa the Rapper” and “Um Jammer Lammy”.

How would you describe yourself as a creator?

I draw things I like, and design products using my drawings for shirts, bags, stationary, etc…

With whom would be your dream collaboration?

Maybe Lazy Oaf; it’s a pretty good brand and sometimes I feel like we are on the same page, or some kind of mobile app company! I really want to design chat icons and photo decoration tools.

Who would you most like to see in one of your creations?

I don’t know…Willow Smith.

If you could choose only one accessory for the rest of your life, what would it be?

My 1997 Tokyo Manga Swatch watch by Hideki Nakazawa – the only watch I’ve ever loved.

Your work features lots of cute creatures. What’s your favourite animal?

Basset Hound, for sure!

What do you hope to be working on in Costa Rica?

The new MILKBBI collection definitely! Also, I’ll be staying with talented friends so hopefully taking advantage of that and creating some beautiful things and some secret projects, shh!

Olivia Roberts

Justin will still be blogging and updating his Tumblr while he’s away so why not check it out here.