Nona Kecil is one of the most fashionable characters you’ll meet. She’s not afraid to experiment with bold, bright colors and try avant-garde shapes that change her silhouette in fun and surprising ways. You might envy her wardrobe and want to know where she finds her fabulous frocks. Well, everything Nona Kecil wears is one of a kind for good reason: she’s not real. She’s the creation of embroidery artist Irene Saputra, who goes by the moniker Nengiren.
Nona Kecil’s stitched wardrobe is born out of a deep desire Nengiren held when she was young. “As a child, I spent hours with my 11-inch plastic doll gift from my mother, who lived apart from me,” Nengiren explains. “I loved playing with her, especially giving her make-overs each time we played. But I didn’t have the privilege of buying extra outfits, so I often asked my grandmother to sew some. Though kind and loving, she was often busy, and sometimes the little clothes never came.”
“In my small world, I wished for a superpower,” she continues, “one that could shrink my wardrobe, allowing my doll to wear a variety of outfits. I wanted her to look different every day. A magical game of dress-up, fueled by imagination, that has quietly stayed with me through the years.”
Nengiren has been crafting outfits for Nona Kecil since 2016. The nearly decade-long practice has allowed the artist to make sartorial choices that visually express the character’s personality. Conceptually, she also explores the idea of how change is happening to us at every moment—from monumental shifts to something as small as changing a pair of pants. In this way, every shirt, pair of slacks, and dress is a reminder that each day is different and to cherish that fact.
For Nengiren, the act of embroidering is another way to treasure time. It’s a slow, deliberate craft where she sticks a needle through a piece of cloth over and over (and over) again until she fills in the design. Every stitch is a small decision that ultimately transforms how the whole piece will look. It’s not unlike life itself.
See what Nona Kecil is wearing next when you visit Nengiren‘s Instagram.
Nona Kecil is one of the most fashionable characters you’ll meet. Everything she wears is one-of-a-kind by the artist Nengiren.
Nengiren has been crafting outfits for Nona Kecil since 2016.
The inspiration for this long project came when Nengiren was a small child. She wanted her doll to have extra outfits, but her grandmother didn’t have time to make them.
“In my small world, I wished for a superpower,” she says, “one that could shrink my wardrobe, allowing my doll to wear a variety of outfits.”
“I wanted her to look different every day. A magical game of dress-up, fueled by imagination, that has quietly stayed with me through the years.”
