"So we got a request from the customer. 'Hey, could you make this samurai helmet cover?' So the designer came to me and asked, 'Is that even possible?' Actually at the time, I was unsure, but I liked that challenge. I didn’t see anything on the market that was even similar, so that's why I told the designer. 'Sure, no problem. Let's do it.'⁠

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So I have to do research on the most famous Shogun in Japan. So from here it actually doesn't get easier. Because the samurai is Japan's culture, and you don't want to make people upset because there is such a rich history behind it. ⁠
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I follow a few of the studios in Japan and how they still make real samurai armour so I took inspiration from them. You see it in the work, the details in this cover are way over the top. So as with a lot of techniques I learned from these Japanese professionals, I watched their skill and thought about how I can translate that skill to my own.⁠
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I did more design on this cover than the customer asked for because the customer only wanted the helmet. But I just feel like if you want to do this right you need to do the whole set. So I even made a mask and a guard for the neck. And after I felt like that the cover was still so empty so I decided to give it a face! I took pieces of leather and molded them onto a skull, but of course I'm not going to bring in a real skull from a human. So I was struggling with that. I wound up at the liquor store, and saw this crystal bottle of vodka in the shape of a skull. So I bought the bottle, finished it, and got to work. ⁠
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People might think that's a bit too much. People say 'is that even possible?' But then we bring their idea to life and people think oh wow, that's really amazing! So we can make someone's dream come true. So now when people have a crazy idea they bring it to Dormie to make it happen. So we’ve opened that door for people.⁠"⁠
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-Sting Lai⁠