CustomDolls is proud to count among its members the fresh, wonderfully creative talent of Jason Wu. At 17 years of age this September, Jason has already become one of the frontrunners in a new era of Barbie^® design. He is well respected even among veteran professional doll customizers. What I found so striking about Jason was his openness and humility. He seemed surprised that he might be considered one of the premier doll designers. He has won several awards, including 2 first place awards in the Barbie^® Bazaar International BMAA division, 2nd prize at the Paris Doll Festival, and Best Pose for his doll, "Embassy Ball" in the CustomDolls competition.

Although he has only relatively recently become involved in doll customizing, Jason has an extensive background in the arts. He began painting and sculpting at the age of 5, and luckily was encouraged in his artistic endeavors by his mother. His family has been completely supportive, and he credits them with his current success. He is currently attending school in Windsor, CT, although he travels back and forth between Vancouver and Taiwan to be with his family. He hopes to attend Parsons School of Design after graduation.

I asked Jason how he got started customizing dolls: "I started to fix my old childhood play dolls. They were so beat up that I had to try something! Then I realized that Barbie^® is a great model for fashion, and also great for improving my painting skills!" Amazingly, Jason has only been involved with doll makeovers for about a year and a half, which is hard to believe given the intricacy and incredible fit of his doll fashions. In addition to his fashion designs, Jason is particularly proud of his facial painting: "Painting is my favorite. I love giving my dolls different expressions and makeup. I think it truly gives life to my creations, and makes them uniquely my own."