By Netera Landar
Alex Radikal is both a clothing creator and a DJ. For 15 years, she’s been creating Tiny clothes, and DJing followed shortly after. You’ll find her entertaining as a Tiny rabbit in Raglan Shire on Fridays at 7 p.m. SLT; at Drama Libre, a themed venue; and Out On A Limb, a small mixed avatar club in a RadioSpiral region treehouse, which is co-run by her alt avatar.
“Tiny” is an umbrella term for all small avatars, and Dinkie is a
“brand” of avatars. Dinkie is the most popular of the brands, which is
why some folks refer to Tinies as Dinkies. “That’s incorrect,” pointed
out Alex.
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| Alex's inworld store. |
Alex Radikal is both a clothing creator and a DJ. For 15 years, she’s been creating Tiny clothes, and DJing followed shortly after. You’ll find her entertaining as a Tiny rabbit in Raglan Shire on Fridays at 7 p.m. SLT; at Drama Libre, a themed venue; and Out On A Limb, a small mixed avatar club in a RadioSpiral region treehouse, which is co-run by her alt avatar.
Alex’s friends told her about Tinies, and she was eager to learn more about these drama-free Second Life residents.
“I found Raglan – which is synonymous with Tiny – and made friends there. While I was exploring, I came across an article on the internet about making clothes for Tinies, which explained a little about how to do it, but also the mindset of a Tiny and what makes appealing clothing for them,” Alex explained.
Alex stated that years ago, the only popular Tiny avatar was a Wynx. Its clothing was made from sculpts and prims that go over the avatar base. The base is “crushed” or “folded. Under “every” avatar is a base avatar, which is human size. Wynx is named after the creator of some of the first Tiny avatars – Wynx Whiplash.
“I found that I could make clothes and they were pretty good, so I took a small store in Raglan to see if anyone wanted to buy them. They did. The rest is history. Tiny clothes are not just fashion, but fun; cosplay is enjoyed as is anything funny,” she said.
When Alex began making clothes, you needed to be able to build with Second Life tools at a reasonable level and be creative. With today’s mesh avatars, she said it’s essential to be competent with graphics, among other things. Newer avatars are rigged mesh and require textures made for the meshes. The time she spends creating new outfits is determined by her commitments to her other avatars. She has another business with one alt, a radio station to co-run with her other alt, and a real life. Some weeks she has no time, other weeks up to 10-12 hours. She makes clothing for all genders and occasionally does custom work.
Alex gets her outfit ideas from movies, images on the internet, what people say, and her own thoughts on what would make a cute outfit. The seasons also guide her. She has almost 1,000 releases for Wynx, Dinkie, Muso Mouse, and Titchy.
“I’ve just made two new outfits for Dinkies, which I will probably build for Wynx, Muso, and Titchy, too. They’re not even for sale yet. Each type of avatar has a different type of clothing, so it’s not just making it once; it’s making it four times, if I have time. Dinkie clothing is far and away the bestselling, but I do try to keep making clothes for the other avatars I cover, too. I mean, I started with Wynx, how could I not support them?” she stated.
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Asked if there’s an outfit she adores, Alex replied, “If you make something, it’s your baby, so I love them all, but I guess the one below is one of my top favourites. I’m not Scottish, but I know how much attention to detail I put in this outfit and I’m delighted with the results. It was a commission that I was allowed to sell after I had delivered it to a customer. I have several colourways available, but this is my favorite. Incidentally, a ‘Tattieboggle’ is what the Scots call a scarecrow, so wear this, and you’re not (Nae) a scarecrow.”
Alex sells her Tiny clothing in her inworld store and on Marketplace. She offers a 10% discount to group members/subscribers who buy from her inworld store.
Alex added that it’s a mistaken opinion that Tinies are young and childish. She wants readers to understand that you are talking to an adult when you are talking to a Tiny and talk long enough, and you’ll discover that they are witty, kind, crazy, fun, creative, intelligent, considerate, inclusive…all the good things.
“Many avatars, myself included, became Tinies because they got absolutely fed up with being constantly hit on by every human in sight. Being Tiny means being considerate as well as understanding that SL is not just what the headlines say. Not everyone in SL wants virtual sex and nothing else! Tinies don’t get quite as much flak as Furries, but they are still considered odd by people who can’t see past their own noses. Don’t judge a book by its cover. Open it and read it before you pass any judgment,” said Alex.
Netera Landar
“I found Raglan – which is synonymous with Tiny – and made friends there. While I was exploring, I came across an article on the internet about making clothes for Tinies, which explained a little about how to do it, but also the mindset of a Tiny and what makes appealing clothing for them,” Alex explained.
“I found that I could make clothes and they were pretty good, so I took a small store in Raglan to see if anyone wanted to buy them. They did. The rest is history. Tiny clothes are not just fashion, but fun; cosplay is enjoyed as is anything funny,” she said.
When Alex began making clothes, you needed to be able to build with Second Life tools at a reasonable level and be creative. With today’s mesh avatars, she said it’s essential to be competent with graphics, among other things. Newer avatars are rigged mesh and require textures made for the meshes. The time she spends creating new outfits is determined by her commitments to her other avatars. She has another business with one alt, a radio station to co-run with her other alt, and a real life. Some weeks she has no time, other weeks up to 10-12 hours. She makes clothing for all genders and occasionally does custom work.
“I’ve just made two new outfits for Dinkies, which I will probably build for Wynx, Muso, and Titchy, too. They’re not even for sale yet. Each type of avatar has a different type of clothing, so it’s not just making it once; it’s making it four times, if I have time. Dinkie clothing is far and away the bestselling, but I do try to keep making clothes for the other avatars I cover, too. I mean, I started with Wynx, how could I not support them?” she stated.
.jpg)
Asked if there’s an outfit she adores, Alex replied, “If you make something, it’s your baby, so I love them all, but I guess the one below is one of my top favourites. I’m not Scottish, but I know how much attention to detail I put in this outfit and I’m delighted with the results. It was a commission that I was allowed to sell after I had delivered it to a customer. I have several colourways available, but this is my favorite. Incidentally, a ‘Tattieboggle’ is what the Scots call a scarecrow, so wear this, and you’re not (Nae) a scarecrow.”
Alex sells her Tiny clothing in her inworld store and on Marketplace. She offers a 10% discount to group members/subscribers who buy from her inworld store.
Alex added that it’s a mistaken opinion that Tinies are young and childish. She wants readers to understand that you are talking to an adult when you are talking to a Tiny and talk long enough, and you’ll discover that they are witty, kind, crazy, fun, creative, intelligent, considerate, inclusive…all the good things.
“Many avatars, myself included, became Tinies because they got absolutely fed up with being constantly hit on by every human in sight. Being Tiny means being considerate as well as understanding that SL is not just what the headlines say. Not everyone in SL wants virtual sex and nothing else! Tinies don’t get quite as much flak as Furries, but they are still considered odd by people who can’t see past their own noses. Don’t judge a book by its cover. Open it and read it before you pass any judgment,” said Alex.
Netera Landar
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