Meet Indigo Craane | Founder & Creative Director

We had the good fortune of connecting with Indigo Craane and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Indigo, what are you inspired by?
Czech marionettes. Ball-jointed dolls. Jan Svankmajer. 2014-16 internet. American McGee’s “Alice: Madness Returns”. The Dresden Dolls. RPG Maker horror games (specifically “Mad Father” and “Ib.”). Caprese sandwich. “Kamikaze Girls.” FKA Twigs. Body adornment.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
My art is deeply tied to graphic design and multimedia. This is best conveyed through my clothing brand, Dollgarden.

Dollgarden was something I had started up as a passion project in my senior year of high school, screenprinting my favorite internet memes onto old shirts and thrifted clothing. However, as I became more fond of the screenprinting process, experimenting with textures and layering images, I fell in love with remixing digital fragments into wearable clothing. That was the most authentic I could be as an artist or as a clothing brand; reworking internet imagery, personal poetry, or language into each garment is like embedding a piece of myself into each piece. To me, clothing is more than just art– it is a way to visually map the landscape of my mind.

Now in my sophomore year of university, I know that this landscape will only broaden and flourish. As I continue to grow Dollgarden and delve deeper into this subculture of art and fashion, I have found myself drawn to the curational side of these creative spaces. In 2024, my partner and I have launched Mortem Market, a bimonthly alternative marketplace that is dedicated to showcasing independent, experimental small designers, vintage European and archival clothing, and local multimedia artists. By curating a platform for like-minded creators local to the Los Angeles area, Mortem Market cultivates a community that values the unconventional. This endeavor has allowed me to blend my passion for curation with my commitment to grow a scene for emerging alternative creators and talent.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Let’s see… I usually roam around Downtown LA in my free time. I love going to Little Tokyo, I was just there last weekend. I typically venture out there whenever I am trying to find a new figurine for my collection; I have over sixty Sonny Angels (and counting) from the last four years, but I am trying to stray away and collect different figurines. Anyway, I would take someone there and we could roam around the plaza. My favorite store there is “Monkey Pants.”

But! If I were to take someone out for food, I would take them to Sawtelle in West Los Angeles. I grew up going there all the time. It is just this three or four-block strip of kitsch stores and restaurants– the food there is just so good. My favorite is Anzu and Tasty Noodle House.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I would have to dedicate a shoutout to the internet. When I was growing up, it was the early internet aesthetics, online communities, and general internet culture that shaped who I am as a person– and hence, my artistic vision as well. The internet has been my greatest teacher and favorite friend.

Website: https://dollgarden.shop/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/d0llgarden/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7UaTGwDSDmOSYMqR1f41Uw

Image Credits
David Nikolic