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| Image Courtesy of The Only Ship Designs |
As with any K-pop show, we all love to look our best. When it comes to BTS, though, you’ll see fans either dressed in a specific inside fandom joke or looking chic and stylish. If you’re someone who loves to accessorise, then today's Fan to Creative is by Laura, aka The Only Ship Designs. Creating bias earrings, and if jewellery is not your thing, then she has you covered with subtle themed Bangtan stationery, including Post-its and washi tape.
Recently putting on gorgeous cupsleeves such as 2seok's homecoming from the military and the more recent birthday celebration for our Yoongi. Like many, Chapter Two has been an inspiring time, allowing us to see an insight into the sounds the boys want to experiment with. The interesting answer throughout the Fan to Creative series is that when asked which album has stood out, the result is, as you can see from this interview too, that many ARMY have sought solace and comfort in RM’s albums, with the rapper's words always resonating deeply with listeners.
Besides the chapter two journey, we speak about the joy in jewellery, the wonderful things that we all have gone on to do since discovering BTS and her inspirations to this day.
You’ve created some beautiful cupsleeve designs — especially the ones for 2Seok and Yoongi’s birthdays. What first drew you to cupsleeve events, and how do you go about designing them?
Laura: I went to my first cupsleeve event in 2022 after the Permission To Dance livestream cinema event and had a great time. I actually work full-time as a graphic designer in the events industry, so as soon as I saw these events, I was like… “Oh, this is something I could do!” I wanted to learn more about how people ran them and what people liked. So I got my foot in the door by vendoring and attending various events in 2023 and talking to other people who hosted events (like lucwithluv and chimchimpins) who were so helpful, with the long-term goal of hosting my own event.
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| Image Courtesy of The Only Ship Designs |
When designing, I like to have an idea of a theme first and see where the design takes me. With the 2Seok homecoming event, I just thought about what I love about 2Seok, and their constant banter over the years on Weverse and Instagram makes me so happy, so I turned that into a visual Instagram aesthetic. For Yoongi’s birthday event, I just really wanted to do something D-Day related, as I’m so in love with that aesthetic, and it seemed like the perfect time to do it. I love the designing part so much; it’s fun to create something completely different from what I do in my day job. I create all my assets on Adobe InDesign, Illustrator and Premiere Pro.
What got you into creating various pieces, as you do a variety? Had you always been creative, or had it been inspired by discovering BTS?
Laura: I have had an Etsy shop for well over ten years now, actually! I started with lasercut acrylic jewellery designs that I made for myself and friends and ended up selling these on Etsy and at in-person markets in New Zealand (where I’m from). I actually sold one of my necklaces to a friend of mine that said “UGH” maybe 8 years ago, they eventually got into BTS, so when they went to the Permission To Dance LA concert, they wore the UGH! necklace as a rapline reference, which was totally unintentional when I created the necklace! By this time I had also become ARMY, and I was like, “Oh, wait!” I could create BTS-inspired jewellery for concerts. How fun! Then over the last 2+ years since I reopened my Etsy with a BTS focus, I’ve branched out to stickers, keyrings, washi tape, etc., as I found different suppliers and saw what was possible. Most of my designs started as things I wanted for my own use or things I just find funny (like my Yoongi by Jin keyring).
Speaking of the variety of products you sell, the washi tapes are a fun personal touch. Can you walk us through the process of creating the tapes? How do you decide what themes and patterns to include?
Laura: The washi tapes are probably my most popular item! I started with the D-Day design. Which was actually inspired by a D-Day sticker I created first. I loved the floral D-Day designs from the tour merch so much, and I was also hugely into photocard trading around this time and was getting through a lot of washi tape. I found a supplier and had a small batch produced as a trial, but it kept selling out. I then had an idea for a Jack In The Box-inspired design, which I showed to a friend who suggested I create an Indigo themed one so I had a full rapline set.
A unique addition to the shop is jewellery pieces that pair nicely for concert fits, such as the latest HOTS pair. What inspired you to start making earrings specifically?
Laura: I personally am such an earring person! I made them for myself to start with; I thought about what I wanted to wear to concerts and then offered them in small runs to other friends I had made through BTS. The earrings for me are such a fun nod, I love ones that I can also wear out and about as a subtle nod to BTS; I’ve worn my UGH! ones to work, which makes me laugh.
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| Image Courtesy of The Only Ship Designs |
And how do you decide which pieces will resonate with fans? Do you make what you want to see or what you think ARMY would want to wear?
Laura: It can be a bit of a challenge. I generally try to start with designs I’m excited about and want to use/wear. But sometimes it hasn’t resonated, and I'm left with stock that can be hard to sell. I listen to what friends suggest, or sometimes I make polls on Instagram to see which design/colour way is more popular so I know what to produce. But I’ve learnt to make things in smaller batches at first to test the market and see what people like. Luckily with lasercut acrylic jewellery, it’s pretty easy to create small batches in a cost-effective way.
For those of us who love stationery and want our office desks or school supplies to subtly scream Bangtan, you’ve got us covered. Your designs are perfect – I have the JITB Post-it notes. What inspired your stationery line?
Laura: I’ve always been a big stationery lover! I hoard stickers, the amount of washi tape I’ve acquired is obscene. Also, for as much as I love the jewellery I create, something that I can use every day at home or in the office, to me, feels more practical. I like knowing I can create products that will be useful.
Having only started your shop around a year ago on Etsy. What has been the most popular product lately, and which item is your own person's favourite?
Laura: I had to restart my Etsy shop because my previous one was created in New Zealand, and Etsy won’t let you change the bank country (laughs). I put this off for a while, as it was a huge ordeal admin-wise, but I’ve been on and off Etsy since maybe 2013?
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| Image Courtesy of The Only Ship Designs |
The Washi rapline tape set and also the RM LOST! sticker sheets are my most popular! I’m so surprised by the LOST! sticker sheet, and I had a lot of fun creating it. I’m a graphic designer, but I wouldn’t consider myself an illustrator (though I do dabble). That people enjoyed my simple drawings so much that I've had to restock the stickers multiple times makes me so happy.
Let's touch briefly on BTS and your personal journey with them. How did you first discover them, and what was it that drew you in specifically?
Laura: I’ve been aware of them for a long time, as I’m such an online person (laughs), and I’ve had many friends get into them over the years. One day in 2021 I was just on YouTube, and the DNA music video came up as a suggested watch, and I thought… “Oh, okay, it’s time!”
It almost felt inevitable that I'd get into them knowing myself. I really love music and love a boyband too, but I really didn’t expect what I found with BTS. I became a Yoongi bias really fast after my friend showed me the Daechwita music video and I listened to D-2 and read the lyric translations. I was obsessed with the choreography and fun songs and looks to start with, but once I started diving deeper into lyric translation and watching content like In The Soop, I started to relate to them and love them even more. I’ve also made some of my best friends through getting into BTS. I've travelled the world to see them; they’ve had such a positive influence on my life in so many ways.
For those who perhaps are just starting to go down the rabbit hole or are simply intrigued, what album, in your opinion, is the best introduction and provides a small insight into them as artists?
Laura: Ooh, that’s so hard! I love Love Yourself: Tear so much; I feel like lyrically it’s so important and would provide great insight to them as a group, but also I feel like MOTS:7 had such a comprehensive range of songs (solo and unit songs too) that it would be such a fun introduction for someone new, with something for everyone.
When Chapter 2 began, many of us had set personal goals – from writing ourselves future letters to learning Korean – or even attempting to save money (emphasis on we tried.) I love hearing people's achievements, no matter how big or small. What did you set out to pursue and achieve?
Laura: I didn’t set goals related to this time, I’ve just tried to live my life as best I could. Travelling, seeing friends and family, attending concerts, etc. It would have been nice to have saved more money, though… Whoops!
As the iconic Chapter Two era is seemingly coming to an end, how have you enjoyed this chapter, and which album has been the standout?
Laura: It’s been an interesting time! The solo releases have provided a lot of creative inspiration for me with my shop. I've loved the releases and the excitement, and I’ve made more friends than ever through BTS at events and online. It's been really positive in that regard, though bittersweet that the boys had to leave for so long. For me, I still can’t get over Right Place, Wrong Person. This album and D-Day really helped me out during a tough time personally. I really couldn’t choose between them, as they mean so much to me. Face and Muse also have been on repeat for me so much the last 2 years.
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| Image Courtesy of The Only Ship Designs |
Finally, what would be the next goal in your creative journey?
Laura: I’d like to keep hosting cupsleeve events! I have plans for an event for when Jin comes to London for his concerts, and I’ll see where the rest of the year takes me. I love creating designs, and the events are so fun to meet fellow ARMY and see friends, but I like to keep a good balance between this and the rest of my life. I do all this because it’s fun, and I enjoy it. I already have a job, so I don’t want this to feel like work for me. My main goal is to keep having fun and flexing my creative muscles outside of my job!
Be sure to follow Laura on her social here. Shop her products on Etsy here.