It has been little more than a month that Santiago and Mauricio Sierra, fashion photographers, announced their 3d printed doll, Modoll. Based on the 3d scanned face of model Lindsay Wixson, the doll is 3d printed then painted by make up artist Ralph Siciliano, hair styled by the incredible Thanos Samaras and dressed by fashion stylist Charlotte Stockdale, who picks real fashion outfits and has them made in scale. I was preparing to dedicate a post to the project but then I repeatedly saw this photo comparison posted in Facebook and Instagram:

Comparison of Modoll and Popovy bodies from Elcatka flickr page

Head sculpt comparison between Modoll (top) and Popovy Sisters (bottom) - photo from Sofaika Instagram account

Face comparison between MoDoll (left) and Popovy Sisters (right) - photo from Sofaika Instagram account

Numerous doll artists and collectors have chimed in and re-posted these images all over social media, denouncing the rip off and accusing Santiago and Mauricio of theft. Linday Wixson commented below one of the posts in Instagram that she had no idea and is very sorry. Comments about the theft on Santiago and Maurizio Instagram posts of the doll got deleted repeatedly (there are some still left). And while one may argue that Lindsay's face bears a resemblance to the Popovy Sisters dolls so that it was inevitable that the dolls would look alike, the comparison of the doll bodies leaves no doubt. The Modoll body looks like a cheap imitation of the Popovy sisters creation, with much less detail and refinement, especially visible in the joints of elbows and knees and the less detailed hands of Modoll. The finished dolls look much less alike of course, as they represent completely different visions.

Modoll wearing Saint Laurent - photo by Santiago and Mauricio

Popovy Sisters WhoYouAre Hollywood showroom exclusive - photo by Popovy Sisters

If you want to see the comments and photos related to the issue, check the #modoll hashtag on Instagram here. What do you think? Let me know in the comments.

UPDATE: It seems that Lindsay Wixson is apologising to Popovy Sisters and distancing herself from Modoll, she posted this on her instagram just before she turned it to private, (probably to avoid negative comments - thanks to Elatka for the repost).

Twin sisters from Russia, Ekaterina and Elena Popovy, are professional artists and fashion designers.

Having started creating detailed portrait dolls and through that learning to work with various materials like china porcelain, plastics etc., they soon moved on to designing and making eccentric dolls that fused art with fashion. Presenting small conceptual collections of 10 to 15 dolls after a huge amount of preparative work, they captured the hearts of many doll collectors looking for unique creations of high aesthetics. The Popovy Sisters usually start with an idea or emotion and then develop the concept of a project. Every doll is handmade from start to finish.

A couple of days ago they showcased on-line their latest collection, named ROYALS, inspired by the game of chess. The collection was first presented at the International Doll Salon in Moscow the first week of October. They tried to convey the special charm of the game, its aesthetics and atmosphere using their own unique style. The dolls are part of a Royal retinue in the form of chess pieces. The whole collection is based on contrast and geometry. Heavy materials set against light ones and soft silhouettes contrasting with sharp, rigid forms. Black against white.

Albino Queen

A characteristic feature of the collection is a parallel elongation of horizontal lines and material stripes running from the costume onto the sleeves. Adding a small luxury accent is the use of chunky jewellery, volumetric decoration and the use of fur touches in the outfits.

Beauty Spot

The collection is based on two different characters: one is an "albino girl", with a light-touch, pale make up that includes handmade eyelashes made of mink fur, hand glued to make each doll even more unique, and the other is the "dark girl", with a more pronounced, darker make up with thick black eyelashes.

Albino Rider

The sisters used 5 dolls for this collection: Little Owl Albino, Little Owl Dark, Peewit Albino, Peewit Dark, Cuckoo Dark (the names correspond to the doll sculpts). They are available either in different outfits or in all outfits. In addition, two new “Rider” chairs can be purchased separately. There are some OOAK items and some are limited edition. For more information and orders, contact them by email.

Dark Rider

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