Meet the artist: Macoto Takahashi

It’s a bit hard to talk about Kawaii without ever mentioning Macoto Takahashi (高橋真琴). This mangaka is often refereed as being one of the founders of the shoujo style, and has greatly contributed for older Gothic and Lolita Bibles in Japan.

Macoto Takahashi was born in 1934 and made his debut back in 1957, setting the standart for shoujo layouts and the symbolism found in it (sparkly eyes, roses decorating the frames etc.). In early 2000’s he started contributing with GLB’s publication through cover and calendar illustrations.

His distinctive style was the perfect combination with the aesthetics of the Lolita Fashion, and soon Macoto’s popularity began to rise again in Japan. Nowadays he still publishes his distinctive drawings of girls in fairy Tale motifs and big round dresses. It’s possible to buy his artbooks and even coloring books with his own lineart.

Besides the GLB, Macoto has also drawn for magazines such as Nakayoshi, Yoko and Margaret. He opened up his own gallery in 1987, in Chiba Prefecture, Japan, where you could see a lot of his covers and illustrations for famous magazines. In 2018 Macoto received an invitation from Comme des Garcons and paired up to a collab that was displayed in Paris.

Nowadays he still publishes his solo works that can be found at the biggest retailers around the world.

Laura Ribeiro

27-years-old Brazilian, trying to survive with a black and navy wardrobe during the summer. I work as a freelancer writer in fashion, games and education. During my free time I enjoy sewing, writing fiction, drawing and, of course, playing lots of video game.