The Baroness

Few things are as liberating as a fresh start—to which Nichole East, better known as the The Baroness in the toy and art worlds, will attest. In 1999, she arrived in New York with a duffle bag, $500, and enough exuberance, sass, and style to start a dance party in a dentist's waiting room. Today, she works with illustrators, artists, and tattooists, helping to bridge the gap between the art and toy scenes. She has also collaborated with such pop culture institutions as Playboy, Adult Swim and The Simpsons. Nichole started making waves after joining the world's premiere art toy company, Kidrobot, in 2003. Since then, it's been madness. She's organized fashion shows—Kidrobot's Fashion show in Toronto Fashion Week 2008; curated toy series—Seven Deadly Cins Ci-boy Series and Tattoo Dunny Series (a recent seller in Christie's Pop Culture Auction; and even designed her own toys—the 3" "Baroness" Dunny and the 8" glow-in-the-dark version a year later. She headed up the Marketing and Events department, leading the company's promotional, social networking, and event-related efforts. This basically means she did everything she's always done, but also dreamed up fresh marketing techniques like live painting shows, trading parties, chase races, and the always-awesome scavenger hunt. All her hustle has paid off. A toy she helped make happen—the "Hello, My Name Is" 8" Dunny, by Huck Gee—was accepted into the permanent collection at New York's Modern Museum of Art. She has also been profiled in a host of magazines, including INKED, Time Out New York, Juxtapoz, Clutter, Super, Hi Fructose, Tabu, and more. "Kidrobot was a great experience and allowed me to be creative and pave ways in the new market," she says of her climb to cult-figure status. "I want to inspire others by introducing them to great art." Recognized as both a party starter and an engaging student of the world, The Baroness was asked to host the Grand Opening of Peter Gaiten's CiRCA Nightclub in Toronto. And she continues to expand her enviable repertoire, which constantly blurs the age-old line between work and play, hosting parties and appearing as a guest speaker in venues across the globe. Of course, it's not all parties and painting and toys all the time. Within the party girl supreme lies a deep humanitarian spirit. She realizes how lucky she is to have had the opportunity she's to mesh her love of art and the creative process with her desire to see the world, and her ultimate goal in life is find a way to combine those passions to help support children across the globe. She took a step towards this by getting 30 of her friends to each design one toy for her, which comprised the 30 Customs by 30 Friends auction in April, 2009. The auction raised $7,100 for the children of Cambodia.