Henshin Justice readers passionate about art, whether artists themselves or appreciative admirers, would be remiss to ignore Q Pop Shop and Gallery, a shop dedicated to funky clothing, handmade artists’ goods, and highlighting some of the most talented people in the international art scene.

Henshin Justice Unlimited paid a recent visit to Q Pop during their most recent tokusatsu art exhibit, Tokusatsu 2: Revenge of the Kaiju and took a closer look at this small, but mighty independent shop located in Los Angeles’s Little Tokyo district.

Former fashion model and actress from Thailand, Miki Panteepo, and artist and filmmaker, Chris Mitchell, who has worked on shows such as Ren and Stimpy, Powerpuff Girls, and Samurai Jack, started Q Pop in November of 2010.

Miki told Henshin Justice she and partner, Chris, simply wanted a shop that incorporated both their passions; hers for fashion, and his for art. Their drive for all things funky and artistic truly shows, as Q Pop is the exclusive Southern California retailer for Harajuku fashion labels such as, Sex Pot Revenge and Algonquins as well as the exclusive United States seller for label, Super Lovers. There is even an extensive selection for lolita-esque brands such as Swimmer and punky Thailand-based clothing brand, Hip Hero.

Not only do these unique brands set Q Pop apart from other independently owned retailers in the area, Q Pop’s immense appreciation for all things tokusatsu would be hard to miss.

Q Pop’s first tokusatsu inspired exhibit was held in September of 2012 featured lovingly quirky renditions of tokusatsu favorites by fellow tokusatsu fans, including artist Kyle A. Carrozza or TV’s Kyle (Tumblr, DeviantART) and Sunae artist, Naoshi,  who uses sand for her bright, cute, and whimsical creations.

 

As then, Tokusatsu 2: Revenge of the Kaiju, held in November of 2013, Q Pop brought even more talented artists and tokusatsu fans. Artists such as Omocat, whose clientele include NAMCO and Amazon Studios, and Lindsay Smith, offered their unique perspectives on the genre.

The exhibit also encouraged plenty of fan interaction, as Q Pop brought in large tokusatsu scenery cut outs for fans and exhibit attendees to play and take pictures with. Q Pop also provided local favorite store, Anime Jungle, a small booth to sell plenty of their own tokusatsu figures and toys.

With each rotating exhibit, Q Pop also provides plenty of goods to accompany the theme, so at Tokusatsu 2, much to fans’ delight, there were also plenty of unique tokusatsu-inspired fashion for purchase, including t-shirts, accessories; even underwear!

Henshin Justice highly recommends Q Pop Shop and Gallery as a must-stop for not only tokusatsu fans, but simply for anyone in or stopping by the Los Angeles area and want a truly unique, artistic shopping experience.

If nothing else, it’s the store Ryosuke Miura, Kamen Rider OOO’s Ankh, bought a Kamen Rider t-shirt.

For more photos of Q Pop shop and the Tokusatsu 2: Revenge of the Kaiju exhibit, check out the gallery below. Special thanks goes to Char350 for his photo contributions.