     
Bruce Nygren, and his partner, Peter Nickel, are very  well-known by doll
collectors everywhere. Bruce creates delicious, intricate, sparkling
fashions for fashion dolls. Peter works his magic on the dolls
hair, and Betty Bishop, Bruce's mother, and a jewelry designer,
adds the perfect finishing touches with jewelry made from semi-precious
stones and Austrian crystals.
It began when Bruce was just a young boy, standing
next to his mothers sewing machine. He loved the colors and textures
of the scraps of fabric that fell to the floor, and used those
odd bits to make clothes for his sisters dolls. Bruce earned
his Master's Degree in Textile Design in 1982, and has been non-stop
ever since. Prior to designing for "America's favorite doll
with the famous figure", Bruce designed and wove his own
tapestries, and began his own line of women's clothing.
Bruce returned to fashion dolls as a model when his
niece was born. He bought a doll as a present, and decided to
make clothes for the doll out of his own scraps. (truly coming
around full circle!) His sister reported that people were trying
to steal his niece's doll clothes, and the rest is history.
Bruce attended one doll show, found there was no one
else creating the type of outfits that he made, and today is
one of the hottest doll artists today, with each new creation
more breathtaking than the last.
While his style continues to evolve, it remains resolutely,
and wonderfully his own.
Peter, who is self-trained, and has an incredible
eye for detail, continues to create stunning hair styles for
the dolls that Bruce has dressed.
On a personal note, Bruce does not actually collect
dolls, although he adores creating and designing them. His personal
collections include hand-blown and fused glass, masks from around
the world, and (of course!) textiles.
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