Japanese Fashion Comes to Comicpalooza 2016

Baby, the Stars Shine Bright,
Deep in the Heart of Texas!

Japanese Fashion House Struts into Texas' Largest Pop-Culture Con

(HOUSTON, TX — April 8, 2016) Japanese pop-culture fashion has long fascinated many Americans with its intricate designs. Foremost among these designs are the creations of the Japanese fashion house Baby, the Stars Shine Bright (BTSSB), who have been part of the growing movement of the Japanese Harajuku style since 1988, particularly among the fashionistas known as Lolitas. Now, BTSSB is bringing its beautiful inventiveness to mainstream American audiences at Comicpalooza. Guests will be treated to a BTSSB fashion show, meet and talk fashion with two of BTSSB's top designers, Kumiko Uehara and Rin-Chan, and visit the sales booth in the exhibit hall. The fashion activities will culminate in a Japanese tea party on the final day of the con. Comicpalooza will be held on June 17-19, 2016 at the George R. Brown Convention Center.

“We began featuring Japanese pop-culture years ago through manga and anime, and have seen the interest in Japanese pop-culture grow each year. Working with BTSSB is a privilege that allows us to better serve our fans that are dedicated to Japanese pop-culture, and also to bring a totally new experience to many Americans who are unfamiliar with Japanese culture at all,” said event founder John Simons, “We are very excited about this.”

In addition to the new fashion programming, Comicpalooza offers three days of anime programming, and hosts a variety of various Japanese Anime industry guests including: ADR Director/voice actor/ scriptwriter Chuck Huber (Dragon Ball Z, Hetalia, Attack on Titan), Voice actor Rob Mungle (Halo Legends, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood), ADR voice director/voice actress Rachel Messer (Wakfu Raiders, Heroes of Newerth), Anime producer/voice actress Samantha Inoue-Harte (Final Fantasy: Unlimited, Sakura Wars), Eva Bella (young Elsa, Frozen), and Livvy Stubenrauch (young Anna, Frozen) and more to be announced.

Other Comicpalooza programming includes over 2,000 hours of panels and workshops catering to interests as diverse as comics, anime, science & technology, professional wrestling, literature, film, celebrities, music, and more. It features unique activities such as public rides in NASA's prototype MRV rover, celebrity laser tag, live professional wrestling matches, sword fighting classes, a hackathon, courses in how to survive the coming zombie apocalypse, art events, the largest literary conference in Texas, a film festival, and other cool things too numerous to mention.

The 2016 guest lineup features the first-ever US Aliens cast reunion of Sigourney Weaver, Bill Paxton, Paul Reiser, Carrie Henn, Michael Biehn, Jenette Goldstein, Lance Henriksen, and Mark Rolston. Comicpalooza will host other stellar talent, including Underworld star Kate Beckinsale, world-renowned wrestler Ric Flair, Lennie James (The Walking Dead), Lou Ferrigno (The Incredible Hulk), Eliza Dushku (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel), Walter Koenig (Star Trek), Kel Mitchell (Nickelodeon's Game Shakers), David Prowse (Darth Vader, Star Wars), New York Times best-selling authors Mercedes Lackey, Leslie Klinger, and Sherrilyn Kenyon as well as comic book greats Adam Kubert, John Ostrander, and Mike Zeck.

Driven by community and industry involvement, Comicpalooza has grown to become one of Houston's largest consumer conventions. In 2015 alone, the convention hosted more than 40,000 visitors and booked 16,000 hotel rooms, which led to an overall economic impact of $20 million. In addition to its steady growth, Comicpalooza has strengthened its ties to Houston by partnering with the Greater Houston Conventions and Visitor's Bureau (GHCVB), showcasing the city's quirky culture and commitment to community events.

For the most up to date information on guests, admission prices and schedules, visit the new and updated website www.comicpalooza.com.

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