About Us
SparkleStudio.com represents the latest incarnation of the 11 year partnership between Keith Webster and David Kahauolopua.
Sparkle Studio became a series of creative collaborations for the two quite accidentally. Keith’s background in music, dancing and graphic design along with a deep connection to 80’s soul, pop and R & B, melded with David’s art & art history experience, knowledge of textiles and a love for 80’s alternative. They seemed to fit together like a two piece puzzle, and used their differences as an advantage to create funky reworked vintage pieces, leather accessories, handbags incorporating vintage and antique fabrics, as well as a variety of other handmade items to wear and to live with.
Keith Webster grew up in Texas, and would realize early on a strong interest in music and dance within him. For high school talent shows, Keith would put together elaborate award winning dance productions including cassette tape mixes, choreography and costumes inspired by Michael Jackson, who has influenced him greatly. After high school, he studied graphic design at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts before moving to Los Angeles in 1991 to pursue a music career. Although he remained unsigned, Keith worked very hard during his early L.A. years to co-write and co-produce an entire album, and performed in various local nightclubs and events. He currently works with many top name producers and choreographers to produce shows that entertain audiences worldwide.
David Kahauolopua grew up in Hawai’i and graduated from the prestigious Kamehameha School. After graduating high school, he attended UC-Santa Barbara where he discovered the field of art history. In 1991, David moved to Los Angeles to help his uncle and his uncle’s wife with their antique business. This was a very crucial learning period for David, as he received his very first sewing machine from his grandmother and first began sewing pillows. As the years progressed, pillow-making turned into upholstery, draperies, duvet covers/bedding, and has led to his current interest in creating one-of-a-kind handbags made from vintage and antique fabrics. David has designed pieces for many celebrities (Johnny Depp & Vanessa Paradis, Ellen DeGeneres, Carrie Fisher, Michelle Pfeiffer, Nicolas Cage, Patricia Arquette, Tim Roth), as well as directors, set designers, agents & publicists.
Surrounded by many friends who were dancers and stage performers of all kinds, David and Keith were initially inspired to create accessories and rework clothing pieces and dubbed themselves “Sparkle Studio,” while Keith also provided remixes for some of the performers. In a city like West Hollywood, filled with all types of “who knows whom,” it was only a matter of time before they found themselves involved in one-on-one styling projects, and were creating rhinestoned, studded, and reworked vintage t-shirts for Heidi Fleiss, Victoria Sellers (daughter of Peter), Niki Haris, Brian Littrell (BSB) and his wife Leighanne, as well as other recording artists such as Yasmeen, Marques Houston (IMX), latin girl group Soluna, and soap hunk turned singer Coltin Scott.
Fast forward to the present day, David and Keith once again hope to rework all of their influences and experiences successfully both as individual creative minds and as a partnership. They hope to show their customers an appreciation of vintage but also their open minds while creating unusual products not found elsewhere.
Part pop culture, part high fashion. Part funky, part sophisticated. Never too serious, always something to use and enjoy.