Sara Ruth, designer & founder of Pink Macaroon (Photo by: Lydia)

Lolitas looking for sweet prints need to learn the name, Pink Macaroon. This American-born indie Lolita label is known for its sugary prints featuring a unicorn motif. This line of clothing is the brainchild of Sarah Ruth – an American Lolita and designer turned entrepreneur – who recently had the opportunity to work with Sanrio.

A Hello Kitty-inspired outfit designed by Pink Macaroon will be shown this Saturday, November 14 at the Three Apples Exhibit Fashion Show Party  in Culver City, Calif. to commemorate Hello Kitty’s 35th anniversary. For more information on attending this event, please visit Royal/T Cafe, Store and Art Space.

Hit the jump for an interview with Sarah Ruth about her inspiration for Pink Macaroon, how it felt to design for Sanrio’s most iconic character and a sneak peek at her newest print.

Models wearing items from Pink Macaroon's Unicorn Fantasy line (Photo by: Lydia)

Q: Would you please describe your clothing line for us?

A: I like to describe Pink Macaroon clothing as “sugary sweet clothing confections” – the clothing equivalent of cookies or candy. I enjoy creating clothing and accessories that are bright, fun and, of course, very, very sweet. Color and pattern are very improtant within the Pink Macaroon line.

Q: What’s the inspiration behind the name and brand?

A: The “Pink” part of the name comes from my favorite color. It is also a bit of an homage to my old livejournal name – pinksweetlolita. The “Macaroon” part of the name is inspired by a love of desserts,and wanting to add something a little unexpected. Every lolita knows that the French macaron is an inintegral part of Sweet Lolita style already. It has it’s own patterns, macaron shaped rings and necklaces, etc. Macaroons on the other hand are the macarons underestimated cousins! They are quirky and certianly very kitschy, but I love that about them. Maybe they are not as refined, but I think their just they are even more delicious! Together, the two words make a fun pair.

Q: How did you discover Lolita and what first attracted you to the fashion?

A: It has been so long now that it’s hard to remremember a time without it!  I discovered Lolita fashion right out of high school on my first trip to Japan. Gothic Lolita was really popular then, with lots of black and victorian influences.  Sweet Lolita was just starting to make its way into the mainstream. I remember seeing these two girls with blond hair in matching blue dresses, decked out with ruffles and thinking to myself, “what is this, and where has it been all my life?.” It sounds cheesy, but It was a bit like love at first sight. I picked up Gothic Lolita Bible #4 and have been hooked ever since.

It’s difficult to articulate what draws me to the fashion. I would say its a mixture of its historical reference, color and the general outlandish-ness. There are very few occasions in life where we get to wear cake on our heads.  It’s a fashion that requires time, dedication and a real passion for detail.  These are all things that I admire about Lolita. I also love the kind of people who are drawn to the fashion. I have met some of my best friends through Lolita.

Pink Macaroon's current products revolve around skirts and dresses made of a unicorn print in addition to plush bags (Photo by: Lydia)

A: It’s evolved from a hobby, to a passion and then back into something creative as well. At first it was novel and then after time, it became normal to me, like a part of my general self-identity. After eight years though, I’m at that age where I’m making that shift into more classic Lolita styles, something I can wear more in my every day life. My love of Super Sweet Lolita become more focused on creating it for others, than focusing on it for myself.
 

Q: How did you go from wearing Lolita to designing it?

A: I started out making my Lolita  back in 2001 or 2002. But this time, I wanted to do it right.  To take all the knowledge I had gained in my college and professional experience and my eight years of wearing Lolita to create garments that were beautiful and functional. I liked the idea of creating real Lolita garments for a Western Lolita audience, who’s access and budget are often more limited than that of Japanese Lolita.
Designing Lolita is a way to grow more in the fashion and learn more from it. It’s been really fun to put into action your thoughts and sketches.  Also, it helps me keep myself on a budget, I tell myself that If I want a new dress, I’ll have to make it, not buy it!
 

Q: What are your favorite pieces to work on?

A: I love to work on designing prints. They are such a staple of Sweet Lolita and there are so many sources of inspiration to draw from. The possibilities are endless! I also like making plushie bags, because they are just so fun to carry around with you. People always seem to enjoy them too, even non-Lolitas! I get a lot of little girls who adore the Unicorn Fantasy bags and I always think thats too cute.

Q: What’s the process like to come up with a new design? From where do you draw your inspiration?

A: Sometimes a design will come from a concept I have had in a sketch book for a long time and it just needs the chance to be completed. Other times inspiration for a garment comes from something you see out in the world that inspires you. A color, a pattern, etc. I like to collect things - vintage children’s papers, fabrics, patterns etc. All these are amazing sources of inspiration. In a way, it’s difficult to design Lolita in that  so many things have already been done. I like to contemplate new ideas, but try to filter out the ones that seem to have been well expressed already through other arists minds.  Recently I have been very inspired by bright pop colors and cartoons that remind me of my 1980′s childhood.

Sarah Ruth, designer of Pink Macaroon, sits for a photo with her models (Photo by: Lydia)

A: I adore Hello Kitty! I’m guilty of having her toaster, microwave, ricecookrice cooker and TV in college, much to my husbands displeasure. It was both a dream come true,and an immense challenge to create the piece for the Three Apples exhibit. Hello Kitty truly has done it all and I wanted to create something unique and adorable as a tribute to her. Also, there was the added challenge of representing Hello Kitty and still staying true to Lolita style at the same time. I am really happy with the results of this project though and can’t wait for it to debut at the Fashion event on November 14th!

Q: What are the future plans for Pink Macaroon? Do you have a desire to expand your business beyond the current Web site?

A: It is my goal  to expand the Pink Macaroon brand immensely in the next year, from a very small and selective product line to one with a dedicated Web site and larger, more frequent reservation periods for goods. I would like to make it easier for Pink Macaroon fans to access the product.

An EXCLUSIVE preview of Pink Macaroon's new print and design - Cherry Cake Girl

A: Pink Macaroon has really amazing things in the works! The Unicorn Fantasy plush bags are in the process of being manufactured on a large scale, which I am very excited about. Working with factories is always a challange, but I hope the final results speak for themselves. We are also branching into more large-scale production on our skirts as well as some matching plastic jewelry items.  We hope to debut these products in late 2009 or early 2010.

posted by Umi
Tags: accessories, American brands, Events, fashion show, indie designers, jumperskirts, los angeles, Pink Macaroon, skirts, sweet lolita
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