My love for ballet + my love for fabric = MY PASSION FOR LOOKING GOOD!!!
haha
I grew up taking ballet classes regularly for almost 7 years when I used to live in Korea. Then between moving to the US and having to "study hard so that I can get into a college," I had a long hiatus from ballet. About 4 years ago, I just randomly decided to go back to ballet, and loved the first ballet studio I went to, and just stayed with it.
Now with a kid and a full time job, I can only show up for 1 class a week. But there's one thing that never changed. I always try to look properly dressed for the class. That means, leotards and tights, legwarmers over the pointe shoes, I also like to make ballet skirts!
After a recent class, some students asked if I could make some skirts. Encouraged by their enthusiasm, I drafted and made a couple of styles in different fabrics.
The more I work on these, the more I am feeling that this is going to be the new thing at Candy & Bagel!
I started making my own leotards and skirts because I wasn't finding anything I wanted to wear. Most dancewear companies make things for kids, and not enough for adult dancers. If you were professional, and already have the body of a ballet dancer, sure you will fit into those and look great! Or you have the ability to pay for more high-end brands with better fabric. They still don't solve the problem. Most adult dancers who dance recreationally, need more support in the right places, and need more coverage for better fit.
I'm starting out with a small batch of skirts now, but plan to expand to legwarmers (knit!), warm-up sweaters (knit!), and other dancewear geared towards adult dancers.
I am excited for this new chapter in Candy & Bagel's journey!