Humble Beginnings
Born near the ocean in Manhattan Beach, California, I was inspired by play, especially playing with dolls. At the age of 4,
I began sewing for the baby doll market, and quickly realized they wet their pants and needed more than one pair of flannel diapers!
As I advanced to the next market, Barbie and Betsey McCall dolls became roommates with their glamorous lifestyles of custom-made clothes and furniture.
I started by sewing swimwear for my friends and then moved on to activewear and the rest is history.
After attending fashion school and honing my craft, I’ve been blessed to work with some of the best companies and designers in the US.
Working her craft
Upon entering Mira Costa High School, it became clear that the Vocational Sewing Course had my name on it, requiring 2 hours of sewing on the industrial machines every day for 3 years! Writing reports out of Women’s Wear Daily kept my focus on the world of fashion 6 months before the fashion magazines hit the stands.
Producing the fashion show for 3 years would also become a part of my future. Soon friends began lining up for bikinis, dresses, jackets and pants. My teachers encouraged me to plan a career in fashion career and attend Los Angeles Trade Technical College.
Gathering Momentum
After earning my AA Degree at LATTC, it was time to go to work as a design assistant. At about the same time, I also started playing in tennis tournaments and needed to wear cute dresses.
Being hired by a local tennis-wear designer to add new designs for her next trade show, opened the door to the world of tennis and active-wear.
It was like walking out of a black-and-white movie into a movie in HDTV. These were my people. I also noticed no one was designing what I envisaged. Seizing the opportunity, Ruth Robbins Sportswear became my launch-pad into the active-wear market.
One year later, I had booked a million in sales, personally opening Neimans, Bloomingdales, Liberty House, and Bullocks. Six years later the company had over 2,000 accounts. Catalina Sportswear hired me to design Bay Club by Ruth Robbins, and 9 $million was booked in sales the first year.
Forging on
Designing women’s tennis attire for Nike in Beaverton, Oregon, and the previously mentioned companies, also allowed me to shop at stores in the major fashion cities in Europe, e.g., Paris, London, Florence, Milan, and New York. With a budget of approximately $7,000, my assignment was to discover and purchase new color combinations, inspiring fabric textures, and interesting silhouettes that would could be translated into the activewear market. Years later at a Los Angeles County Museum of Art exhibit of East Meets West, three of my sweaters were on display: a Missoni Coat (of many colors), a Kenzo tunic, and an amazing Armani black mohair shrug. Design consulting for many more sportswear companies allowed me to continue to be involved in the fashion markets.
Arriving in Style
Later I became a fashion design instructor at Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising in Los Angeles and Orange County for 15 years, teaching three levels of design to emerge fashion designers.
This included field trips to introduce students to the best designers on display in Beverly Hills and South Coast Plaza, to see first-hand how the collections are coordinated.
My lifelong love of style, textiles and fashion trends equips me to connect you, the client, with your best look for your lifestyle so that you will find clothes that are the perfect fit for the story of your life.
If you need assistance developing or designing your next activewear line, I can help you transform your vision into a functional, fun, and awesome-looking line.
Contact me today at 562.569.3636 or at ruth@ruthrobbinsactivewear.com
In the beginning, it was the ocean and the joy of playing at the beach. Playing at the beach turned into the love of playing sports. At the same time was a love for fashion. So the question became what shall I wear and wear shall I play?
That’s How Ruth Robbins Activewear was born
My Sustainability Philosophy
As we train designers and manufacturers, and retailers, our mission is that they not only become aware of the issues regarding sustainability but also learn to take a part and become innovators who are part of finding solutions.
One of My Favorite Quotes
Repeatedly I am asked to explain how my painting evolved. To me there is no past or future in art.
-Pablo Picasso
