This year, for Valentines day, my boyfriend bought me the cutest most beautiful jewelry ever, all made by a girl called Joanna, the founder of Maqaroon! Joanna actually went to my school (Vienna International School) and I remember her being very artistically creative and I admired her for her art work.
Joanna now is the founder and owner of Maqaroon. She makes the cutest macaroon jewelry and accessories. From necklaces, bracelets, earrings to rings, she manages to make those tiny macaroons look real and delicious!
You can buy her jewelry online for affordable prices http://www.maqaroon.com/ and just recently, also in Harrods!! How cool is that!
I asked her a few questions about her work, cartoons and kawaii ! <3 Yay!
1. Dearest Joanna, how did you come up with Maqaroon and why is your work focused on macaroons in general?
I always thought macarons (or macaroons*) look really cute and there would be a lot of potential to design things related to them. I first came across macaron jewellery in Tokyo many years ago and thought those were hilarious. I expected the trend to reach Europe considering this is where they were invented. However it never did so I decided I might as well take the opportunity myself. The strange spelling is simply a way to secure a website and social media accounts which is basically the most difficult part of naming a start-up! *Bizarrely, I discovered that the spelling is actually something that a lot of people get worked up about. Purists insist that correct version is French “macaron” so I started using that myself to avoid upsetting anyone. Obviously, my business name didn’t change, but I think we’re accustomed to enough weird spellings these days (Tumblr, Flickr, Grindr) to detach a brand name from a noun
2. What did you do when you finished school (VIS) ?
After VIS I went to London to study graphic design (first Central St Martins then Chelsea College of Art). Then I started working as a freelance
designer/illustrator specialising in manga art and kawaii style. This was pretty fun for a few years, but I gradually became disillusioned by the long hours and low pay. One factor which prevents most people from starting their own business is the idea of giving up a comfortable monthly salary. Luckily, as a comic artist, I was earning so little to begin with that it made the decision a whole lot easier. My foremost goal for Maqaroon was that it had to be a proper business, not a vanity label for self-indulgent creative projects. I had no experience in jewellery design, but it was a good market because of the high margins, easy storage and low shipping costs. I also saw a niche for ‘sweets deco’ jewellery which I knew were popular in Japan, so the whole business was built-up strategically. Last December, I decided to start content-marketing on Youtube and Maqaroon’s channel became so popular that Youtube is now my part-time career alongside jewellery-making!
3. What’s your favorite cartoon/animation film? And what were your favorite cartoons when you were little?
I love everything by Studio Ghibli! My favourite one is My Neighbour Totoro, though I also like The Cat Returns, Princess Mononoke and Spirited Away. When I was younger I watched a mix of anime with western cartoons, particularly Cartoon Network, which everyone my age would remember ! My favourite series were (and still are) Doraemon, Sailormoon, Dexter’s Lab, Cow & Chicken and Johnny Bravo.4. What is the future of Maqaroon? where do you see yourself in five years? Are you working on any new projects as well?
Crafting & kawaii is a great gateway for younger girls to become interested in art and it’s a small jump from there to learning about business, branding, selling or other creative work. I’ve recently joined Tastemade Studios which is a MCN (multi-channel network) on Youtube. They help negotiate sponsorship deals, collaborations and offer equipment and technical guidance in exchange for a percentage of ad revenue. They also have a large film studio in Santa Monica, California which networked members are allowed to use for free. Sadly it doesn’t help me much right now, but I do hope to fly over sometime in the next few years if things go well with my channel!
5.Can you recommend any kawaii type shops/events/places in Vienna/online ?
Anyone who likes kawaii food should check out Cafe Neko (Blumenstockgasse 5, 1010) and Cha No Ma (Faulmanngasse 7, 1040). I recently took a macaron baking course at an adorable bakery in Perchtoldsdorf and definitely recommend that to anyone interested in macarons! (www.macaronmanufaktur.at / About 25mins drive from central Vienna). The biggest manga event in Vienna is Aninite (29-31 Aug, www.aninite.at) which is perfect for anyone wanting to get into manga, cosplay or need more people to streetpass with their Nintendo 3DS. For buying anything kawaii related, it’s most convenient to order online. Interestingly, one of the biggest kawaii online shops in the world was started by an Austrian girl in Hong Kong! www.modes4u.com/ They sell those brilliant japanese candy kits where you can make your own gummy sushi/donuts from scratch.
6. Can you tell me more about your YouTube channel? I saw you have some tutorials and some giveaways! How can I win?
My Youtube channel is a combination of craft tutorials and ASMR. I buy various craft kits from Etsy and demonstrate how to do them. Several Etsy stores that I shop from ended up contacting me to ask whether they can sponsor prizes and I’m obviously very happy to oblige. So now I run monthly giveaways on Youtube, which is a fun way to get viewers involved as well as helping to support small businesses on Etsy. Almost all online competitions require you to like the organisor’s page, follow them on Instagram or share their products but I decided to keep my giveaways more altruistic. So instead of promoting my brand, entrants are simply asked to subscribe to two other Youtube craft channels and encouraged to promote their own channel for others to check out. I feel that this way, everyone will benefit regardless of who actually wins. A quick explanation of ASMR in case people are wondering what it is. It stands for “autonomous sensory meridian response” and is a very popular but relatively unknown genre on Youtube. ASMR videos contain sound effects that trigger a relaxation response or physical “tingling” sensation when listening to them. These noises can be plastic crinkling, opening card boxes, cutting paper etc. One well-known Youtuber is RRcherrypie who does ASMR videos of candy kits. I love her videos and decided to try the same format for craft kits. ASMR makes the video very calming to watch and many people use them to relax or fall asleep.
Thats so interesting! I’ve never heard of ASMR, but I have to say the sound of the plastic crinkling is strangely relaxing!! I also thought that while watching RRcherrypie videos!!
Haha! The most kawaii food in the world comes from this place: Kawasaki Donut Shop
My bucket list definitely includes eating an alpaca donut!
