Meet Sachiko Muramatsu Kramer | Jewelry & Accessories Designer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Sachiko Muramatsu Kramer and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Sachiko, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
I started Sachi Love back in 2011 when I was looking for another creative outputs in my life. I was designing footwear and I still am but there was something missing in my life and wanted to design and create something that was completely original. I started sewing back in high school and majored in apparel design and fashion merchandising at Cal State Long Beach. I had so many fabrics and lace trims that I collected over the years and I was organizing my sewing closet one day and I found some earring hooks and notions next to my lace trims. It gave me an idea to make earrings out of lace trims and I started making jewelry during weekends just for fun and I enjoyed the creative process. I started making earrings for myself and my friends took a notice of my pieces and I started getting requests to make more. Soon enough, people on the street would stop and ask me where I got my jewelry and where they can buy it. These moments inspired me to pursue my love of jewelry and start my own line.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I source these lace locally in LA and I hand-pick lace trims when I am traveling. So these laces comes from all over the world including Japan, Europe and India. Most of the laces are white, so I hand dye and hand paint each pieces so they are one of a kind and no two are exactly a like. Sometimes, depending on the colors, I have to hand-dye two or three times so it’s time consuming because you have to wait for the lace to dry but I enjoy the process. After the lace is dried, I add organic solutions so lace stays slightly stiff and they don’t come apart. Once the lace is set, I cut the lace to desired shape and assemble together using the highest quality posts, chains, metals, and ornaments. I believe in quality over quantity and it’s important to not rush things when you want something to be made well. One of things that people love about my jewelry is how I incorporated lace because it’s not something you see in jewelry and it makes it unique. Also, people are surprised by how light and comfortable my earrings are they don’t pull your ears when you wear them out. People even tell me that they forgot that they had the earrings on because it’s so light and comfortable. They’re great statement piece that you can wear them everyday and you can also wear them to dress it up. Over the years, I have branched out to making bracelets and lariat wrap necklaces. My best sellers are my daisies and palm leaves laces.

I got to where I am today because I always knew even at young age, I wanted to be a designer. I started sketching when I was four years old when I was living in Tokyo and I spent most of the time drawing and coloring on my notepads. I moved to Salinas, California when I was seven years old and I enjoyed all the art classes. I took design and sewing class my Senior year as an elective at Carmel High, since my high school at the time was not offering any design courses. That moment, I was ready to move to LA and I attended Cal State Long Beach and received by B.S. in Apparel and Fashion Merchandising. During college, I worked my butt off as a full-time students and also working part time to pay for my tuition and housing and also doing internship. Looking back I think being able to juggle so many things and paying for my own college and being independent really helped me grow as a person. If you want something in your life, you need to do it for yourself.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I would definitely show them all the fun spots to hang out in Long Beach.

1. I would take them to 4th street because there are so many cute little local boutiques, bakeries, restaurants and bars. Below are my favorite spots on 4th street.

Skies for Miles
Gusto Bread
Coffee Drunk
Rose Park Cafe
Hang Out
El Barrio
O’Conells
V Room

2. Yoga at the Bluffs – There’s free/donation based yoga in Long Beach everyday from 11- noon on Ocean/Junipero. You just need to bring your own yoga mat and it’s outside overlooking the beach.

3. Long Beach Museum of Art

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I want to give a shoutout to my husband, family and friends. They are there for me when I need help with my pop-up, events, website, photoshoot and etc. This is my small business so I am a one person who makes/pack your jewelry, ships it out, updates the websites, and answers your emails so there are times when things can get overwhelming. My friends have helped me modeled my jewelry, gave me ideas on contents and hosted events for seasonal pop-ups. I also want to thank my friend Paulina Rothe who owns a cute little eco-friendly boutique in Laguna Beach called “Shop 7 Roots.” She’s been carrying my jewelry for almost four years now and also carries local handmade brands and artisans.

Website: https://sachilove.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sachiloveaccessories/?hl=en

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sachikom84

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SachiLoveAccessories/