Cherry Bomb: A Roller Derby Revolution
Sugar, lace, and… bruised knees?
Now that’s the kind of contradiction we Kittens can get behind!
Let me paint you a picture. It’s 1952. The radio’s humming, the jukebox is glowing, and the polished wooden floor of the local roller rink is alive with the thunder of skates. Girls with perfect curls, cherry-red lipstick, and killer attitudes are racing past the boys like they were standing still. There’s sweat, sparkle, sass, and the kind of energy that feels like a cherry soda fizzing over your fingertips.
This is Roller Derby… and Kitten, it’s exactly where our Cherry Bomb collection was born.
Where It All Began - Wheels on Fire!
Roller skating danced into popularity in the late 1800s, but it wasn’t until the 1930s that Leo Seltzer, a Chicago promoter with big ideas and even bigger ambition, created something the world had never seen before: Marathon Roller Derby.
Couples skated around an endless track for hours - then days - as crowds cheered, feasted, and fainted from sheer excitement. But baby, this was just the warm-up act.
By the 1940s, derby had evolved into something electric: a full-contact, team-based sport mixing speed, strategy, and just the right amount of showmanship. And then the 1950s hit, and oh honey… Roller Derby exploded.
The 1950s ...Where The Girls Took Over the The Track!
While the boys were polishing their greased-back hair and revving up their hot rods, the Roller Derby women were becoming the real stars of the decade.
Imagine it: Women flying around the track in satin bomber jackets, striped knee socks, glossy lips, and ponytails that could lasso a man at twenty paces. They were fierce, fabulous, and absolutely unforgettable. Crowds tuned into televised bouts every week just to see the next hip-check, whip, or spectacular power slide.
And the girls? They weren’t just athletes - they were icons. They trained as hard as any footballer, hit as hard as any boxer, yet still managed to look like they could step off the rink and straight into a pin-up calendar.
Talk about multi-tasking!
Glamour Meets Grit!
Roller Derby in the 1950s was a masterclass in contradiction - just like our Cherry Bomb print.
Think of our red-and-white checkerboard squares as the rink tiles of yesterday, polished and glowing beneath the lights. Picture the little bursts of blue blossoms as nods to team colours, hometown spirit, and those embroidered patches on letterman jackets.
And the cherries? Oh sweetheart… that’s the pin-up spirit. Sweet, cheeky and classically Kitschy, with a wink that says, “Catch me if you can.” This was a world where a woman could glide like sugar but hit like steel. Doesn’t that just make your heart race?
Right: “Harriette ‘Babe’ Topel, captured at the Coliseum in 1953… fearless, fast, and every inch the roller-derby firecracker Cherry Bomb celebrates today.”
Pin-Up Attitude Meets Athletic Power
Derby girls of the era were curvy, petite, tall, strong, soft - every shape you can imagine. What united them wasn’t size but spirit.
They wore capris and high-waisted shorts, fitted knits that hugged the waist, and bomber jackets decorated with patches of pride. And always - always - a perfect pop of red lipstick, no matter how many laps they’d skated.
Fans adored them. Reporters interviewed them. Hollywood tried to imitate them.
But no one captured the soul of derby quite like the women themselves, who played through injuries, exhaustion, and the occasional track-side drama… all for the thrill of the sport and the roar of the crowd.
That’s the spirit we channelled for Cherry Bomb - the confidence, the spotlight, the unstoppable energy.
A Little Drama? Oh, Kitten… Absolutely!
Let’s not pretend Roller Derby was quiet.
There were scuffles.
There were spills.
There were rivalries so dramatic they could’ve headlined a soap opera.
But that was part of the charm. This wasn’t a demure pastime - it was athletic theatre. Every push, whirl, elbow, and whip was strategic, powerful, and played with heart.
Cherry Bomb embraces that too - the boldness of pattern, the vibrant colours, the sense that life is meant to be lived loudly and joyfully.
Women Who Changed The Roller Derby Game
Names like Joan Weston, Ann Calvello, and Toughie Brasuhn lit up the 1950s derby scene. These women weren’t just talented - they were legendary.
Weston was the golden girl - athletic, poised, and adored by millions. Calvello was pure fire - wild hair, a personality to match, and elbows sharper than her eyeliner. Toughie was the queen of attitude - fearless, strategic, and utterly unforgettable.
They made toughness glamorous, transforming sweat, speed, and the occasional tumble into a show the world couldn’t look away from. They skated with grit and style in equal measure - the kind of women you could picture today in our Cherry Bomb Crop Jacket, Cap, and the sleekest little capri pants, ready to tear up the track and look fabulous doing it.
Their spirit ignited generations of women to claim their space in sport, media, and culture long before it was common to do so.
Cherry Bomb tips its cherry-red hat to these trailblazers - women who embodied strength wrapped in undeniable style.
Derby Culture: A Whole Mood!
Roller Derby wasn’t just a sport; it was a community, a party, and an identity.
Crowds arrived in their own 1950s finery, cheering loudly from wooden benches while sipping cherry colas and snacking on popcorn. Kids skated around after the game pretending to be their heroes, while adults bought souvenir programs showing their favourite derby queens in glamorous portraits beside lists of bruising stats.
The rink was a place where women felt powerful, visible, and celebrated - not despite their toughness, but because of it.
And truly, what could be more Kitten D’Amour than that?
Cherrybomb: Our Love Letter to Derby Girls Everywhere!
With its bold checker squares, pops of colour, and luscious cherries, the Cherry Bomb print captures the rebellious charm of 1950s derby culture.
It’s sweet.
It’s punchy.
It’s playful.
It’s powerful.
Just like the women who paved the rink before us. Every dress, every curve-hugging wiggle, every flared skirt in this collection is designed to make you feel like the star of your own roller-rink showdown - glamorous, unstoppable, and gloriously you.
Slip into Cherry Bomb and you’ll understand exactly what those derby girls felt as they rounded the final turn: that fizzy burst of confidence, that thrill of speed, that sense that nothing could get in your way!
Final Lap
As we lace up for the Cherry Bomb release, we’re celebrating a sport - and an era - that captured the perfect blend of femininity and fierce determination. We’re honouring every woman who has ever skated, strutted, or sashayed her way into the spotlight with a wink and a cherry-red smile.
Because Kitten… in the world of Cherry Bomb, every one of us is a champion on wheels.
And now, it’s time to step into the changeroom with our derby darlings and find the perfect fit. Welcome to the Cherry Bomb Size Guide … where confidence begins long before you hit the track.
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