Rachel Burke from I Make It, You Wear It: A (Sparkly) Conversation
1. How did you originally get the idea to create clothing using tinsel?
I started out making some tinsel costumes for my friend Patience Hodgson for The Grates’ shows. I was always looking for new ways to create high impact garments using readily available materials, and tinsel just stood out to me as something I hadn't yet tried. So, the first BIG, proper tinsel jacket I made was for Patience’s set at Splendour In The Grass. Ever since then I have been obsessed with making them and have really worked at fine tuning the design into something more wearable!
2. When you make the pieces, how long does it usually take you to make an individual piece?
It takes around 3-4 hours to make one jacket - so they are quite labour intensive!
3. Do you feel like it's important to have something handmade, with individuality, in a market so saturated by fast-fashion?
Totally! In a past life, I was a designer for a fast fashion retailer, and it really turned me off mass produced clothing. I like to think of my pieces as wearable art. They are a labour of love that cannot be easily replicated.
4. What's your favourite thing about your craft?
I love being able to turn my literal dreams into a reality.
5. What can we see in the future for I Make It, You Wear It?
My big goal is to open a concept space. Somewhere I can operate as a studio/maker/retail space and work with like-minded people. In the more foreseeable future, I do have my first craft book launching in September! So I am pretty excited about that!
Images via Rachel Burke
