:common thread Common
Culture knows no boundaries when it comes to creativity. We profile three businesswomen from three very different parts of the world who featured in the recent Volvo Ocean Race festivities in Galway, Ireland. Amidst their differences, each woman shares one common passion… a love for their trade.
Thread Rebecca Marsden
IRELAND FASHION DESIGNER
FASHION DESIGNER REBECCA MARSDEN won the Limerick Institute of Technology Award for Innovative use of Materials this year. Her work focuses largely on processes and fabric manipulation, drawing inspiration from her surrounds. This is her current collection "Cellular Collision", which featured at the Volvo Ocean Race Design
Collective in July 2012. WHAT IS YOUR FASHION PHILOSOPHY? My philosophy when it comes to fashion is based on a quote by
Arthur C. Clarke "The only way to discover the limitations of the possible is to reach beyond them, into the impossible." Pushing boundaries of
conventional materials never fails to excite and inspire me. HOW HAS YOUR CULTURAL BACKGROUND AFFECTED YOUR DESIGNS?
A lot of my inspiration in terms of mood and colour comes from
my physical surroundings in the west of Ireland; the changeable light over the landscape, the golden ochre tones, the rich greens of the hills
and the shimmering water. DO YOU BELIEVE THAT ANY WOMAN OF ANY SIZE CAN LOOK SEXY AND GLAMOROUS?
Certainly I believe a woman of any size can look sexy, the trick is confidence. To feel confidence in oneself regardless of size means a
woman can look effortlessly glamorous and ooze sexiness. ARE YOU WORKING ON OR THINKING OF ANYTHING NEW AND INNOVATIVE FOR THE FUTURE?
I have a couple of projects that I'm excited to get under way, one
being expanding an accessories line. ARE THERE ANY NEW ZEALAND DESIGNERS THAT YOU FOLLOW WITH INTEREST?
I love the contemporary yet timeless work of Cybele, in terms of functional wear with a twist I like the dark elegance of Nom*D. I find Annah Stretton's designs fresh and exciting. I especially admire her Chameleon collection; one adaptable dress yet each look unique.
Fantastic! IF THERE WAS ONE THING YOU COULD TRY, AND KNEW FOR CERTAIN YOU WOULD NOT FAIL, WHAT WOULD IT BE?
Experiment! With life, with love, with design, regardless of what
happens we learn and therefore progress, so there can be no capacity for failure.
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