statement & bio

I have a rule -- make it different or don't make it. There is clothing everywhere: retails stores, thrift stores, rag mills, your closet, and landfills; we really don't need more. The problem is that I love to make clothes. I am not going to deny myself that pleasure, so I just make sure I don't make something common, and then I don't feel guilty about our consumer culture or land fills.

After this rule is obeyed, I begin the next processes. I have synesthesia, so a lot of the time I just use the colors and shape I see in music and sounds. This process is very helpful if I want to make a more organic garment. Clothing and history go hand in hand. You can always tell what is happening in history by what was worn.

I have a background in costume design and have worked for the Opera Theater of St. Louis. I take elements from fashion history and disperse them in a garment to set a mood. This creates something familiar that you can relate to when you first glance at the work. I look to the future to give my garments something new or something I haven't seen on a garment yet. I like things a bit askew, so I often try to make the garment a little frightening or ugly. I want my garments to look like they might walk away if you don't pay attention to them.