1.Tell us a little about yourself.
I grew up in a small town in Michigan, but left to attend college on Long Island NY. After college I moved into the city and lived and worked there for over a decade, painting and writing and generally being part of the arts community. I supported myself mostly by working in architectural firms, though I did some freelance work for several galleries, and for the Centre Pompidou in Paris. Throughout my 20s I wanted to be a fine artist and/or a literary writer, but could never choose one, so I did both. Eventually I went to Grad school and got my MFA in Creative Writing. I have always made my own clothes, but I didn’t start selling them until after Grad school, and after I became a mother. Making things suited the frequent interruptions you have when you have a baby. Writing, not so much.
2.We know that your love for fashion and design began at an early age and that at one time you even considered going to design school, what changed your mind?
I’ll be brutally honest with you here, after visiting a couple of Fashion Schools in NYC, I was put off by how they seemed to privilege male ideas about aesthetics and beauty (this was a long time ago, I hope that’s no longer the case). And I didn’t like the fashion industry in general. I just couldn’t get behind telling women that there was something they absolutely had to buy, or some proscribed way of dressing in order to fit in and feel acceptable. I thought women were just fine the way they were, and I didn’t want to sell them anything.
But the real reason I didn’t go to design school is that I have many passions and didn’t want to limit myself to just design. In college I studied fine and performing arts, literature, writing, philosophy, psychology, and the sciences; I especially loved neuroscience. All of that informs who I am and how I think as a person, and as an artist.
3.The name of your brand has to be one of the coolest we’ve encountered in a while. What is the full story behind the name “The Devil Made Me Do It?”
I came up with that name when I first started working with cashmere. Here was this luxurious fabric, something people have always treated with reverence, and there I was cutting it up. It felt a little naughty. I guess being an indie designer has the same feeling. You’re saying you don’t need the established structure of the fashion industry to tell you how to think and design and make and distribute your work, you’re going to do it your own way, on your own terms.
4.Why make the decision to create clothing out of recycled fabrics? Have you always been conscious of eco clothing?
There are several reasons. Back in high school, I used to shop at thrift stores a lot because I hated what the malls were selling and loved vintage clothing. I started altering what I bought for fit and style. So partly it grew out of that.
But another big part goes back again to the fashion industry. I didn’t want to be part of the machinery that depends on people constantly buying more and more and more. I didn’t like the use of sweatshops to sew garments, I didn’t like the way so many resources went into making materials that were then tossed aside after a season. Fast fashion is really rough on people and the environment.
I did, however, like the idea of re-using these gorgeous natural materials like cashmere and merino wool, that don’t deserve to be thrown away so quickly. I guess this is my way of trying to mitigate the damage of making fashion. It’s a bit of a “devil’s bargain,” if you will.
On a more artistic level, what I really love about working with recycled materials is that the fiber has a “memory”. What I mean by that is, the fiber is able to “remember”, not just its former shape and function (as the sleeve of a sweater, a pocket, a collar…), but the fabric retains some the essence of the person who once wore—and perhaps loved—it. Add to this my own intervention and reshaping--a sleeve becomes the side of a skirt or a flounce on a jacket; a pocket becomes part of a hat or the petals of a flower—and you have layers of intentions… memories… meanings.
5.Being an indie designer, what are some of the standards in the mainstream fashion industry that you would like to see change?
Well, the way garments are made, obviously. Sweatshops. But also the idea that it’s more important to wear this season’s styles than to own something that’s well made, interesting, and lasting. “Fewer things, better things,” is my motto. I think that’s a much better way to walk lightly on the earth while still engaging with style.
6. Who is the “The Devil Made Me Do It” woman?
She’s someone who appreciates interesting and thoughtful design, good construction, and the touch of the artist’s hand. She’s not afraid to stand out in a crowd and get stares (and compliments). She’s willing to like something because she likes it, not because a magazine told her to.