IN CONVERSATION WITH RACHEL RUTT .
'ALL I EVER WANTED TO MAKE WAS WEARABLE ART.'
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AN ARTISAN AT HEART, THE EDITION TALKS WITH MULTI FACETED CREATIVE, MODEL, MUSICIAN, ARTIST AND DESIGNER, RACHEL RUTT, ON HER FORAY INTO THE WORLD OF SLOW FASHION AND NEW BRAND RUTT AUSTRALIA.
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WITH A TIGHT EDIT OF CONSCIOUS DESIGNS, RACHEL'S LONG LASTING DREAM IS NOW TANGIBLE, WITH EACH PIECE FROM RUTT AUSTRALIA LOVINGLY MADE BY HAND TO ORDER. WITH HIGH QUALITY, LOW WASTE PRODUCTION, THE INTENTION FROM OUTSET WAS TO CREATE A GENTLE PRODUCT ON THE PLANET THAT REMAINED ACCESSIBLE TO THE WIDER CONSUMER.
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NEVER WITHOUT A HINT OF HUMOUR, READ ON TO DELVE INTO RACHEL'S PSYCHE IN A STORY CAPTURED BY NATALIA PARSONSON.
BEGINNING AS A TEENAGER, HOW DID YOUR LOVE OF KNITTING COME ABOUT
AFTER IMMIGRATING TO AUSTRALIA AS A TEENAGER, A FRIEND OF MY MUM’S INTRODUCED ME TO IT. I’D ALWAYS LOVED CRAFT AND HAND MAKING SINCE A SMALL CHILD, SO IT WAS QUITE NATURAL FOR ME. IN HIGH SCHOOL ALL I WANTED TO MAKE WAS WEARABLE ART, AND BY THE TIME I’D COMPLETED MY FIRST KNITTED BODY OF WORK ‘FEEL REAL LOVE’ IN 2013, IT WAS A DEFINITE CONTINUATION OF THE SAME IDEAS AND PROCESSES. I AM ENCOURAGED BY MY OWN AMBITIONS REMAINING RESOLUTE.
DESCRIBE THE EVOLUTION OF YOUR WOVEN ART TO THE LAUNCH OF RUTT AUSTRALIA
THROUGH MY LOVE OF KNITTING I BEGAN EXPLORING OTHER MEDIUMS OF TEXTILE MAKING WHICH INCLUDED STUDYING SHAFT WEAVING AT THE HAND WEAVER’S AND SPINNER’S GUILD OF NSW. THIS WAS MY INTRODUCTION INTO A MORE FORMALISED LEARNING AND WHEN MY APPRECIATION FOR THE HISTORY AND METHODICAL TECHNIQUE IN ARTISANAL CRAFT TRULY BECAME REAL FOR ME. I LOVED VERY MUCH THE IMPORTANCE OF COMMUNITY IN THIS CONTEXT, AND THE PRACTICAL ASPECTS OF IT.
THE UNIVERSALITY OF ANY FORM OF TEXTILE MAKING IS VERY MAGICAL. MAKING WITH YOUR HANDS, YOU FEEL CONNECTED TO EACH HUMAN IN OUR COLLECTIVE CULTURE THAT HAS EVER DONE THE SAME. WEAVING HAS MORE ILLUSTRATIVE QUALITIES IN SOME WAYS THAN KNITTING SO IT FELT NATURAL TO WANT TO USE IT AS A STORY TELLING DEVICE. BUT I MISSED THE HUMOUR BEHIND MAKING SOMETHING WEARABLE, THE JOY OF CHARACTERISATION.
I’D ALWAYS CONSIDERED STARTING A BRAND BUT FELT INHIBITED BY THE DESIRE TO CREATE A HIGH QUALITY, LOW WASTE, GENTLE PRODUCT THAT WAS STILL AFFORDABLE. THEN COVID-19 HIT THE PLANET, AND SUDDENLY I THOUGHT, JUST GIVE IT A GO. I SUDDENLY HAD PLENTY OF TIME TO EXPERIMENT FREELY AND WORK ON IDEAS THAT HAD LONG BEEN IN THE MAKING. IT WAS A RELIEF AND A CHALLENGE ALL AT ONCE, AND I’M ENJOYING THE PROCESS SO MUCH.
TELL US ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF SLOW FASHION AND THE CONCEPT OF MADE TO ORDER
MAKING BY HAND AND TO ORDER FORGES A DIRECT RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE MAKER AND THE WEARER AND MANIFESTS A VERY REAL BOND WITHIN THE ITEM THAT ELEVATES ITS VALUE THROUGH AN APPRECIATION FOR CRAFTSMANSHIP AND THE STORY OF THE MATERIALS, PROCESS, AND CREATOR. IT ALLOWS US TIME TO CONSIDER OUR CHOICE, BECAUSE WE OFTEN HAVE TO WAIT FOR THE RESULTS. IT ALSO HELPS TO BUILD A CIRCULAR ECONOMY BECAUSE IT IS AN INVESTMENT IN THE SMALL BUSINESSES THAT MAKE UP THE COMMUNITIES WE LIVE IN.
DO YOU SEE A GROWING APPRECIATION FOR THE ARTISANALLY CRAFTED / HAND MADE
I THINK WE ARE AT LARGE BECOMING MORE AWARE OF THE CONSEQUENCES OF FAST FASHION AND EVEN THE PRECARIOUSNESS OF TREND BASED PURCHASES. WE ARE ACTIVELY CHANGING OUR MINDSET AND ADOPTING AND EXPERIMENTING WITH WAYS THROUGH WHICH TO REDUCE OUR IMPACT WHILE STILL IMPROVING OUR LIFESTYLE.
I THINK THE CONCEPT ‘LESS IS MORE’ IS STARTING TO IMPLY MUCH MORE THAN JUST A MINIMALIST DRESSING MOTTO, AND IT’S BECOMING CHIC TO KNOW THE INS AND OUTS OF YOUR GARMENTS. IT SAYS A LOT ABOUT THE PERSON, AND IT RUNS TRUE TO THE IDEA THAT FASHION IS YOUR UNSPOKEN STATEMENT ON SELF.
WHAT IS THE BIGGEST JOY YOU GET FROM WORKING WITH YOUR HANDS
I LOVE THAT I HAVE THE ABILITY TO TAKE AN IDEA, A DREAM, AND FIND A WAY TO MAKE IT TANGIBLE. IT FEELS POWERFUL AND IT IS ALSO VERY GOOD FOR MY BRAIN. IT’S SOMETHING I HAVE ALWAYS DONE ALONE AND FOR MYSELF, SO IT HAS BEEN MY SAFE HAVEN IN LIFE, WHICH I APPRECIATE VERY MUCH. IT HAS HELPED ME DEVELOP AND FIND CONFIDENCE IN MY SENSE OF SELF.
PHOTOGRAPHY - RACHAEL FAIR
DESCRIBE THE CORRELATION OF CREATIVE PROCESSES BETWEEN MUSIC MAKING AND HAND CRAFTING
IT’S DIFFERENT BECAUSE MY MUSIC IS A COLLABORATION, AND MY HAND CRAFT IS AUTONOMOUS. BUT THEY ARE BOTH PLATFORMS OF EXPRESSION, WHERE YOU TAKE A LEAP AND SHARE AN IDEA. I LOVE THAT YOU CAN’T ANTICIPATE THE REACTION OR RESULT OF YOUR WORK. YOU JUST HAVE TO PUT IT OUT THERE BECAUSE THAT’S JUST WHAT YOU HAVE TO DO. IT’S SCARY BUT IT’S A BLESSING BECAUSE IT’S A WAY TO PROCESS WHAT YOU ARE EXPLORING OR LEARNING IN LIFE AND TRANSFORM IT OUT OF YOUR HEAD AND INTO SOMETHING THAT YOU THINK IS BEAUTIFUL.
WHAT IS YOUR HOPE FOR THE FUTURE OF FASHION
MORE INNOVATIONS IN TECHNOLOGY FOR RECYCLING. GREATER CONSCIOUSNESS IN CONSUMERS SO THAT THE DEMAND FOR LOWER IMPACT GARMENTS RISES AND DICTATES THE MARKET.
TALENT - RACHEL RUTT
PHOTOGRAPHY - NATALIA PARSONSON
STYLE - RACHAEL FAIR
BEAUTY - ISABELLA SCHIMID
HAIR - JULIA HOMARD
