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Interview with Katie, from Roberts Wood.
By Mission.
British fashion designer Katie Roberts Wood honed her craft under the counsel of the late Alexander McQueen’s Sarabande Foundation. Her garments are at once structural and ethereal, and have a much more medical backstory (that being any anatomical backstory) than most designers in circulation. Below, Mission speaks to Roberts Wood about the collaborative nature of Sarabande, dropping out of med school to pursue a career in design and how she works sustainability into her practice.
Can you describe your design aesthetic?
My designs are very process-driven, often beginning with an invented textile and construction technique (for example my signature hand-linked, non-stitched ruffle technique) the pieces tend to evolve from here through the process towards my aesthetic – feminine, romantic, strong, abstract – inspired by nature and repetition.
How has your time at Sarabande influenced or had an effect on your work today?
It strengthened my belief in my creative process and gave my business the resilience it needs to survive and grow.
The Sarabande studios seem to be ripe for collaboration. What was it like having access to other artists and designers working under the same roof as you?
It’s a very special and unique environment. The mixture of different practices and specialties is astonishing and not a community that I had ever had access to before. My fellow residents were creating everything from taxidermy to prosthetics to jewellery to performance art. As a fashion designer, I realised the importance of being immersed in the multi-disciplinary environment at Sarabande. It’s so much more energising and inspiring than being grouped together only with people of your own discipline. Not only did I work with a lot of the artists and designers when I as in residence, but even after leaving I have several projects in development with people I connected with whilst at Sarabande.
[/fusion_text][fusion_imageframe image_id=”2525|full” max_width=”” style_type=”” blur=”” stylecolor=”” hover_type=”none” bordersize=”” bordercolor=”” borderradius=”” align=”none” lightbox=”no” gallery_id=”” lightbox_image=”” lightbox_image_id=”” alt=”” link=”” linktarget=”_self” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_direction=”left” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_offset=””]https://www.missionmag.org/dev/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/body_1E118998-8714-48C3-A62E-EB59961F3839-scaled-1.jpg[/fusion_imageframe][fusion_text columns=”” column_min_width=”” column_spacing=”” rule_style=”default” rule_size=”” rule_color=”” animation_type=”” animation_direction=”left” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_offset=”” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” class=”” id=””]
Since joining Sarabande have you taken inspiration from the founder himself, Alexander McQueen?
I think the biggest thing is to try and embody the fearlessness of McQueen’s approach. Passion, boldness and attention to detail are all things I admire hugely in his work. He’s a legendary figure to all fashion designers so it’s a huge honour to be a small part of his incredible legacy through Sarabande.
What effect did the ‘Collection of the Year Award’ and the ‘Vogue Talents Award’ have on you after graduation?
For me it was a rare chance to start my own practice straight after graduation, as there was prize money awarded (through ‘International Talent Support’), allowed me to create my first collection post-graduation, as well as the opportunity to showcase it. It was certainly a boost for my confidence, and encouragement to stay on the path I had chosen.
You originally went to school to study medicine. How did you find your way into fashion design?
Looking back it was fairly inevitable from the start – I always had an obsession with making things even as a small child. That never went away. Although there were aspects of medicine that I found fascinating (such as anatomy), I couldn’t fight the urge to create and I wasn’t satisfied to just do this in my spare time. I’m fairly passionate and a little obsessive so when I decide to do something it takes over everything! I was drawn to the technical aspects of pattern cutting and construction and at first taught myself these practical skills, making clothes and costumes. As well as the technical aspects, which appealed to my scientific brain, fashion also ticked a lot of boxes with creativity, freedom, expression and the active encouragement of rule-breaking!
[/fusion_text][fusion_imageframe image_id=”2526|full” max_width=”” style_type=”” blur=”” stylecolor=”” hover_type=”none” bordersize=”” bordercolor=”” borderradius=”” align=”none” lightbox=”no” gallery_id=”” lightbox_image=”” lightbox_image_id=”” alt=”” link=”” linktarget=”_self” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_direction=”left” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_offset=””]https://www.missionmag.org/dev/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/D9E568CB-1452-4C13-9C06-126DC89C2049-scaled-1.jpg[/fusion_imageframe][fusion_text columns=”” column_min_width=”” column_spacing=”” rule_style=”default” rule_size=”” rule_color=”” animation_type=”” animation_direction=”left” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_offset=”” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” class=”” id=””]
How do you incorporate sustainability into your brand?
I think now more than ever is the time to question everything about our practices as designers. I think the answer for me is to create less and create better. Over-production in the industry is a huge problem. But if we are compelled to put new material things out into the world, they should be thoughtful, beautiful and made with great consideration, including the methods and the materials used. I also took the decision to stop making my collections seasonal. The idea of putting a time limit on the validity of a garment seemed hugely destructive and very unsustainable.
My latest collection is created largely using deadstock and end-rolls. More and more I aim to take existing simple fabrics and completely reinvent them through textile design. I create all my pieces in-house and collect all my scrap fabric from the process. I have developed techniques using digital embroidery where I can reconstitute tiny pieces of scrap fabric (that are unusably small for most people) into new textured embroidered garment panels. I am aiming to make my process as circular as possible.
Can you talk about your design process?
It always begins with the fabric itself, and this feels more and more relevant now. I develop the textile ideas symbiotically with the pattern and product development, and often integrate the textile design and construction method. My aim is to build and develop a ‘digital atelier’ concept, which uses digital technologies alongside and in support of hand-crafted methods. This is a concept I worked on a lot during my time in residence at Sarabande and which I am currently live-developing as I establish my own studio.
What questions do you ask yourself when you’re designing?
When I’m designing I am always questioning whether the object that I am creating will have lasting relevance; will it still be as beautiful in 10, 20 or 30 years time?
Photos courtesy of Sarabande Foundation.
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