Rachel on the GO
I guess too many people were
trying to upload at the same time.
At the last minute my assistant, Klarissa Sisco, was able to get me in the
second segment.
It was a last minute thing and
maybe I wasn’t sure if I would hear
back from them. Then, three days
later I checked my email and saw
that Project Runway got back to
me and that I was in the top three. I
did an interview and they will get
back to me in a couple of weeks.
Describe Hope Wade Designs
to our readers?
I love couture! I like colours and I like
the flow of materials. I can look at a
fabric and immediately get an
idea. I am a self-taught designer. I
sketch very well and I taught myself
everything I know. When I feel the
fabric I can instantly get a design.
What your readers can get from my
spring collection this year is silk and
burlap and you are going to see
colours. The main colour I will be
using in my design is fuchsia.
Can you tell me more about
the fabric ‘burlap’?
What I love about this fabric is that,
almost like linen, it flows. It gives a
woman a nice curve and it flows
with her. The fabric, burlap, was
used in Jamaica. Originally this material was used for rice and they
would later wash it and use it for
school uniforms for the children. So
what I did was elevate this material
to couture so that an elegant
woman can dress it up.
Do you design for all sizes?
Yes, I design for all sizes from a 0 to a
20.
Supermodel Januel McKenzie owning that runway!
What are you wearing right now? Are you
wearing a Hope Wade Design?
Yes, I am wearing Hope Wade. This particular
piece I wore to London Fashion Week in September 2013. I stayed with my cousin and he had all
these different kinds of fabrics. I did not know he
worked in a place where they had all this amazing
fabric. I saw this piece and I designed a flare triangular sleeve and it comes all the way in and it
comes out like an A line. It flatters any woman’s
body; it doesn’t matter what shape you have, this
design will do it for you.
How do you stay creative?
Well, I stay creative in the sense that I pray seeing
that I am a self-taught designer. Secondly, look
around in different magazines to see what is out
there. I also get my creative juices flowing by working on my sketches to keep myself current. As a designer you have to push yourself beyond the
boundaries because that is the only way you can
stay current. Always remain true to yourself. I am
unique as a designer. I don’t imitate others but I like
other designers such as Dolce and Gabbana.