Couture has a power that ready-to-wear can never have; the attention of les petites mains as they sew; all that love and belief goes into the cloth. That's what you feel when you wear it.
Fashion is so mass-produced now; I hope there will come a refocus on how people see couture. And I would also hope for a new focus on the craft.
I'm a knitter. My projects are the ultimate in 'some assembly required.
First I made a dress because I was pregnant and I wanted to be the most beautiful pregnant woman. Then I made a sweater because I wanted to have one that wasn't like anyone else's.
Fashion to me has become very disposable; I wanted to get back to craft, to clothes that could last.
Some of the kimonos took as long as four to five months to make, with all the layers that go into it.
The problem with couture is not designers; it's what happens when the couturier will no longer be there.
I buy the best fabrics from small mills in Italy. That is the basis for my clothes.
