If you’ve been paying attention to anything (outwith the usual LFW madness) you’ll have noticed some rumblings over at Stylist magazine. They are working with lingerie giant Triumph in a competition to find Triumphs next top maker. It all sounds pretty elusive but it’s a pretty open competition to find the fine,freshest,fiercest talent and give them a sweet business boost in the form of £10,000 and mentorship from a celeb panel including Paloma Faith, Gizzi Erskine, Rosksanda Ilincic and Grace Woodward. It’s all about supporting women in business which uh yeah – we can all get behind right? Anyway there is some utter FAB designer’s taking part, but for this guy my money is on Rebecca Torres.
So Rebecca, you already know I’m a MASSIVE fan. Would you be able to tell me a bit about yourself?
Thank you Claire! I am womenswear designer
based in Glasgow, my business was established just over 2 years ago,
though i have been designing freelance and slowly building my brand for a
few years now. I started my career at Cardonald
College and then onto Caledonian University were I studied fashion
business.
After university I wasn’t sure what I wanted
to do whether that be work for my own or someone else. After coming back
from London I was working full time in a clothing store and started to
create garments to wear at the weekend and
gained a lot of attention from doing so, my brother got a website
together for me and I started selling made to measure on the site, which
then lead me to be approached by Asos.com who placed a large order on
my collection which really kick started the business.
I have been really fortunate to have been featured in so many great
things but it all comes down to hard work and never giving up.
How would you describe the Rebecca Torres aesthetic?
I would describe the Rebecca Torres aesthetic
as Clean, sleek and geometric. Though I think depending on the person
who is wearing it, it can have a different look which is what i love
about seeing customers wearing the garments.
Where do you get your inspiration from?
I have always
found that if I try to force myself to find inspiration it very rarely
works. For me the most important aspect is to stay open to new ideas.
For example one
of my collections was influenced by an article I came across in an old
magazine about women’s roles in computer programing in the 50s, after
some research I discovered that the first computer programmer was a
women called Ade Lovelace. This became the foundation
for the collection Programming Require Patience.
Fave trends for AW13?
This season I really love the powder pastel
colours that we have seen in the catwalks especially mixed with the
oversized coats. My favourite style came from the Celine show, they were
all amazing!
Could you tell me a bit more about the Stylist Triumph competition?
I have been chosen as a potential to become
Triumph’s Next Maker! Stylist Magazine have teamed up with Triumph
Lingerie and is launching an empowering campaign to showcase a series of
fellow makers as ambassadors for the new season,
as well as find a ‘new’ maker and help one lucky winner launch or
further her creative business by winning £10,000 bursary as well as a
years worth of mentoring from the Makers Collective which
includes Paloma Faith, Gizzi Erskine, Roksanda Ilinicic & Grace
Woodward. This is such an amazing opportunity for me as a designer as
well as for my business and I’m really excited to be apart of this.
What would the £10,000 (and sweet mentoring) prize mean for you as a business?
Being apart of this competition is a great
opportunity for my brand and I cant believe the support everyone has
given me so far, its very overwhelming and i cant thank everyone enough!
To win the £10,000 and the mentoring would be a
great support for my business and help me push the boundaries to
develop and diversify the brand for the future. Having the support of
the mentors for a year would be really valuable
for me not only as a designer but as an entrepreneur, they are such
inspirational women and to be able to meet them and gain there knowledge
and advice would be an fantastic experience. To win this prize would
be amazing and overwhelming.
You can vote for Rebecca by visiting stylist website here and also be in with the chance with winning some Triumph lingerie just for entering. Total win win! Torre’s is firmly in the lead – let’s keep it that way. TEAM TORRES!