The ritual of getting dressed, even for making toast, is a an exercise in self-expression. Designing a dress is a layered, sensual, intellectual and emotional progression of choices. It’s like having a conversation between myself and my heritage, between my personal aesthetic and the cultural imagery, between my effort to make magic and my concerted wish to fight death. My inspiration for designin
g clothing is a way to refine the boundaries of who I am. For raw material, I draw on my artistic DNA – my mother is a painter, I am a filmmaker, my twin sister has taught me Taoism and life, my children are artists, my hubby is a political animal – all very much a part of my neurology. Stylistically I am on the masculine side of feminine, a unboyish tomboy. Another way of saying it is that I am drawn to lush fabric with structural properties that hug the body like a mitten as opposed to a glove. My effort is to entice women to wear them for the same reasons that I do; to feel powerful, loved, to participate in community and show up fully in our best second skin. Designing clothing is also making an exuberant political statement. Through my very personal lens of making clothing, I hope to do my part, helping to reform the way clothing is made. Working sustainably is the way I can participate in the planet’s well being by mixing technology and beauty. Contributing to the vigor of the earth’s fertility makes me a gardener, amending the soil and yielding healthy, nutritious crops, in this case, clothing with rich texture, and wearable chic tailoring made from ethical choices. – Carol Pratt
Carol Pratt – Designer
