DESIGNER PROFILE
We talk to Melody Miller, Sarah Watts, Kim Kight, Alexia Abegg and Rashida Coleman-Hale, fabric designers and original founders of Cotton+Steel, about their shiny new brand, Ruby Star Society
We talk to Melody Miller, Sarah Watts, Kim Kight, Alexia Abegg and Rashida Coleman-Hale, fabric designers and original founders of Cotton+Steel, about their upcoming collections and shiny new brand, Ruby Star Society
After leaving your previous fabric brand, Cotton+Steel, was there ever any doubt that the five of you would keep working together? Melody: We worked so hard to build Cotton+Steel and felt devastated from the loss of it. Everyone responded differently – Kim has always had a career outside fabric yet was ready to invest even more heavily in our industry, Alexia went back to college, Rashida was already working at Google and also became pregnant with her fourth child, and Sarah invested her energy into creating her own stationery company, Craftedmoon. I felt like I’d created and was walking away from my dream job. I was devastated. What were the odds I could do it again, and with all of these women I’d loved working with? Each person in our group said they would stay in our industry if we could stay together. I chose to approach my planning, decision making, and pitching as though I was building my dream company from the ground up, with or without this group, yet I held on tightly to the hope of continuing to work with these women.
Kim: I never once doubted that Cotton+Steel would be successful, and when we left, though someone mentioned the possibility of us not finding another home and being together anymore, it never felt like that was remotely likely.
Rashida: I definitely had my doubts. I had completely lost faith in this industry and wasn’t even sure that I wanted to continue to pursue a career in it. I also loved having these women to work with and didn’t want to continue designing fabric without them by my side. The relationship that we built together was so special and couldn’t be duplicated and I didn’t want to lose that.
Alexia: I was dealing with complete and utter burnout at the end of
Cotton+Steel. I was run down from trying to juggle so much, I was creatively spent, and I didn’t know how I would ever find my spark again. I knew that if I was going to continue in this industry, I would have to change the way I was working and I didn’t know if that was possible. My greatest hope, post
C+S was that we would find a healthy new home together. We took all of our experience from our years creating C+S into this new scenario and I'm so grateful that the original five designers, our family unit, is working together again. I also feel extremely lucky to have joined a new family at Moda.
What made you keen to join forces with Moda?
Melody: Moda has a reputation as a leader in our industry. When I visited their offices and saw how organised they were and how well they treat their customers and designers, it seemed like they could be a solid foundation to to build a new idea. Alexia: The momentum and drive required to get a big idea off the ground is so monumental. The key to being able to commit to that process
again really was Moda. I knew that they would be a strong collaborator, and that they would bring their expertise and enthusiasm for the sewing world to this relationship.
How did it feel to experience such an amazing reaction when you announced this new adventure to the community? Melody: It was certainly validating. I felt like our fan base understood that we’ve been through a painful experience, and that they were rooting for us. That support was another step in moving forward. Sarah: I was happy to share our story. A story about how you can walk away from something that you worked really hard on when it is no longer working and survive. And not just survive, but thrive. Rashida: It gave me hope and it was so uplifting and encouraging. I love what I do so very much and this amazing community has really helped me to understand what I want to get out of this. It was also just so awesome that this chapter of our story had a happy ending. On to the next chapter we go! Alexia: That was an emotional experience. I felt supported, joyful, and ultimately so encouraged to keep moving forward.
Tell us a bit about your debut collections for RSS.
Melody's collection Social is a cheerful collection in her signature vintage-inspired style and colours. It makes us think of long phone calls with friends and meeting up to dish over ice cream. Her basic Spark is like a polka dot, but better, with a delicate asterisk motif.
Kim's collection Anagram is a Memphis modern inspired collection. It’s about mixing things up, finding new meaning and surprises, and trusting the creative journey to take you new places. The popular Grid
I knew that Moda would be a strong collaborator, and that they would bring their expertise and enthusiasm for the sewing world to this relationship
We understand the importance of nurturing new sewers, and fostering mutual support between pat tern designer, fabric designer and home sewer
basic is also back in a whole new range of colours.
Rashida's Pop! is a joyful collection inspired by things that go pop. So pop on a record, have a cold bottle of soda pop, and join in the party. Zip! is a not-so-basic print with a little more ‘whoosh’ and painterly aesthetic than your average stripe.
Alexia's collection Alma is about the ties of community, family, friendships, and the women who share their strength with the people around them. Alexia carved, stamped and painted to create this collection, giving her textiles a handmade quality. Her ever-popular basic Add It Up is back in a few familiar colours and lots of new ones. This subtle pattern both acts like a print and behaves like a solid – it truly goes with anything!
Sarah's Crescent celebrates the mysteries of mythical nighttime woods and the fun of dreaming up enchanting narratives. The 108in Magic Unicorn Panel rounds out the collection! Brushed is a textured basic Sarah created by illustrating a pattern with black ink, scanning it, and recolouring it digitally.
You’ve always placed a lot of importance on the collaboration between yourselves and the sewing community. Why is this? Sarah: For me, seeing what the sewing community does with my fabric is drive for me to keep making new designs. I have become fascinated by the new meaning that my art takes on when it’s put into a project. I think it all stems from a love of family heirlooms. As a designer I get to be a part of lots of special heirlooms and gifts. The stories and love that I put in my art gets told in new special ways through all of the pieces that are made. That is magic. Rashida: I agree! It gives me drive as well, as I love to see what people create with my fabric. Knowing that my inspiration has been manifested in this way to inspire other people to create is so fulfilling!
Kim: We were, and still are, part of the sewing community in various
capacities before we were Ruby Star Society, and Cotton+Steel before that. We understand the importance of bringing in and nurturing new sewers, and fostering mutual support and inspiration between pattern designer, fabric designer and home sewer. None of us can exist without the others!
Alexia: The life of fabric doesn’t end when it arrives at a fabric shop, and that dynamic shift that occurs when a maker turns a piece of fabric into a finished object is so inspiring. That tells the full story, and that is where the collaboration comes into play. I bring the art on fabric and the maker brings their vision and creativity and together something new and exciting happens.
How do you work as a team? Melody: We have always shared our works in progress with each other and held group critiques to give each other feedback and ideas. That creates an environment where multiple designers can easily pitch in prints for a single collection, or even for two designers to send artwork back and forth and create a collection together. We trust each other, and I personally find that my art is the strongest through the feedback I receive from these women.
Sarah: Yes, I agree. It definitely makes the work stronger. My first experience with this process was in college. Everyone in the class would post their finished pieces up on the wall and we would go through them one by one. We talked about composition, colour balance, technique, etc. I missed that so badly when I graduated. When I met these girls we naturally started working this way. We help each other comb through our collections and tighten them up. Having those other opinions are vital for your work to evolve. It’s not all critiques, too! Sometimes the words of encouragement are just as valuable. So many times I would have scratched a piece of art and the girls encourage me to keep it and look at it from a different angle. It’s fun working this way!
Kim: At least for me, I don’t think I could be or would want to be a solo artist. I love the creative synergy you get from working as a group. We bring different strengths and skills to the table and are always learning new things from each other. It’s amazing to be able to share an idea that fits with one my colleague’s aesthetics better than my own, and see it come to life.
How have your relationships with each other developed since you first joined forces in 2013? Melody: I’ve developed a next-level sense of trust in these women. They were friends from the beginning, but we’ve been through so much together. We’ve shared some of our best and worst moments with each other. I’m very grateful for having the room to get it wrong sometimes, and yet having that be a part of our growth together.
Rashida: I agree. I trust them and have a ridiculous amount of respect for each of them. We have literally laughed, cried and fought together and not a day goes by that we don’t communicate in some way. They’re all my family.
Alexia: Our relationships have certainly gown deeper over the years. [As Rashida said,] these
women are family. A group that started with friendly work collaboration has matured into an intimate group of women that are the most trusted friends and mentors.
We have to mention that each of you juggle Ruby Star Society with other jobs/passions/motherhood. How do you make it all work!? Melody: I’ve learned to spread my energy around – I don’t get the best and worst from my job anymore. I go to work every day, give it my best, and then I go home and focus on my family, my friendships and myself. Sarah: Work life balance! I love this subject. It’s rewarding yet hard work that never stops and it’s not always pretty like what we see online. For me, the most important thing is to try to spend my time on the things that are the most fulfilling. I have learned to cut out scrolling on Instagram to spend more time with my kids, and let laundry slide to get more of a painting done. I have also learned to be kind to myself in the moments that I feel like I’m not doing it right all the time. Is there a right way? Nope! Alexia: Some days it works, and some days I feel like I’m on a continuous sprint. What works for each individual is so different. For me I know that making art and creating is what makes me feel fulfilled, so I prioritise that over other things. I am always tinkering with ways to be less distracted and more productive but in a smart way that won’t lead me to another round of burnout. Lately I have been separating my time into big chunks so that when I am working on a specific thing, like making a new fabric collection, I can dive in really deep and not run around checking email, shooting photos etc. That has helped me feel calmer even when there are so many things to juggle. Some seasons I get to spend a lot of time with friends and family and some seasons I don’t, and that’s okay for me. For me there is no ‘leave work at work’, but I like it.
Rashida: Good question! Guess what? I don’t know! I think my chill demeanour has helped me thrive in this realm. I laugh, a lot, and I try not to take myself too seriously. I let the small things go, I change what I can, and the things that I can’t… so be it. My life isn’t perfectly balanced. I certainly don’t always get to do all of the things that I’d like to do with my day and I’m okay with that, I know I gave my best effort.
What do we have to look forward to from your next collections? Sarah: We promise blood, sweat and tears! We’re expanding our substrate range to include more garment fabrics, and at Spring Quilt Market we debuted our first collection of throws, ironing board covers, socks and more, which will ship in the fall.
Kim: We have a new pattern line!
Rashida: Lots of metallic!
Alexia: And some familiar friends.
Work life balance! It's rewarding yet hard work that never stops. The most important thing is to try to spend time on the things that are the most fulfilling