Beads lead the way for designer Rachael
An aspiring Motherwell fashionista is certainly casting a beady eye over her designs.
Rachael Weir has teamed up with Beads Direct - Europe’s leading bead and jewellery making supplier - to produce a collection showcasing the use of beads in fashion.
The impressive collection was shown as part of the Edinburgh College of Art’s graduate fashion show at the National Museum of Scotland in May and at Graduate Fashion Week in London in June.
Rachael says: “my inspiration was graphic art and creating a visual language through my designs that was fun and made people smile.
“I used thousands of beads – one piece alone used around 3000 – and I hand-sewed all of them. I started that particular piece in January and was working on it up until the night before the show. Despite the work involved I will be using beads again in my work.”
At the end of last year, Rachael approached Beads Direct looking for a supply of beads for her latest collection and the company were happy to help.
Vicki Downes, managing director of Beads Direct, said: “We were delighted to join forces with Rachael. She is amazingly talented and we were keen to see how she would use our products in her collection.
“Rachael selected beads from our range and worked her magic. The results formed part of her catwalk shows at her college’s graduate fashion show and Graduate Fashion Week in London and are nothing short of breath-taking.”