On Tuesday, December 17 my group and I interviewed a Brooklyn based designer named Suzanne Rae on Skype. Suzanne graduated from Parsons, The New School for Design and she also holds an economics degree from Bryn Mawr College.
We learned about how her clothing line is feminist in philosophy. Her line investigates the numerous connections of a woman’s natural being and translates these intricate concepts into tangible garments. She explained to us how her clothing line is made for “the progressive, empowered and modern woman.” She tries to create an experience for people who wear her clothing, and explained to us how clothing and fashion acts as a “visual language”. She described to us the significance of what we wear and “the way we feel we look, affects our attitude greatly.” Clothing acts as a reflection of who you are and it serves as a way to freely express yourself in a more creative way. The main goal for her clothing line is to make the wearer feel good and confident.
As well as incorporating feminism into her clothing, her line also works with several women’s groups around New York City. They have worked with Girls Inc., a support association focused on mentoring, educating and advocating for young women around the nation. Her clothing line also works with WIN, which is a homeless shelter for women and their children, helping the women get back on their feet. Clearly, her clothing line is devoted to empowering women to be independent thinkers and take on leadership roles.
We asked Suzanne about slut shaming and how it relates to clothing. She stated that there is a judging process that occurs and that everyone has different views. We also spoke about how many men allow themselves to rape a girl because she was wearing something skimpy, and she was therefore “asking for it”. However, many people lack to think that a woman might be wearing a short skirt for merely herself.
We gathered great knowledge from our interview with Suzanne Rae. Learning that no woman is responsible for getting raped because of what she wears, and that we should be able to freely express ourselves with clothing to please ourselves and feel confident.
