Monthly Archives: February 2014
Seven Minutes in Heaven: Rinat Brodach
Born in Israel, Rinat Brodach came to America with one thing in mind, to become a successful fashion designer. A dream of hers since her earliest memories, she is hoping to continue the family business with the recent launch of her very first ready-to-wear women’s collection. Currently living in New York City, she’s partnered with CTMA to help bring awareness to her line. I am very excited to be working Rinat and can’t wait to share with you all what we have been creating in the studio. In the meantime, learn more about this talented artist in a recent Q & A-Seven Minutes in Heaven.
Colin T. McDonald Agency: What made you decide to pursue a career in fashion?
Rinat Brodach: Ever since I was young, my mother allowed me to pick out my own clothes. I don’t think many kids grow up with the chance to have their own opinion to what they wear each day. I have always been artistic with a love for clothes and as I grew, the clothes I wore depicted the stages in my life.
I knew I also wanted to pursue a career in fashion. Being a fashion designer has been a lifelong dream of mine. Fashion has been a part of my life and culture. My passion for fashion started back in Czechoslovakia, where my great grandfather was a famous tailor in his village before WWII erupted. Growing up, I would constantly go shopping with my mother where I was exposed to draping techniques and menswear. Becoming a fashion designer makes me feel like I am continuing my family’s legacy.
CTMA: Who are your favorite designers (living or dead) and why?
RB: I have great admiration for the following fashion designers; Alber Elbaz, Rick Owens, John Galliano, Alexander McQueen. I admire each of them for their various draping techniques whether the techniques are soft, hard, feminine, masculine, etc.
My appreciation for both Lee Alexander McQueen and John Galliano started when I was very young, 12 or 13 years of age. Both of them have amazing draping skills and yet each is to their own. My love for Albez Elbaz and Rick Owens came as I got older; there is something so raw yet so magical about how they create clothes.
CTMA: What is one project you’ve worked on that’s changed your view on fashion?
RB: My thesis collection, which I made my senior year in college, is the one project that changed my views on fashion. That collection, taught me so much about myself. Rob Curry and Simon Ungless were two of my mentors who were both amazing in letting me discover who I was and am today. Through this particular experience, I learnt to embrace who I am.
CTMA: Tell me about your S/S 2014 Collection.
RB: My S/S 2014 Collection is straight from my heart, as it is filled with raw emotions. I was inspired by the dilemma of exposing and protecting the heart. I call it, How to Expose the Heart. Every day, I wear my heart on my sleeve. I learnt that the heart is exposed to passion, happiness, sadness, and vulnerability.
I executed this concept in my designs by using boning. I used it to enhance the ribcage area to act as protection to the heart. It is my intentions to show the various situations that the heart has to endure. It is my hopes to convey that art does not always make sense, because art comes from the heart.
CTMA: Three words that describe the Rinat Brodach woman?
RB: Strong, Sexy, and Independent.
CTMA: Where do you see your line a year from now?
RB: In a year’s time, I want to see my clothes at Barney’s, L’Eclaireur (Paris), and at selective boutiques in major cities around the globe.
CTMA: What advice do you have for aspiring designers?
RB: My advice would be to never stop believing in your dreams. As my father would say, it is all about the journey. I know I have a long journey still ahead of me, but I will never stop believing in myself ###
Photo Credit: Vincent Parker
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