Susan Comer creates exclusive, one-off wearable art pieces by deconstructing vintage and non-vintage garments, which are embellished with vintage trinkets and curios. She will be exhibiting her unique creations at the A La Mode International Show during London Fashion Week in February 2010. We caught up with the designer herself in this unique interview to find out more about this exciting brand!

When was your label established?
I began trading in November 2006, however I only launched this new work at the Liverpool Design Festival October 2009

Tell us a bit more about your pieces and what makes them unique?
I create exclusive, one-off wearable art pieces by deconstructing vintage and non-vintage garments, which can either be worn or displayed and are very labour intensive. Each piece is created using a variety of techniques and processes. I begin by deconstructing the garment and attach the separate pieces to a mannequin, sculpting by pinning and unpinning until I am satisfied with the form. Working in this way enables me to make wonderful discoveries of the properties and potential of the fabric, allowing it to dictate what will eventually become a three dimensional sculpture. I try to take advantage of and exploit any occurrences that have happened during the making and use them as processes in themselves. I have an interest in intricate detailing and incorporate this throughout the piece. Each piece is then embellished with a variety of curios, vintage buttons and jewels.
Every piece is original, innovative and hand crafted, and though similar pieces can be made it cannot be exactly reproduced. This benefits the customer looking for a truly one-off bespoke piece of work.

Can you tell us a bit about your background?
My background is as a fine artist, following that with a degree in designing surface print for textiles, creating unique one-off pieces of either wall hangings or accessories. However I have always had a passion for, and collect vintage clothing, and wanted to use my wonderful finds in my work. I didnt want to reconstruct clothing into other wearable garments, but wanted to combine my passions for fine art with design. This is when I came up with the concept of creating wearable art . My products differ in that they are fully deconstructed from the original form and recreated into a completely new one. This process is determined by the notion that function follows form. Therefore the final product encourages the wearer to decide how they wish to display or wear the item. As an example, friends trying on a new creation found several ways in which to adorn themselves. This was inspiring to me as the designer that my work had many interpretations and that the wearer interacted with the piece. I am fully in control of the whole design, making and sourcing process, developing each piece through from concept to completion.

What would you consider to be the highlights of your career so far?
I am a great admirer of the actress Tilda Swinton, and consider her a muse when I am creating my designs. I feel she personifies my customer: free spirited with a strong personality; a woman who is confident in who she is and will wear what she wants as opposed to what fashion dictates.
I had made a tippet exclusively for Tilda after I discovered she was running a film festival in Scotland,. I took the tippet up to Scotland and managed to meet up with her. I was very nervous, as it is always very difficult to meet your heroes, however I realised I may never get the chance again and I took a deep breath and walked up to her. We chatted for ages and she was really genuine and appeared to love the tippet so much and put it on and was very happy to have her photograph taken. It was a wonderful experience.
When I met a journalist by chance on a workshop, I relayed this story and she immediately wrote my story in my local newspaper, the Liverpool Echo, and also commissioned two pieces of work from me. Both of these incidents happened before I had launched at the Design Festival, leaving me confident that my work was interesting and covetable.

Where can individuals purchase your pieces?
As I have only recently launched I am still sourcing the correct out lets for my work, one is the PAD Shop and Gallery, Preston, www.padshopandgallery.com who spotted my work at the Liverpool Design Festival. I am currently in talks with a few other outlets, but people can contact me through my website. www.susancomer.co.uk

Website: www.susancomer.co.uk