The Secret Diaries of a Fabric Designer: Interview with Charlotte Roucher

There are so many photographs of designs on runways all over the Internet and we have grown so accustomed to seeing backstage pictures of fashion shows that, quite often, it becomes almost impossible to get a fresh angle on a collection and learn more about the industry through a garment or an accessory.

Yet this is not impossible: rather than focusing on the runway glamour we should indeed try and sit down with creative minds working hard behind the scenes, researching and doing an extraodinary job, in a nutshell somebody like fabric designer Charlotte Roucher.

Born in France where she also studied fashion, Roucher started working at Anne-Valérie Hash and later on moved to Kenzo, Alexander Wang, and more recently Rachel Comey in New York.

Since she finished her studies Roucher went from strength to strength, designing fabrics, travelling to mills in Europe and the US, and experimenting with innovative techniques.

From New York she has sent us a personal visual diary detailing her life and work: her images show us fabric samples, colourful boxes from a silk supplier and Jacquard weaving machines working away in Italian mills.

But, beware, Roucher is not an Instagram sensation merely taking pics of her work for our collective visual pleasure, and the world of fabrics - as she recounts in this interview – is a challenging yet intriguing universe: it takes time, patience, talent and the will to be inspired and informed by a wide range of discipines (art in her case…) to become a fully-fledged fabric designer.

Can you tell us more about your background and introduce yourself to our readers?
Charlotte Roucher: I graduated in 2005 from a fashion school in Bordeaux where I studied design. While I was doing an internship at Anne-Valérie Hash in Paris after my graduation, I had the opportunity to explore a lot of aspects of the fashion world, assisting her during the catwalk preparations, the sales showroom, and the launch of the production. I guess I was at the right place at the right time, and Anne-Valérie and I had a good connection. She offered me a job that same summer, and I worked with her for more than 7 years! I was assisting her in the collection and the production processes to begin with. The company at this time was really tiny and we were all multi-tasking. When the company grew, I stopped working in production and I dedicated almost 90% of my time on researching and developing fabrics. We were making ready-to-wear, Haute Couture and young girls collections. In terms of fabrics our range was pretty wide and I had the opportunity to work with different mills. I learnt a lot from Anne-Valérie Hash and also worked and visited European and Japanese mills.

Which was the most important lesson you learnt at Anne-Valérie Hash?
Charlotte Roucher: I call Anne-Valérie my "fashion mum". She taught me not just work values, but human values – communicate with each other, love what you are doing everyday, be professional and friendly at the same time, and, above all, respect every step, even a tiny one, of the process it takes to make a garment and then a collection.

Which mills and Parisian ateliers did you visit while at Anne-Valérie Hash and which was the most exciting thing about collaborating/working with them?
Charlotte Roucher: Because we were doing Haute Couture as an official member, I had the opportunity to work with beautiful parisian ateliers such as Maison Lesage for the embroideries or Atelier Lognon for the pleats. We collaborated with Lognon for both our ready-to-wear collections, and Haute Couture collections. I had the privilege to seat at the same table and work with these people full of knowledge, experiences and history, who worked with Christian Dior and Yves Saint Laurent. Visiting their ateliers, going there to take the fabrics and then returning to pick them all freshly embellished in the hurry of the collection, was always a pleasure.

In which ways have your experiences changed when you moved to Kenzo and then to Alexander Wang?
Charlotte Roucher: After 7 years working for Anne-Valérie Hash, I felt I needed to explore another side of the fabric development and also of the fashion industry. I started working for Kenzo, as the fabric manager for women's ready-to-wear collections. Working with such a creative team was a new school: I learnt a lot about different technical and organisational aspects, custom developments, fabric constructions, and also business in order to reach a price point more affordable for a brand like Kenzo. I visited mills in Italy every seasons and went to archives to do researches with the design team. Each season we developed about 30 references of fabrics from A to Z with mills, crossing some of them between women and men collections or accessories. The creativity of the Opening Ceremony design directors Humberto Leon and Carol Lim has no limits, so we didn't set any boundaries on our work as well! I worked there for a year and a half, then got a phone call from New York: Alexander Wang was looking for a fabric developer for his women main line, and was keen on hiring a European designer. My dream came true. I fell in love with New York the first time I visited a friend in 2007, and still had this dream of working in the Big Apple. Without hesitation, I crossed the ocean and embarked in this new adventure. I ventured into another kind of creativity – fewer colours maybe and more shades of black and somber tones; a lot of new developments, embroideries, prints, plus a stronger focus on techno fabrics. I also had the opportunity to travel back to Europe to attend fabric fairs like Première Vision and also visit Italian mills to develop new fabrics. Then, I fell in love with another New York designer while I was shopping with a friend. My friend talked to me about Rachel Comey, and took me to the designer's shop. While rambling around the Soho shop I saw so many clothes that my friends, my mum, my sister and I may have wanted to wear. There was also a large range of fabrics, from simple linen cloth to a fil coupé with lurex. I saw a large potential for fun, creativity and wearability, in a nutshell I had a crush! On their Facebook page at this time they were looking for a fabric developer – I took the chance and sent my resume.

Which exciting new challenges are awaiting you now at Rachel Comey?
Charlotte Roucher: I have been working in Rachel's team for 6 months and I like it a lot. The small team reminds me a lot of Anne-Valérie Hash's spirit. It's a family, but an American one this time. The creativity is really strong, it's an open floor studio where all departments work next and with each other. Rachel is a business woman and an inspired woman who gives me a voice in her story. I have the pleasure to work with the same European mills I have been collaborating with for the last 10 years. And I also keep on learning and exploring new local mills that I didn't know before.

What about your work with mills in the USA, which aspects of the manufacturing process are you now taking care of?
Charlotte Roucher: At the moment I also buy and develop fabrics with mills in the USA and I got to know specific industries like traditional wool mills that provide military fabrics, and denim mills – a really strong business in the US (Rachel Comey produces its denim line in Los Angeles using American cloths). We manufacture our product in New York, Los Angeles, North Carolina and Peru. So, in term of business, it is a big advantage for us to use domestic fabrics in order to avoid duties. And we also love the fact that our design is made in New York as our production. This is a strong value for our product and for our customers. Creativity is important, but quality is an even more important factor!

What do you love/hate about working New York?
Charlotte Roucher: The rhythms can be tricky, especially when you have to work with Europe in mind. When you start working we are still sleeping. I usually check my emails while having breakfast at home, so I can see if an emergency came out during the night or if I need important info to send and if I still have time to reach out to Europe. You just have to get used to it, and then things becomes more smooth as time passes. But, at the beginning, it took me some time to get the time line in my head! It's nice for me to work with the same mills that I worked with for years. You build business, friendship and beautiful fabrics through the years. It's important to share experiences, but I also like having new mills to explore and visit here. It is always a pleasure to find some time to catch up on life while working and making business.

As a fabric designer, do you have to consider new developments in the fashion industry such as the "see now buy now" trend?
Charlotte Roucher: This is a strong new way to buy, consume and live fashion. At Rachel's this is a really important point and we really take this issue in consideration. We always think about when we will be shipping the new collection in the shop, what will the weather be like, and what kind of garments and fabrics our customers will want and need. We try to be as close as possible to the reality – an everyday reality – and we keep on reminding ourselves that our customer is real. I have been working in fashion for more than 10 years and when I started the pre-collections barely existed. Things have radically changed since then and will never stop changing and I think we shouldn't call collections by seasons anymore.

What kind of advice would you like to give to young people who may be looking for a career in fashion, would you encourage them to follow your footsteps and become fabric designers?
Charlotte Roucher: Fabric development is a small world where everyone knows each other quickly, where you have the opportunity to be close to design, sales and creation. You always learn, you always discover techniques (weaving, dyeing, fibers…). It's such a magical thing when you see one of your sketch, your measurements, or manipulation becoming a real fabric and then a garment, so go for it!

Where do you see yourself in 5 years' time?
Charlotte Roucher: I will keep on exploring the fabric world, adding more and more designs in my closet with fabrics that I developed and loved. I don't think I will be ever tired of it!