Andrea Reynders, Anna Brown, Gillion CarraraFounders, we are MATERIALThe we are MATERIAL manifesto is to redefine artisanal tradition by intersecting with contemporary silhouettes. Their goal is create meaningful experiences through design practice, collection design and material sourcing. Andrea Reynders, professor emeritus of the School of the Art Institute Fashion Design Department and design director of the Chicago Fashion Incubator at Macy’s, joined forces with founding director of the School of the Art Institute Fashion Resource Center and faculty member Gillion Carrara, as well as Anna Brown, whose designs are informed by historical menswear and workwear, twentieth-century art and design, and the built environment’s interaction with nature. “Unlike a family where you do not get to choose who you belong to,...
Conversations with the Inspiring Andrea Reynders Today we’d like to introduce you to Andrea Reynders. So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.In a nutshell, I started designing while in college (The School of the Art Institute of Chicago) and selling to the best boutique on Oak Street –Ultimo. After graduation I designed for a junior line in Chicago, while also doing editorial garments for magazines and commercial ads. I was asked to teach in the Department of Fashion Design, a year later and that career would last almost 40 years. While teaching and chairing the department, I created endowments for scholarships, organized fashion study trips...
Andrea Reynders, Gillion Carrara, Anna BrownPartners, we are MATERIALIndividually, they are remarkable professionals in their field: fashion designer Anna Brown is a stellar alum from the Chicago Fashion Incubator at Macy’s; Andrea Reynders is the design director at the Incubator and professor emeritus of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago’s Fashion Department; metalsmith Gillion Carrara is the founding director of the school’s Fashion Resource Center and faculty member. United by mutual admiration and commitment to an artisanal approach to clothing and accessory design, they created we are MATERIAL in 2017, a design collective which endeavors to create gatherings that address aspects of the design practice, such as ideation, collection design and material sourcing. “Our intent is to connect...
