Push to Fire: Interview with Katie Crush (DIY clothing)

Katie Crush
Katie Crush clothing is a DIY label based in Manchester in the UK. The items are all individually handmade by Katie and completely unique. Her punk-rock ethos and emphasis on fun make the items stand out and are definitely a must buy for all those who want one-of-a-kind, yet affordable, items for their wardrobe. Push to Fire Editor Suzy Harrison caught up with Katie Crush in June to find out how she got into designing, why the DIY ethic is so important to her and how music and fashion will always be interlinked.

When did you first start making clothes?
I started making clothes in 2005/2006. I didn't start out with the intention of making clothes to sell. I made a few items for myself, whatever I could think up, and then when I'd wear them in public I'd get people asking me where I'd bought them. So I started taking orders through MySpace and it snowballed from there really.
Did you study textiles or art or are you self taught?
I studied Fine Art, but I taught myself to use a sewing machine and make clothing. At Uni I mainly specialised in photography and installation-based artwork. A few people had tried to teach me to use a sewing machine but after breaking several machines in school I was told to give up. My mum used to make a lot of clothes and had a job making bridal wear for a long time, I never had any interest for her to teach me. I just woke up one day at 23 and could magically use a sewing machine.
Was owning your own label/shop something you had always dreamt of?
I didn't ever have any specific dream in mind when I was younger, except I wanted to be able to do whatever I wanted to do. And what I wanted to do seemed to change from week to week. At some point I do remember visiting Afflecks and thinking how cool it would be to own my own shop one day, selling stuff that I'd made. It seemed very unlikely to happen but I remember trying to imagine what it would look like and I definitely decorated the shop with that image in mind. It wasn't the only thing I ever wanted to do though, it was just something I thought would be fun. I also wanted to be an interior designer, a vet, a chef, a film director and all sorts of other things.

katie crush by Emma Stone

What gives you inspiration when you're designing your clothes, homeware and accessories?
Some ideas are really easy; I was listening to Leftover Crack one day in the shop and "Rock the 40oz" came on and I just thought "Ooooh, I'm gonna make a 40oz beer shaped cushion....Ooooh and I'll do another with a massive anti-nazi sign on!" Other times were an accident, I misheard one of my friends in a club shouting in my ear "Zombie Bunny". I still can't remember what he was really saying to me, I was too busy imagining what a zombie bunny would look like. But my favorite ideas usually come from just brainstorming with a theme.
Do you make all the clothes yourself or do you have people who help you make the items?
I make everything myself. I work 6 days a week in the shop and every part of the design is done there. I'm strongly against the possibility of having items made in sweatshops, or sourced unfairly.
So it seems that the brand very DIY and this is something very important for you?
I'd say that my brand is totally and intentionally DIY. It's really important to me to try and keep everything as DIY as I possibly can. The reason I started out in the first place was because I was sick of mass produced clothing and rubbish trends. I don't think I'd have an interest in continuing with the brand if the items I made lost their unique handmade nature. Since opening the shop it has become clear to me that at some point, if I want to expand, I'm going to have to hire staff to help make products. But at the moment that's not something I'm ready to let out of my hands.
Which is your most popular item (sale wise)?
The Zombie Bunny dress is my most popular item. If someone had told me years ago that I'd make a living out of a black dress with a pink dead rabbit on it, I don't think I'd have believed them.

rabbit design

Which items do you most enjoy making?
I most enjoy making the fox scarves. I think it's because it's the only 3D character based item that I make and it's fun to make something that looks like it's got it's own personality.
And which ones are the most challenging to produce?
The most challenging item to make it the Strummer dress. I can't make this with a hangover - lots of concentration is needed! Takes bloody ages too.
Which designers/labels do you admire most and why?
This seems like a stupid thing to say, but I'm not really interested in fashion. I'd call what I make anti fashion. I don't pay attention to trends or what other people are doing for no other reason than I'm not interested. I like Vivienne Westwood, but I don't think an explanation is needed for that one. There's a couple of people I'm aware of in Manchester who have DIY labels which I find interesting, Vampire Bunnies and Call Girl Clothing both make great handmade stuff.
The shop is just over a year old (Jan 2010) - what did you do to celebrate?
The birthday party was great. I went on the blag and got a lot of free wine, my friends brought cake and the amazing Chris Murray came to play an acoustic set in the shop before his gig at the Acadamy later that evening. It was great fun.
What do you think you'll do to celebrate its 2nd birthday?
Pot Noodle party! If I can get sponsored by Pot Noodle for the 2nd birthday I'll die happy.

Describe your style in three words.
DIY, Anti-fashion awesomeness.
Push to Fire is a webzine which is mainly focussed on music. How strong do you think that the link is between music and fashion?
I think there is a strong link between music and fashion which has been evident since the 1920s. Jazz, Broadway, and Coco Chanel all mirrored one another in the '20s. Mod, Hippy, Punk and Hip-Hop fashion was all about the music. More recently, Jay-Z, Russell Simmons and Gwen Stefani, to name a few, created their own clothing lines/labels. Madonna modelled for Jean Paul Gaultier. I think music and fashion naturally influence each other and probably won't stop anytime soon.

Itch and Laila K - Big Cheese

So would you say that there is a strong link between the two in your life?
There is a strong link between the two in my life. Music definitely influences my design ideas, in 2009 Laila from Sonic Boom Six was featured in Big Cheese Magazine wearing my dresses, there's talk of me creating some merchandise for 'Love Music Hate Racism' and I have a new music/fashion fusion project in the pipeline called 'Crushtomized', keep an eye on the website for details!
That sounds pretty cool! We'll be sure to check it out. So which bands are your favourite?
World/Inferno Friendship Society, Leftover Crack and Choking Victim, No Cash, NoFx, Descendents, Distillers, Hole, Smashing Pumpkins, Rancid, Dirty Revolution, SB6, Random Hand...
I noticed that you have a photo MySpace as well as the shop MySpace. Is photography still a part of your life or has this become less important since the opening of the shop?
Photography has definitely had to go on the backburner for a while. In 2006 I had some work featured by the Tate and I had a large piece of work displayed in a show at The Urbis gallery in Manchester. I enjoy photography and although I was having some success with my work I've decided to leave it until I'm a little older to pursue it again. Whenever I get an idea I write it down, I can always come back to it. Aside from not having the time to keep it up alongside the work I have to do for the label, after doing nothing but art since 1998 I really needed a break from it. I'm not a believer in 'art for art's sake'.
So what kind of photos do you specialise in?
I take portraits, everything pretty much revolves around culture, gender and identity. I'm inspired by artists like Cindy Sherman and Nan Goldin.
Do you take the promotional photos of the items you make?
I take some of them. The photos on the website were taken by John Clarke (Resurrect Studios.co.uk), he's a friend of mine and has a photography studio in Afflecks. I'm always on the look for new photographers to help out with fashion shoots.
It seems like you are quite an 'arty' person, are there any other creative activities you enjoy in addition to photography and designing/making clothes?
I used to be really good at playing the guitar but then once I started doing art I completely dropped it. I discovered recently that I've forgotten pretty much everything I learned and I'm now quite terrible. I like making installation work, I think pretty much anything I can make with my hands, I enjoy.
Plans for 'Katie Crush' for the rest of 2010?
Crushtomized! Watch the website for details.

You can find the Katie Crush store on the third floor of Afflecks in Manchester. All the items are also available to buy on the web site: www.katiecrush.com - prices are from Ł12 for skirts, cushions around Ł10, dresses between Ł25 and Ł40 and scarves for Ł25. Check out the site for more info and photos.
Thanks to Katie Crush to taking the time to answer our questions in June 2010. Photo credits: Katie Crush by Emma Stone Photography, Zombie Bunny by Katie Crush and Laila K by Big Cheese Magazine.

Katie Crush Katie Crush clothing is a DIY label based in Manchester in the UK. The items are all individually handmade by Katie and completely unique. Her punk-rock ethos and emphasis on fun make the items stand out and are definitely a must buy for all those who want one-of-a-kind, yet affordable, items for their wardrobe. Push to Fire Editor Suzy Harrison caught up with Katie Crush in June to find out how she got into designing, why the DIY ethic is so important to her and how music and fashion will always be interlinked.
When did you first start making clothes? I started making clothes in 2005/2006. I didn't start out with the intention of making clothes to sell. I made a few items for myself, whatever I could think up, and then when I'd wear them in public I'd get people asking me where I'd bought them. So I started taking orders through MySpace and it snowballed from there really. Did you study textiles or art or are you self taught? I studied Fine Art, but I taught myself to use a sewing machine and make clothing. At Uni I mainly specialised in photography and installation-based artwork. A few people had tried to teach me to use a sewing machine but after breaking several machines in school I was told to give up. My mum used to make a lot of clothes and had a job making bridal wear for a long time, I never had any interest for her to teach me. I just woke up one day at 23 and could magically use a sewing machine. Was owning your own label/shop something you had always dreamt of? I didn't ever have any specific dream in mind when I was younger, except I wanted to be able to do whatever I wanted to do. And what I wanted to do seemed to change from week to week. At some point I do remember visiting Afflecks and thinking how cool it would be to own my own shop one day, selling stuff that I'd made. It seemed very unlikely to happen but I remember trying to imagine what it would look like and I definitely decorated the shop with that image in mind. It wasn't the only thing I ever wanted to do though, it was just something I thought would be fun. I also wanted to be an interior designer, a vet, a chef, a film director and all sorts of other things.
What gives you inspiration when you're designing your clothes, homeware and accessories? Some ideas are really easy; I was listening to Leftover Crack one day in the shop and "Rock the 40oz" came on and I just thought "Ooooh, I'm gonna make a 40oz beer shaped cushion....Ooooh and I'll do another with a massive anti-nazi sign on!" Other times were an accident, I misheard one of my friends in a club shouting in my ear "Zombie Bunny". I still can't remember what he was really saying to me, I was too busy imagining what a zombie bunny would look like. But my favorite ideas usually come from just brainstorming with a theme. Do you make all the clothes yourself or do you have people who help you make the items? I make everything myself. I work 6 days a week in the shop and every part of the design is done there. I'm strongly against the possibility of having items made in sweatshops, or sourced unfairly. So it seems that the brand very DIY and this is something very important for you? I'd say that my brand is totally and intentionally DIY. It's really important to me to try and keep everything as DIY as I possibly can. The reason I started out in the first place was because I was sick of mass produced clothing and rubbish trends. I don't think I'd have an interest in continuing with the brand if the items I made lost their unique handmade nature. Since opening the shop it has become clear to me that at some point, if I want to expand, I'm going to have to hire staff to help make products. But at the moment that's not something I'm ready to let out of my hands. Which is your most popular item (sale wise)? The Zombie Bunny dress is my most popular item. If someone had told me years ago that I'd make a living out of a black dress with a pink dead rabbit on it, I don't think I'd have believed them.
Which items do you most enjoy making? I most enjoy making the fox scarves. I think it's because it's the only 3D character based item that I make and it's fun to make something that looks like it's got it's own personality. And which ones are the most challenging to produce? The most challenging item to make it the Strummer dress. I can't make this with a hangover - lots of concentration is needed! Takes bloody ages too. Which designers/labels do you admire most and why? This seems like a stupid thing to say, but I'm not really interested in fashion. I'd call what I make anti fashion. I don't pay attention to trends or what other people are doing for no other reason than I'm not interested. I like Vivienne Westwood, but I don't think an explanation is needed for that one. There's a couple of people I'm aware of in Manchester who have DIY labels which I find interesting, Vampire Bunnies and Call Girl Clothing both make great handmade stuff. The shop is just over a year old (Jan 2010) - what did you do to celebrate? The birthday party was great. I went on the blag and got a lot of free wine, my friends brought cake and the amazing Chris Murray came to play an acoustic set in the shop before his gig at the Acadamy later that evening. It was great fun. What do you think you'll do to celebrate its 2nd birthday? Pot Noodle party! If I can get sponsored by Pot Noodle for the 2nd birthday I'll die happy.
Describe your style in three words. DIY, Anti-fashion awesomeness. Push to Fire is a webzine which is mainly focussed on music. How strong do you think that the link is between music and fashion? I think there is a strong link between music and fashion which has been evident since the 1920s. Jazz, Broadway, and Coco Chanel all mirrored one another in the '20s. Mod, Hippy, Punk and Hip-Hop fashion was all about the music. More recently, Jay-Z, Russell Simmons and Gwen Stefani, to name a few, created their own clothing lines/labels. Madonna modelled for Jean Paul Gaultier. I think music and fashion naturally influence each other and probably won't stop anytime soon.
So would you say that there is a strong link between the two in your life? There is a strong link between the two in my life. Music definitely influences my design ideas, in 2009 Laila from Sonic Boom Six was featured in Big Cheese Magazine wearing my dresses, there's talk of me creating some merchandise for 'Love Music Hate Racism' and I have a new music/fashion fusion project in the pipeline called 'Crushtomized', keep an eye on the website for details! That sounds pretty cool! We'll be sure to check it out. So which bands are your favourite? World/Inferno Friendship Society, Leftover Crack and Choking Victim, No Cash, NoFx, Descendents, Distillers, Hole, Smashing Pumpkins, Rancid, Dirty Revolution, SB6, Random Hand... I noticed that you have a photo MySpace as well as the shop MySpace. Is photography still a part of your life or has this become less important since the opening of the shop? Photography has definitely had to go on the backburner for a while. In 2006 I had some work featured by the Tate and I had a large piece of work displayed in a show at The Urbis gallery in Manchester. I enjoy photography and although I was having some success with my work I've decided to leave it until I'm a little older to pursue it again. Whenever I get an idea I write it down, I can always come back to it. Aside from not having the time to keep it up alongside the work I have to do for the label, after doing nothing but art since 1998 I really needed a break from it. I'm not a believer in 'art for art's sake'. So what kind of photos do you specialise in? I take portraits, everything pretty much revolves around culture, gender and identity. I'm inspired by artists like Cindy Sherman and Nan Goldin. Do you take the promotional photos of the items you make? I take some of them. The photos on the website were taken by John Clarke (Resurrect Studios.co.uk), he's a friend of mine and has a photography studio in Afflecks. I'm always on the look for new photographers to help out with fashion shoots. It seems like you are quite an 'arty' person, are there any other creative activities you enjoy in addition to photography and designing/making clothes? I used to be really good at playing the guitar but then once I started doing art I completely dropped it. I discovered recently that I've forgotten pretty much everything I learned and I'm now quite terrible. I like making installation work, I think pretty much anything I can make with my hands, I enjoy. Plans for 'Katie Crush' for the rest of 2010? Crushtomized! Watch the website for details.
You can find the Katie Crush store on the third floor of Afflecks in Manchester. All the items are also available to buy on the web site: www.katiecrush.com - prices are from Ł12 for skirts, cushions around Ł10, dresses between Ł25 and Ł40 and scarves for Ł25. Check out the site for more info and photos. Thanks to Katie Crush to taking the time to answer our questions in June 2010. Photo credits: Katie Crush by Emma Stone Photography, Zombie Bunny by Katie Crush and Laila K by Big Cheese Magazine.