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For Diotima designer Rachel Scott, fashion has always been in her DNA.
When Scott was growing up, her mother ran a clothing boutique in Kingston, Jamaica.
“It was the ’80s and ’90s so the clothes were amazing. I played with my mom’s clothes and made clothes for my dolls,” Scott said.
Scott’s love and skill for clothing design expanded when he designed his own outfits for parties in high school.
“You don’t have the same access to shopping as you do when you grow up in America or Europe,” Scott says. “That wasn’t the case when I was growing up. The only way to have a new outfit every time you went out was to make something. That’s the way I did it.”
In the latest episode of The Who What Wear Podcast, Scott talks about his journey from graduating to working in Milan and launching his own label, Diotima, plus tips for transitioning your summer clothes into fall.
Scroll down for excerpts of their conversation.
I read that you were born in Kingston, Jamaica and spent most of your life working towards becoming a fashion designer. Can you talk about how you developed your relationship with fashion at a young age? What drew you to it and sparked this purpose?
I think there are a few. I think my mother would probably want me to say it was her, and to be honest, she had a clothing boutique in Kingston, so it probably was her. I don’t know, but it’s something I’ve always been a bit interested in.
It was the 80s and 90s, so the clothes were amazing. I would play with my mom’s clothes and make clothes for my dolls. I think I was in high school because I was looking for something to wear to a party. You can’t go shopping like you can when you grow up in America or Europe. That wasn’t the case when I was growing up. The only way to have a new outfit every time you went out was to make something. That’s the way I did it.
Then I got obsessed with fashion magazines and started scouring all the international magazines I could find in Jamaica, and I started thinking about how I could get closer to that.
I knew that if I wanted to do fashion, it wasn’t a field I could study or get into in Jamaica. I knew I needed to go overseas. And when I got overseas, I realized this was a really amazing opportunity. I needed to get as broad an education as possible.
So, it’s been a really long journey to get here.
When you left Jamaica to attend Colgate University, you studied fine arts and French literature. I’d love to hear about that and how that decision influenced your work.
I’ve always been obsessed with language and I think I really see fashion in the same way: the clothes we wear are like our vocabulary.
Education in Jamaica is great, especially when it comes to fields like medicine, law and business, so I knew if I was going to leave the country and pursue a career in fashion, it would be something very holistic; it’s very culturally relevant.
I wanted to get as broad an education as possible.
When I enrolled at Colgate University, I initially started studying Spanish because I had studied it in high school, but I quickly grew bored with it.
I thought: What can fashion do? French can do it, art can do it, and I love art.
While I was doing that, I was taking classes over the summers: one summer at Central Saint Martins, the next summer I did an internship at Vogue, and then I took night classes at FIT.
I just wanted to get the best education possible.
I love the styling of your shoots and presentations and am curious to see how you style them – do you have any tips for transitioning these very summery pieces into fall?
When it comes to styling, I have to say I’m very lucky to work with some amazing people. My stylist, Marika Ella Ames, I love her so much. I’ve worked with some amazing people.
Our understanding of seasons and seasonality is a bit weird and maybe no longer realistic, and, to be honest, not sustainable. I think we need to figure out how to dress all year round.
If you are crocheting, you can wear a crocheted dress and long boots. What is the difference between that and a bodycon dress you wear in the middle of winter?
I like to dress in layers depending on how comfortable I feel naked in clothes, it just depends on my mood.
I love layering a dress that you’re wearing with pants under a blazer, and I love pairing crochet with a suit, even if it’s not a crochet blazer.
I think the contrast is really beautiful.
I know you always find ways to incorporate Jamaican culture into your work, from the techniques you use to the pieces you create to the women you use in your photoshoots. With New York Fashion Week fast approaching, can you tell us anything about how your heritage is incorporated into your new collection? Can you give us a sneak peek?
There are definitely elements of Jamaican culture, but it feels out of context. It’s a little vague this time around. I don’t want to make it literal. I think it’s unnecessary and in general I’m not a big fan of nostalgia.
I think in my mind there are really interesting and beautiful cultural elements that always come to the forefront, and I get really excited about new developments that are a little more approachable in a way, as well as really inspiring material developments and silhouettes.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity. Watch our interview with celebrity hairstylist Scott King below:
