Today we’d like to introduce you to Rebecca Johnson.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
When I was growing up, my mother had a particular corrective phrase explicitly reserved for me. “OHHHHH… how ladylike,” usually followed by an eye roll.
Most people will agree that the term ladylike carries a righteous woman’s tone and comes with a checklist of appropriate dress and behaviors. I learned that there were many things “ladies” don’t do – ladies don’t talk too loudly, curse, or stay out too late. Ladies don’t voice their opinion that may “rock the boat.” Ladies don’t wear anything too low cut, revealing, short, sheer, etc.
I started questioning and comparing the ladylike rule set next to the appropriate societal regulations laid out for my brothers from a young age. As a result, my curiosity, sometimes anger about binary gender roles, has grown alongside my passion for helping people feel confident in the clothes they wear.
My mother-in-law taught me the basics of sewing and how to read a pattern, just enough that I was hooked on this creative medium. After that, I went to Mc College in Winnipeg, MB, Canada (my hometown), for fashion design. After graduating, my partner and I moved to California, started our immigration process, and launched Rebecca Rae Design Inc. in 2016.
Rebecca Rae Design Inc. aims to create conversation beyond the norm of politeness through textile art and clothing. Striving to make ethical gender-inclusive fashion that challenges not only the fast fashion paradigm but also the norms of binary fashion many of us know as “menswear” and “womenswear.”
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
What small business doesn’t have struggles?
It has not been a smooth road.
I am an immigrant with a grassroots self-funded fashion company.
I don’t create work that exploits people, hurts people, or blindly pollutes someone’s water and forests—trying to make my company more sustainable little by little. So, yes, struggles seem to happen when you have ethics and aren’t an asshole.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I design, pattern, source, and produce all samples/sometimes the exact garment you purchased. I am known for my textile prints that create conversation and specialize in adding details that you wouldn’t usually see in a small indie fashion company.
Clothes are produced both in-house and via responsible small-scale manufacturing. Rebecca Rae Design Inc. is rebelling against the idea of disposable design and creating seasonal collections. Continuing to do better for the planet and the humans who make and wear our garments, I believe that building layers that you can mix and match throughout the seasons/years are beneficial and a focal point at the core of every capsule collection.
I am proud of my newest collection *launching soon* it is wonderfully gender-inclusive and not a sweatsuit. Gender-inclusive, Body neutrality, and cultural representation are indispensable values at Rebecca Rae Design Inc.
What do you like and dislike about the city?
Although I currently live in NorCal and will be relocating to LA in the future, I do travel multiple times a year for markets, trade shows, and to visit family. I love the creative energy and diverse cultures of people.
I am from a small town and am people slow down to chat and get to know one another, and it feels like more of a community. The traffic in LA doesn’t bother me as much as feeling the loss of community.
Contact Info:
- Email: rebeccarae.j@gmail.com
- Website: https://rebeccaraeonline.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rebeccarae_j
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RebeccaRaeDesignInc
