Rusty Cuts Clothing
She’s the hot tamale that’s been fusing a love of vintage sleaze and Americana with an insane skill of applique and construction. Cowboys and cowgirls, kick off your boots and lay down your rhinestones, it’s Judith aka RustyCuts Clothing…
For those people that having been living under a very bland rock for the last 10 years, can you give the uneducated a breakdown of how you got started and the nature of your work?
So, I’ve been sewing since I was a little kid, and started Rusty Cuts in 2009 selling vintage clothing and garments made out of vintage fabrics and textiles such as velvet paintings, bed sheets, tapestries, and tea towels. I started doing appliqué about 4 years ago, focusing more on making western style ‘rhinestone cowboy’ clothing. Slowly that has become what I mainly do, making a lot of stage wear for musicians and suits for special events.
Your embroideries and appliques are just off the chain, each an individual artwork in their own right. How long does it take for you to create such a piece and what does the process entail?
Thanks! How long it takes depends on the detail, but it takes me multiple days to do one suit. Just to make one appliqué, I have to draw a template on paper, then draw it onto an adhesive paper which I then iron to the color I want, cut out the shape, iron it onto the garment and then sew all the details in. Repeat that for every image you see on one suit. It’s a pretty time consuming process, and I usually end up changing things halfway through since I’m a perfectionist, ha! And then I handset all the rhinestones at the end so that takes up a good chunk of time…
What are the highs and lows of working in the creative industry and being your own boss?
I love being my own boss – I have the freedom to take time off when I need to and I don’t have to take orders from anyone, which is something I’m not very good at. But the downside is that you have no one to blame but yourself when things go wrong and I work way too much. The business side of things is very hard for me, and I’m learning as I go, but I’d much rather be just creating and not have to think about that stuff. Probably should hire someone, but that’s a whole other can of worms…
Do you think social media has been a help or a hindrance in regard to the work you create? Have you encountered much plagiarism from bigger brands?
It’s been a huge help for me. The whole reason my business is successful is from social media. But it’s a double-edged sword; the more people who see your stuff, the more likely it is that some of them will copy you. I have been really lucky and not had anything of mine directly ripped off (knock on wood) but I know a lot of people who have. I try not to spend too much of my time on there, it’s too addictive.
Why do you think there is such a huge interest in the current 1960s/70s Americana revival? Do you think it’s related to the current political climate right now in America?
I think it has more to do with the idea of custom clothing than political issues. Personalization is just really popular, everyone wants something nobody else has, and the whole embroidery/Americana/nudie suits is one avenue for that. And western wear is the best-looking clothing around, in my humble opinion.
If you could dress anyone (living or dead, fictional or real) who would you choose and what would you dress them in?
Wow, hard question! Impossible, really. I guess it would have to be David Bowie. I’m not really sure what I would put him in though. It would have to be the most special thing I ever could possibly dream up.
Your inspiration must be vast. Who would you say are your biggest influences and inspirations?
Definitely Nudie Cohn and all of the rhinestone cowboy suit makers. And then 70s glam rock, funk and punk musicians like Bowie, Alice Cooper, Parliament, Sly Stone, X, the list goes on…
What’s next for Rusty Cuts?
Lots of big projects coming this year, but I’m not allowed to say what they are! You’ll just have to be patient and wait and see…
