Ruby
Sanlam Fashion Week April 2009
Designer: Robyn Lidsky
Label: Ruby
Est. Date: 2002
Academic & Design Training:
Bachelor of Arts & Masters – Political Science: University of Cape Town
Pattern-making: London School of Fashion, London.
Brief Biography:
Ruby was founded in 2002 in response to South African women looking for fashion-forward lingerie .Integral to the brand vision is the desire to contribute to alleviating the plight of the many woman, single-headed households in Khayelitsha, Cape Town through job creation, particular by incorporating hand-beaded jewelry into the range, a vision derived from a master’s thesis in Political Science on the use of beadwork as a sustainable model for job creation in South Africa.
This framework has provided a highly successful business model for Ruby, and the many households that benefit from the beadwork project over the past seven years. A milestone achieved was the purchase of a house in Macassar, Khayelitsha for Andita Shaweni, a senior Ruby staffer who also supervises the Ruby beading project and which now serves as a home for this project.
The Ruby collections have been an annual highlight at Sanlam SA Fashion Week since 2002 and has also exhibited at various international trade shows, including the ASAP Global Sourcing, the Pool and Magic trade shows in Las Vegas, US and in 2005, started exporting to Japan, Australia, Canada and the US. It was invited to show as part of Runway Africa – an exclusive showcase of seven designers from the continent, held at the French Embassy in Washington D.C.
In 2007 Men United™, a men’s underwear range was launched in partnership with David Gimpel, followed by the introduction of Stiletto, a sexy underwear line featuring distinctive hand-beaded detail.
Other highlights include being the finale designer for Tyra Banks’ widely broadcasted show, America’s Next Top Model and being featured on F-TV International, and in international publications such as Wallpaper, US Elle, Nylon Japan and Australian Vogue.
Summer 2009/10
What is the challenge to the fashion industry, to the Ruby collection, at a critical time like this on a writhing, warming planet? I believe that as a designer, I can contribute to enabling people to wear the change they want to see in the world.
And to give thanks to the cosmos for giving us this beautiful planet to love, cherish and honour.
“The world is too much with us; late and soon,
Getting and spending, we lay waste our powers:
Little we see in Nature that is ours;
We have given our hearts away, a sordid boon!
The Sea that bares her bosom to the moon;
The winds that will be howling at all hours,
And are up-gathered now like sleeping flowers;
For this, for everything, we are out of tune”
(From Sonnet No. 18). – William Wordsworth
Key Words:
Ruby Red Dorothy shoes
Cosmic grunge – recycled, mis-matched, psychedelic, neon.
Art nouveau peacocks, conch shells, sea horses, mushrooms.
Baroque florals
Textured, flocked laces.
Retail:
YDE and independent retailers and boutiques nation-wide.
Website:
www.ruby.co.za
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