the nogoodforme.com interview: Tara of SWANclothing

We've already told you how much we adore SWANclothing's line of one-of-a-kind, thrifted/vintage-fabric frocks and totes and tees. Now, designer Tara Bethune-Leamen speaks for herself about "haute craft bling," greening your wardrobe, and her newfound bunny fixation. After you've learned of the special space that Yoko Ono and Flavor Flav share in Tara's heart, get yourself to her summer sale and score 30 percent off all of her irresistibly pretty sundresses.

Tell us all about how you started your label. I used to be a model when I was a teenager and then got into video/film work, behind the camera. I really burnt out on it and came back to fashion - I needed to work with my hands and explore beauty again. So first I did some neon images on t-shirts, really aggressive imagery: piles of diamond rings, the Concorde blowing up, razor blades, rainbows and unmentionable stuff. They weren't very easy to wear.

Since [learning the business of selling vintage online] SWANclothing has changed. I started making totes and sundresses from vintage and thrifted fabrics. It's all handmade by me, sold in my Etsy SWANclothing store and in the SWAN Boutique on my blog. The SWAN style got gentler and super-feminine, but there is always something unusual about each item. I play with scale with the totes or add little details on the dresses that mass-produced items won't give you, like extra-long shoulder straps on the sundresses. Little indulgent luxuries. But the totes still have names like Big Bruiser and Louche, which retain a bit of the aggressiveness and decadence of the original t-shirts.

Basically it's me working from home, taking it day by day, exploring what I love and figuring out how to make it work. I'm moving towards incorporating handprinting on t-shirts and totes, and selling in boutiques again.

What was your original vision for SWANclothing? SWAN transforms with me. I have a lot of styles that I like and rotate and combine in my personal wardrobe: 60s/70s/80s/90s vintage, avant garde, preppy, craft/handmade, haute couture, mall princess, hip-hop, nerdy, rock, androgynous, feminine and on and on. So I'll let SWAN meander through them as I feel like it.

I do limit myself to what I can make within the values of the company: a high level of quality with as much sustainable and environmental consideration as possible. I want to prove that you can dress beautifully without wrecking the planet or your credit rating. As in, own less but own sustainable, high-quality and timeless items.

When I say "timeless," I don't mean "timeless elegance" - that is not my thing. I mean items that combine types of classic styles - like classic conservative and classic hip-hop, for example. Making them somewhat unplaceable and contradictory in their style references. Like, my summer 2007 dresses are a very classic and simple sundress style, but I played with the scale of the florals, making them bolder and modern. And I always imagine them on a girl covered in tattoos. I love that, pretty things on tattooed girls. For the fall 2007 items, I want to bring back some bling, some pop and more animal imagery to the line (bunnies!!!). I am thinking in terms of "haute craft bling."

Who are some of your favorite fashion designers? Marc Jacobs, Heatherete, LaCoste, Alexander McQueen, Willi Smith...those would be some of "the big names," but there are so many independent designers and "makers" or "crafters" doing beautiful unique things these days. I would say if you haven't checked out Etsy you should, or any of the numerous craft fairs this summer, or boutiques that focus on these handmade items.

Who are your style idols? For a while now I've been a fan of Susie Bubble of Style Bubble - her daily fashion serendipity makes me happy. And a whole bunch of girls and boys in the wardrobe_remix group on Flickr: real people being themselves, wearing whatever makes them happy. And I just saw an old film by Godard called Weekend that is amazing for 60s fashion: a lot of conservative pieces, then clashing and vibrant mod pieces. I have so many individual style idols that the list just gets weird - from Catherine Deneuve to Patti Smith to Yoko Ono to Flavor Flav.

Whose closet would you most like to raid? Mmm...Right now, some preppy kid from the 80s who loved bright, almost acid colours. And anyone with a selection of fitted vintage trench coats. I think I have a trenchcoat fetish. Oh, and Carine Roitfeld, the editor of French Vogue. That woman just wins, hands-down.

What's your favorite outfit lately? I have an acid-wash denim circle skirt with huge pockets and a very tight, high, scalloped waist. I wear it with a double-wrapped, super-skinny tan belt; a tucked-in, clingy, slouchy white t; some yellow flats; and big gold hoop heart-shaped earrings. And I wear my hair kind of dainty and tight, like in a tucked-in French braid. It's overall pretty elegant. The skirt is unreal.

Who are your favorite bands? That's another eclectic list. Here are some: Justice, Au Revoir Simone, Junior Boys, A.R.E. Weapons, Gogol Bordello, CocoRosie, Dandiwind, Les Sparkling Bubbles, Goldfrapp, Meatloaf, Uffie, Klaus Nomi, Architecture in Helsinki, Laurie Anderson, Captain Beefheart, Feist, Rammstein, AC/DC, Dolly Parton, Led Zeppelin, Marlene Dietrich, Crystal Castles, The Teenagers, CircleSquare, Peaches.

What music do you like to listen to when primping? Any of the above, excluding dreamy stuff.

Name one record you loved when you were a little kid that you still listen to today. Queen, The Game. The track would be "Another One Bites the Dust."

Favorite makeout music? Right now I like "Office Boy" by Architecture in Helsinki. It just sounds happy and saucy.

Who's your number-one all-time music crush? Well, at the moment it's Eugene Hutz of Gogol Bordello. And Uffie is very cute. I'm not so good with all-time favourites.

What are some of your favorite clothing shops (around your town or in the whole wide world)? Thrift stores & markets anywhere in the world - I can vouch for Tokyo, Paris, Montreal, Toronto, Vancouver, Barcelona. And vintage on eBay. And I like basics from American Apparel and APC. But I rarely buy new things.

Any advice for girls/boys out there dreaming of launching their own label? It's just a lot of work, focus, and involvement. Like, really pay attention to what people are saying back to you when you put it out there. Interact. The Internet is so incredible to reach likeminded people. You don't have to "sell"; you just need to find your people.

I'm really still finding my way. My company is very small and growing and I'm working on the answers.

What's your favorite thing about running SWANclothing? I am still shocked that I get to do what I want. It's a deeply pleasant surprise. And I get to make myself awesome totes.

What are your biggest inspirations? Serendipity. Chancing upon great fabric to work with through thrifting. That's where my new bunny phase started. And endless imagery from everywhere - I collect images and always have. I pour over magazines, the Internet, Flickr, the library, movies. I just consume imagery. And I love "now," where we are in our culture and how it's reflecting in pop culture. Just the blender of it all, how fast the ideas are moving and feeding off each other. And how it doesn't make any sense anymore. That's an interesting freedom.

Posted by Liz in Interviews
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