Babesta Beat AW 2017

RASPBERRY PLUM chatting with

ODB teer , 18588, $38; Straight outta Portland tee , 30911, $32.

STUPENDOUSLY SURREAL, THE MADE-IN SERBIA, DESIGNED-IN-LONDON BRAND ALWAYS MAKES A STATEMENT.

at the University of Monterrey in Mexico. It was a great experience, but I wanted to design and not teach at such a young age. After, I got a job working for Zara Home, which taught me a lot in terms of skills but also it taught me how not to manage people. Happy workers are productive workers. I swore to myself after that I would never again work full time for another company. It is always difficult to incorporate a few different skills when working for other companies and I tend to get bored very easily. Having my own collection lets me incorporate all my skills: pattern cutting, print, embroidery and business.” ON MANUFACTURING IN SERBIA “I knew that Serbia used to have a very strong textile industry which largely shut down during the trade sanctions in the 90s, leaving a lot of skilled workers unemployed. I wanted to do all I could to promote Serbian manufacturers. So, RaspberryPlum was born. We have our own small manufacturing facility in Kraljevo, Serbia and we also hire other local manufacturers to do our sewing. We work with a small family owned business near Belgrade to produce our socks and tights.”

E ver artful , A leksandra Matthews’ innovative (even surreal at times) line of children’s fashions pushes the boundaries of color, shape and fantasy, and is always ripe for a photo op. While RaspberryPlum is designed in the UK, it’s made in Serbia. The brand name is a nod to the designers’ native country: “Serbia is one of the largest exporters of raspberries and plums in the world and the majority of our collection is produced there,” she says. We were able to catch up with Matthews and learn more about this artisanal brand that’s inspired by the London art scene and designed using traditional crafts techniques. MATTHEWS’ BACKGROUND “I have a master’s degree in printed textiles from The Royal College of Art in London and a BA from University of Westminster London. I started out my working life in education. My first job after my MA was teaching and writing the curriculum for BA Fashion and Textiles

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babesta beat autumn/winter 2017