An Interview With Rock ‘N’ Needle

After showcasing my modelling skills in the gorgeous Dare to Play jumper from Rock ‘N’ Needle. I decided I wanted to get to know the designer behind the brand. For this week’s spotlight I have Kelly Goss, the founder and designer of Rock ‘N’ Needle under the eh…needle!

Name: Kelly Goss

Company: Rock ‘n’ Needle

Contact details:
– Twitter: www.twitter.com/kelly_goss
– Facebook: ‘Rock ‘n’ Needle London‘
– Website: www.rocknneedle.com

What made you make the brand?

When I was a teenager I started attending the Clothes Show Live! in Birmingham and spent most weekends browsing the High Street. I loved the clothes but also saw a gap in the market for something a bit different. I wanted easy to wear designs with super cool prints on.

How did you get started?

When I was in school I wanted to take Textiles GCSE but was advised not to and wasn’t allowed to as I was so awful at the subject! Upon leaving school at the age of 16 I applied for a two year National Diploma at Swansea College and thankfully they accepted me. During my time there I studied pattern cutting and sewing however I had a strong desire to learn more about branding and the business side of things. I applied to the London Fashion Retail Academy where I was accepted on to the Level 3 Diploma in Fashion Retailing. During this time I started styling photo shoots in London and came up with the name ‘Rock ‘n’ Needle’. I worked in a few shops before quickly deciding to set up Rock ‘n’ Needle as a label. I received a small loan from The Princes Trust and started selling embroidered collections. In 2011 I changed the setup of the label to printed designs as I wanted to develop distribution and had more ideas for prints. I have been developing the label since.

 

Any brands you look up to?

Chanel – recently I started reading ‘Coco Chanel The Legend and the Life’ and it’s fascinating to read how the brand evolved in such harsh surroundings.

Anyone who inspires you?

Vivienne Westwood has always been an inspiration and I have a great admiration for Renzo Rosso of Diesel – people who have created global brands that have maintained their success inspire me greatly.

What is your stand out product?

The ‘London Took My Heart’ sweater is really popular! People have their own connotations of it which I think is cool.

Any words of wisdom for aspiring fashion brands?

Stay true to what you want your brand to portray and be vigilant with finances.

What is next for Rock and Needle?

I’ve recently signed to an agency for sales and PR in Switzerland and Germany which is quite exciting, build up distribution in more locations and I would like to secure more stockists in the UK. I’m looking forward to releasing the next collection too!

If anyone could wear Rock and Needle who would it be?

One thing that people mention is that the designs are quite versatile and that a wide variety of people can wear them. My customers are quite diverse!

Background
Rock ‘n’ Needle exhibited at London Clothes Show Live! in 2009 and 2010. The previous collection was stocked in various independent boutiques including Oak Jeans Essex and Ad Hoc Chelsea London. In 2010 Rock ‘n’ Needle was selected in Drapers Top 100 Rising Stars and their Next Generation Academy. Rock ‘n’ Needle launched a new collection in 2011 and exhibited at its first trade show, PURE Spirit in August. The collection has already received a fantastic response in its extremely short existence with a vast amount of features from fashion bloggers and magazines and is due to appear in Vogue magazine next month.

-Thanks to Kelly for taking the time to do this interview and check out the collection at Rock’N’Needle–