Cover image: Kate Mack at her rue Oberkampf boutique
© Entrée to Black Paris

Kate Mack is a Black French designer based in the Haut Marais in Paris' 11th arrondissement. She has cultivated a space that looks at clothes as a sculptural extension of the body. Since 2001, she has created countless “made to order” pieces that cultivate uniqueness and sustainability - a symbiosis of luxury and ethics that is rarely found in the fashion world.

Wells International Foundation intern Anisa Williams, who is a sophomore majoring in fashion design at Parsons Paris, interviewed Mack for African Diaspora Cultural Impact in Paris (ADCI Paris).  Find a synopsis of Part 1 of our exclusive interview below.

What does sustainability mean to you and your brand?

Sustainability for me is first and foremost a way of living, a lifestyle!

I’m putting an emphasis on this because lately a lot of people use the word loosely and look at it as some sort of trend.

Truth is, I was raised in a very modest household that taught me to make the most of what I have, treasure things and make them last. I saw my parents always investing in durable things, also operating in a "DIY" mentality.  Everything about my brand is intricately connected to who I am and what I believe in. 

I take a very intuitive and organic approach to sustainability in accordance with my holistic approach to life.  Extensive dialog over time with my people (I'm referring to "people" rather than "clients" to indicate the degree of intimacy that has been developed with most of them) has allowed me to calibrate my collections accordingly and feel what matters most to them.  I align my work with the people who come to me, the behavior and properties of the fabric that I use, and what I feel the market needs or is leaning toward.

In short, I center my work on the true nature of human beings - which, when it comes to fashion design, is the human body, its soul, and its personality.”

Kate Mack design - dress in linen and rami
Image courtesy of the designer

When it comes to production, I focus on the sound and effective use of resources.

I work with remnant stocks from the big fashion houses, and I "upcycle" and repurpose my production wastes.  Ninety-five percent (95%) of the fabrics I use are locally sourced or come from areas close to the production site or point of sale. (Only for unequaled quality or educational and awareness purposes would I derogate from the rule and feed an avoidable increase in carbon footprint.)

All of this translates to my brand as made to order/made on demand fashion with a concrete “no” to over production.

I create all-inclusive fashion, with 90% of designs made to measure to fit an actual body with all its diversity and match the personality of the wearer.

I constantly advocate for self awareness, mental health and consciousness, and I work almost exclusively with like minded people and entities.

My business will become part of the Beconomy label (a label equivalent to B Corp that concerns and gathers small businesses whereas B Corp gathers corporations) as soon as possible. B Corp and Beconomy list businesses that have environmental and social preoccupations and try to have or develop the most sustainable practices.

How do you think you approach design differently than other brands?

In many ways.

Altogether, I think I’m a UFO in the fashion world, except I’m not flying and am not an object!

More seriously, my personality and approach are very different to what people are used to or expect from a fashion designer.

For one, I’m selfless and humble and able to see what I design as a mere proposal, not science or a diktat.

From that stance, I open up to people and their needs readily without friction to my ego. I’m dedicated to transforming my designs to provide the best fit possible for the person, and I have the capacity to adapt to a person’s needs and way of expression. I have the will to tune into people‘s expectations as much as possible.

To be clear though, what I do is not really unique - it's more my understanding and choice to do and process things that are different.

I’m pragmatic and a free thinker, so I open up to things. I observe a lot and listen.

The way I approach design is mostly sensitive, intuitive and organic. As said before I put the person - the body - in the center of my creative process.

I don’t draw.  Rather, I visualize my designs or let them take shape in the making. I’m not keen on flat design at all, nor using fashion design applications. I believe in moulage (molding) instead - I like to work in 3D.

Typically I do moulage first, then work flat, then proceed to pattern. I may repeat the process after new fittings for corrections and adjustments to improve the cut, if necessary.

Illustration from wiki"How to Drape Fabric for Fashion Design"
CC BY-NC-SA 3.0

Outside of being empowering and liberating, proceeding organically in the design process is a great way to innovate. You get to be resourceful and imaginative and create something out of the blue, limited only by the behavior of the fabric you’re working with or the pieces you have in hand when upcycling.

Here's another way to look at this: 

Intuitive design is a "think-outside-the-box" method that allows you to tap into your inner resources (which you may not have known you had!) and let what comes through you flow out and guide you into realizing something unexpected.  When you’re forced to dig down into your capacity to adapt and humble yourself in front of the fabric or the body type you have to dress, you gain valuable knowledge and build an expertise that will improve your fashion design ideas and constructions.

Outside of having access to new technologies or textiles, I think this is a royal way to innovate because adaptation to circumstances is what gets you in tune with physical reality and resourcefulness and is the best way to get creative.  It’s this interactive position that makes the creative process more fluid, fruitful and pertinent as well as empowering.

I label my fashion designs as wearable art because handmade fashion and craftsmanship are art to me. Labeling textile designs as Art is a call to remind people that this is something that ultimately requires human skills and natural resources. Therefore it has to be valued, not consumed avidly and thrown away like nothing.

Wearable art dealer is how I consider myself and how I want people to view my work as well as the work of the other artisan designers that I showcase.

Kate Mack cowl design
© Entrée to Black Paris

Kate Mack cowl design
Image courtesy of the designer

From the beginning, I chose to develop my brand as a handmade bespoke fashion line to ultimately help people express their difference. I offer value-added services most people shy away from in order to propose fashions that respond to a person globally (figure and personality, religious habits, etc.).  Importantly, I decided to offer this Made4You service at no extravagant cost.

For more impact, I made a deliberate choice to exclusively provide wearable designs that respond to any “problem” women have. I view dressing as a strategic game you play to enhance what you like about yourself and hide or tune out what you dislike.  It is an asset that allows you to express your true self - who you are and how you feel.

When you think about the fact that happy people interact better with others, that's something you want to participate in. The motto attached to my brand since Day One is “Be yourself, nobody else!” I want people to value, embrace and celebrate their uniqueness as if their happiness depends on it!

Truth is, it does!

Come back next week for Part 2 of "Fashion Designer Kate Mack - Up Close and Personal"!

Kate Mack
15, rue Oberkampf
75011 Paris
Hours: Tuesday through Saturday 12 PM-2 PM; 3 PM-8 PM
Metro: Oberkampf (Lines 5 and 9) or Filles du Calvaire (Line 8)