Getting to Know You : Cherry Rockette

Welcome to my new semi-regular feature called 'Getting to Know You...' (yes, as in the King and I).
Here I'll be sharing the stories about you, my readers, and hopefully getting to know you a little bit better. I feel so privileged to have met and built relationships with the most awesome and interesting people through my blog and shop, and I thought you might like to meet some of them too.

So today we'll be getting to know: Cherry Rockette
I discovered Cherry's blog and Clothing Label Furious Kingston after she left a comment on my blog a little while ago. I was fascinated by her distinctive style and methodical (yet still creative) design process. The way Cherry goes about producing the Furious Kingston clothing range is in total contrast to my haphazard style, and I always feel like her blog has something to teach me.
Cherry kindly shares sewing tutorials and behind the scenes insight into what's involved producing a range of clothing. I was lucky enough to meet Cherry in a flesh at a market event we were both stall holders at, and let me tell you, she is a Super Stylish gal!
If Furious Kingston isn't enough to keep Cherry busy, she also has an adorable little boy named Kingston, and just for fun skates in a Roller Derby league!

How did you stumble across My Poppet?

I think I saw a snippet in Frankie magazine a while ago and checked out the old B&M store, but then lost the link somewhere along the way. When kid independent found Furious Kingston through etsy mid last year I rediscovered poppet and bookmarked and added it to my rss reader straight away!

Tell us about yourself?

Just a girl in this world with a love of sewing and creating, a passion for thoughtful design and vintage loveliness. Oh and a total addiction to op shopping!

Tell us about your business Furious Kingston?

"Handsome boys clothing in dapper fabrics with a vintage hoodlum influence. Inspired by everything from thirties gangsters to Psychobilly, acid country and bare knuckle boxing. " Overall I try to design hip and funky clothing that boys from one to six want to wear, without resorting to cliché styles of robots and dinosaurs and skulls. Boys care about what they wear too, and they should be encouraged to dress well, as well as be allowed to climb and play in the clothes. Which is why I try to use fabrics with a bit of stretch and lots of knee patches!
Were you formally trained in the fashion industry?

Short answer: kinda. Ha ha. I studied an advance diploma of fashion design at Douglas mawson TAFE in Adelaide back in 1999-2001, but I left before finishing. I was eager to get some real world experience under my belt, so I have spent the last ten years in every role from retail sales through to buying and quality assurance. School of life!

What was your previous professional role?

I left the workforce on maternity leave from a role in quality assurance and offshore production management.

How are you using what you learnt there in your business now?

Management and business skills never go astray, and the care and respect of handmade, quality clothing gives my label an edge over so many cheaply, factory made others.

You have a pretty distinctive personal style, how did that come about?

I think I was just born this way! I have always had a sense of wanting to stand out from the crowd and be noticed. I am not a wallflower! I Tried a hundred different personalities on whilst I was young, and kept the elements that work for me. Raspberry hair suits my skin tone much better than my natural mousy strawberry blonde, and what girl doesn't look good in a cute swing dress and wedges?

Roller derby?

Roller derby was just a great outlet for me to be me. The adrenaline junkie, harder faster addict who revels in the spotlight and wearing ruffle butt panties with pigtails. There's not many places you an do that!

Why did you decide to start a blog?

I found Lara Cameron's blog Kirin notebook over the Christmas of 2005(I think?) and adored it. I remember thinking what a great idea to do when starting up, to just get your work out there and create and hopefully if I was good enough the design would speak for itself.

What do you most enjoy creating?

I hate getting stuck and forcing a design. If I have to force it, it clearly isn't working. But I adore something that resonates as I put it together. From the original spark of an idea through to a photo on Facebook, if I still feel the wow from it throughout, that's what I love.

Do you ever get a chance to make anything for yourself?

Rarely. Usually at the last minute. Hell I was sewing the last stitches on my wedding dress 30mins before walking down the aisle!

He He! Seems none of us sewing gals ever get to make anything for ourselves.
Thank You Cherry for letting all of us get to now you a little bit better...