Naomi Rachèl Timan at FASHIONCLASH Festival 2016

Naomi Rachèl Timan is a Dutch designer, who is fascinated by; textiles, colours and shapes. With her work she loves to create sustainable alternatives. At FASHIONCLASH Festival 2016 she will showcase her “I was a ….” collection made from recycled leather, with huge pride. She graduated from BA in Fashion Design at HKU The University of the Arts Utrecht.

You can see and buy Naomi Rachèl Timan's work at Designer Market. Friday July 1 open at 18:30 and Saturday July 2 open at 16:00 (free entrance).

What challenges did you face during the design process? 
Because it depends on what kind of recycled leather I find or get from people, (think of what size, colour, suede or flat leather) I never know for sure what my newest collection will be like. This makes it more fun to me, as every collection will never be exactly the same.

What do you want to communicate with your designs in general? 
My designs can be defined as minimalistic. Because of the story behind the material, the shape can’t distract too much. Every design has no lining, so you can see the total beauty of the leather when opening a bag.


Can you tell us something about the project you will present at the FASHIONCLASH Festival? 
The “I was a ….” collection consists of unique pieces which are all handmade by me in my own atelier, located in The Hague NL. This collection came alive
after finding lots of old-fashion leather jackets at thrift stores and by stripping down the sofa of my boyfriends’ grandma. All this leather was still in good condition and it would have been a big waste throwing it away. So why not reuse it, give it a new life? I want to spread this message, think before you throw something away!

What does your collection try to communicate (what is it about)? 
My collection shows that design and sustainability go perfectly together and that you don’t have to compromise when designing with sustainable materials. When seeing the collection you don’t even realize it’s made from recycled materials. I think that’s amazing!

What can we expect from you at the festival? 
You can expect lots of amazing bags and accessories. They all have their own tag which says what it used to be: “I was a sofa”, “I was a jacket”.

Describe yourself in three words. 
Positive, storyteller, enthusiastic.

What is your bad habit? 
I love cookies, so I am a bit like cookie monster some times.

Are you a people's person or a loner? 
People’s person!

Do you have a pet? 
Yes, I have a very fluffy cat named Puk. Before I had my own studio space and was still working from my bedroom. She loved to play with the small left over fabrics that were lying around the house.


What is your price range? - How do you balance between the function of the items and the appearance of them? 
My prices go from €24,95 – €99,95. With this price range I hope to reach an as big as possible audience. For the balance between function and appearance, I ensure that all my products are functional as well as visually attractive. So they’re not inferior to each other.

For more information about Naomi: http://www.naomiracheltiman.com/