We recently gushed about how much we love the fall 2008 Safe Clothes collection by NYC-based underground icon Rebecca Turbow. Rebecca recently collaborated with graphic designer Kate Moross (who has designed for everyone from Topshop to Animal Collective) on a limited edition jacket. We caught up with her to find out more about her design process.

Tell us a little about yourself and your work. My line is called Safe by Rebecca Turbow and it's now almost 5 years old. It's mainly women's but I'm introducing some men's pieces for fall 2009. One of the things I am best known for is having mod inspired designs as well as a very monochramatic palette. The line was started by scratch in about 2003, but it has come along way since and I plan to have it turn into a large company some day.



How did you get started as a designer? I started out making clothing only for myself and my friends. When I moved to New York I started selling at stores and designing costumes for other artists and people in bands, a lot of whom went and got kinda famous on me! So now I'm just trying to catch up, haha.

What inspires your work? I have always been the most inspired by myself, only because the reason for making clothing was originally for me and no one else. I now love making clothing for other people, but I am the inspiration. I draw from other designers, old visions of the future, the 50's and 60's, nature, protective clothing, things to do with safety and protection, old-school stewardesses, traveling, Mondrian paintings, Miro, Gustaf Klimt.

Who are your favorite designers? Chanel, Balenciaga, Andre Correges, Hussein Chalayan, Surface to Air, Alexander Herchcovitch, Commes des Garcon, Jeremy Scott, Tata-Naka

What are your top fashion & beauty must-haves? For fall my top fashion haves are a nice wool swing coat, grey wool leggings and grey cotton tights, my heather grey cotton "safety in numbers" sweatshirt, my grey suede high heel boots and silver Sigerson Morisson flats. I'm into all kinds of beauty products... I actually use a lot of DDF, found at sephora (for problem skin) -- the benzoyle peroxide tee tree oil creme is amazing. I love this Hour Glass foundation powder I have, DuWop gray shades eyeshadow, my Malin+Goetz lip moisturizer... you need an everything balm good for winter (there is this L'Occitane one I have now). Also, my light grey Uslu Airlines nail polish from that store Honey in the Rough.

Any advice you would give to aspiring designers? Research everything as much as possible before jumping into anything.

Where can people find your work? My online store! www.safeclothes.net

Anything else? Stay Safe!

We love all of the amazing independent designers out there and we wanted to find out more about what makes these creative types tick. If you do too, check out more of our Indie Designer Interviews.