Lens & Pens // Judith Pierce of RoseCut Clothing

In the new series Lens & Pens, New Commute meets the graphic artists, designers, photographers, and filmmakers that help develop the visual elements and identities for the songwriters and bands we admire.

Today we meet apparel designer Judith Pierce, owner of RoseCut Clothing whose custom western wear is worn by Kevin Morby, Ty Segall, Shannon Lay, The Growlers, and Post Malone.

How did you get into the apparel design business? Did you have classical training in the craft? Had chain stitching been an interest of yours initially?

I started taking sewing lessons around 3rd grade until middle school, which is where I learned the basics and how to read patterns. In high school I would make very questionable clothes for me and my friends out of old t-shirts, bedsheets, neckties, etc. Since middle school, everything I've learned has been through books and the internet.

I fell in love with Nudie suits a bit before I moved to LA and was on the hunt for a chainstitching machine but I didn't get one until about a year ago. I mostly do appliqué suits, which is another form of needlework similar to embroidery. It involves cutting out colored fabrics and layering them to create the design instead of it all being made of thread.

Who was your first music industry client? What kind of garment was created for them? 

The Ty Segall Band was my first music industry client. I made the outfits they wore on the Manipulator tour and did their makeup on that tour as well. Ty had a couple intergalactic themed outfits with metallic silver appliqué, Emily had velvet bodysuits and a jumpsuit with snakes and fringe, and I made Charles some custom western shirts with appliqué details. Mikal made his own outfit for that tour. I think it was the first appliqué job I did for anyone if I'm not mistaken!

Photo by Denée Segall

How is working with a band or musician client different than a client that isn’t in the music industry?

The process is pretty similar no matter what industry the client is in. We decide on a garment and then talk about ideas. The ideas can range from tarot cards to blacklight posters to specific states or even random objects like hammers or UFOs. Often musicians want something that has to do with their music so I'll listen to an album or reference the band art to tie it all together. In general I'd say musicians like wilder designs but it does vary piece to piece, since they're all custom.

It’s hard to discuss music industry apparel design without mentioning Nudie and Bobbie Cohn’s work in the 60s and 70s. Did their work influence you at all? What other designers have been impactful in shaping your artistic identity? 

Nudie is a HUGE influence, as are all the other chainstitchin', western wear makin' folks of that era. I think western wear is one of the most beautiful and interesting styles of clothing and incorporates all my favorite techniques, patterns and materials. It never gets old. But I have a lot of other designer influences as well outside the western world, like Elsa Schiaparelli, East West Musical Instruments, Moschino, Vivienne Westwood. I'm always drawn to the 'quirky' stuff...

RoseCut is inspired by vintage western wear, rock and roll and all things snakeskin. How are the rock and roll influences manifested and expressed in your work? 

Besides the fact that the stage costumes/style of so many musicians have influenced me (Keith, Bowie, Alice Cooper, Scary Spice, Exene to name a few) music has always been a huge part of my life. I've made jackets themed around a few of my favorite bands like Black Sabbath, Motorhead, and The Rolling Stones.

I love the idea of taking imagery from something like a song and creating an entire world with it on clothing. It's sorta my way of paying homage to these musicians that have had such a big impact on me. 

Photo by Chantal Anderson

Your client list includes Post Malone, Ty Segall, Shannon Lay, Kevin Morby, and more. How does the music of a client impact a design? Is the garment typically a collaborative piece or do you tend to maintain creative control of the project?

It really depends on the artist. For Post Malone I work with his stylist Cathy Hahn on the designs. They usually are centered around a theme, but the yellow suit we did was completely based on the album art for the “Rockstar” single. For the First Taste suit for Ty Segall we knew the colors of the album and that it would have the word Taste in the title so we decided to do a psychedelic strawberry theme  I scanned the appliqué into my computer and made a matching wallpaper so that the shoot would look even trippier. I listened to the album a lot when designing that one.

It's always a collaborative process and once I do an initial drawing the client often lets me run free and do whatever I think will look best which I'm grateful for. Luckily a lot of the musicians I work with are also friends - knowing someone's personality is so helpful when designing something for them.  

In what ways do you push yourself to continue creating interesting and unique pieces? How do you experiment as an apparel designer?

It's hard! I've been so busy this year and it hasn't left me a lot of time for experimenting which is something I have to do to keep my sanity. Fingers crossed 2020 gives me that time. I keep a running list of themes for suits I'd like to do or other pieces I'd like to make. I actually just finished a John Waters themed suit I'd been wanting to do so I got to cross something off the list today! I try to never do the same thing twice to keep it interesting. But I also am one of those people who wants to learn every technique -  I've begun chainstitching which is a challenge in itself and I practice a little every day and have been incorporating it in some of my suits alongside appliqué to mix up textures.

Kevin Morby is one of New Commute’s favorite songwriters working today and you’ve done multiple pieces for him. What was the process like developing the Oh My God, Crybaby, and other designs for him? What’s your favorite part about working with him?

Kevin is awesome and so fun to work with. The first thing I did for him was the clothing he wore on the City Music album cover (Skirts and sweaters with matching patches). He asked me to make a few things for him and we were already acquaintances so he picked me up and we went shopping in the garment district together for fabrics. After that I did a City Music blazer and two suits that were music note themed (a la Hank Williams). The Crybaby suit came next, which is my personal favorite.

He came to my studio and we started talking about ideas - all of a sudden he had the idea to make the theme based on his song “Crybaby,” which I immediately loved because it made me think of John Waters :) I had been on a cloud kick (I go through phases of imagery that I can't get enough of) and here presented the perfect opportunity for me to unleash rainclouds upon the masses. For the Oh My God album, he kept using the phrase “above the weather,” so that's the basis for those suits. He is so easy to get along with and receptive to all my ideas so working with him is a piece of cake! He just auctioned off one of the City Music suits for charity which I thought was really sweet.

What’s the most challenging part about your job? Conversely, what’s the most rewarding part about your work? 

The most challenging part of my job is trying to find the time to do everything I want to do, I need more hours in the day! But the best part is finishing a suit that I've spent days, possibly weeks making. To step back and look at that is a great feeling and sense of accomplishment. And then when the client gets it and I get to see their reaction, that's pretty rewarding too.

Photo by Denée Segall

Photo by Mason Poole

Visit RoseCut Clothing’s website to browse the full gallery of custom work, appliqué, and vintage textiles.