Rebecca Cole, Sewing Producer on Channel 4's TV show Unique Boutique, reveals how the show empowered both herself and the participants...
Written by Michelle Rowley
Corsetry. Bridal gowns. Costumes for television. Rebecca Cole has sewn it all. In a fascinating career putting her sewing talents to great use both in front of and behind the camera, Becky found the team and atmosphere she needed to let her autistic strengths shine in her role as Sewing Producer on Channel 4’s groundbreaking series, Unique Boutique.
Anyone with a love of sewing will be excited by this newly-commissioned show set to be a powerful programme demonstrating how sewing skills can create clothing which empowers people and enables them to live more comfortably. At the Unique Boutique, a highly skilled team of expert designers and tailors hear from 12 individuals whose clothing needs have not been met by mainstream fashion for either physical, psychological, or financial reasons.
After hearing each contributor’s candid story, the team create a specially adapted outfit to match the individual’s taste and needs. Kate Thomas, a Commissioning Editor at Channel 4 describes the production as: “a joyous and moving series featuring a diverse range of personal stories and suitably diverse fashions. We hope the brilliant team, both in front of and behind the camera, will kick-start a real-world revolution in fashion for all bodies.” As the Sewing Producer of the series, Rebecca is a key member of this brilliant team of which the vast majority have a disability. As Becky says, “if you’re going to make a show challenging the fashion industry’s lack of inclusivity, you need to walk the walk as well as talk the talk.” Her sewing journey which has led her to this role is also one of self-discovery and self-acceptance, so fitting to the ethos of the show.
LEARNING CURVE
At the age of seven, armed with a secondhand copy of the Reader’s Digest Complete Guide to Sewing and a small electric mustard sewing machine bought at a car boot sale, Becky quickly taught herself how to sew clothes for her dolls. Her ability to learn a new skill quickly and to hyperfocus on a task aided Becky in going on to study for a Bachelor of Arts in Costume for the Performing Arts at the London College of Fashion. She’d chosen costume over fashion in part due to her obsession with corsetry, “if they just teach me how to make corsets, I’ll be happy,” she thought.
Thankfully she did learn the art of sewing corsets but also much more besides, including how to pattern cut period costumes and sew period pieces, such as crinolines, bustles
