DESIGNER MAKERS
OUR STORY
CA.RA Designer Makers
CA.RA was formed in 2018 by Catherine Ruff and Rachel Appleby, both originally from North Norfolk and both graduates of Nottingham Trent University. The creative duo combine their degree skills of Fashion Design and Textile Design to create handmade products which are original, fun and contemporary.
RACHEL APPLEBY
Rachel studied Textile Design at Nottingham Trent University where she was able to push her creative skills and focus on the use of traditional printing techniques such as Lino printing for her final year project. Her passion for all things Art and Design comes from a very early age; always drawing, painting or taking photographs in the North Norfolk countryside. Her love of print, colour and pattern is integral to the CA.RA brand.
CATHERINE RUFF
Catherine studied Fashion Design at Nottingham Trent University after a lifetime of being interested in art, textiles and Fashion. She really developed her patterncutting skills, always trying out new things and pushing boundaries. In her final year she created a colourful collection inspired by the V&A exbibition about Pink Floyd. She experimented with a pattern cutting technique called Shingo Sato which creates interesting shapes that can then be sewn together to make a new piece of fabric.
Bright and bold colours paired with more subdued colours are a key feature within CA.RA designs and are something that Catherine always brings into her own work.