Chats with RUBY's Creative Director Deanna
We chatted to RUBY’s Creative Director Deanna Didovich about the inspiration behind their latest collection “Incandescent”, adding colour to your winter wardrobe and thinking outside the box during lockdown.
Can you tell us a bit about who’s behind the RUBY design & marketing team?
Our RUBY team is a really strong unit - a bit of a dream team to be honest! I’m so lucky to work alongside a group of women who are completely dedicated to the brand, and who are absolutely focused on achieving our goals.
I’m the Creative Director, along with General Manager Emily who designs our Liam collections, but the entire process is really collaborative alongside the rest of the team. We have design meetings often with marketing, who are instrumental in helping shape decisions on how the collections come together and are rolled out. It’s a really important part of the process because design is strongly influenced by marketing and vice-versa.
Where did the inspiration behind your latest collection come from?
I went to Europe last year and had a few days in Denmark. I was really intrigued learning about their way of living and wanted to try to capture a little bit of this.
The way they hunker down in the winter, spend time indoors with family, light candles, and their focus on slowing down, and ensuring they have a work/life balance.
This collection, Incandescent, couldn’t have come at a better time considering the new way of life we have been dealt over the last month.
What colours do RUBY love at the moment and how would you recommend brightening up a winter wardrobe?
Well quite simply, if you want to brighten up your winter wardrobe then add some colour! Colour is a fundamental obsession of mine. This season I’m particularly into the brights. Our knitwear is particularly where I looked to inject these colours, banana yellow, carnation pink, and bright melon all taking centre stage.
Which items are the must-have wardrobe essentials that RUBY has in stock at the moment?
Our Corvette Trousers have slowly but surely become a bit of a cult item among our customers. We have introduced a few new colours lately, and we have just introduced them in sunshine yellow. They are a combination of comfort and cool that are an absolute staple in our RUBY wardrobes.
Knitwear is a huge design focus of mine, and essential for the chilly months coming up. I really look after my knitwear so it lasts me winter after winter.
What do you think are must-haves in any wardrobe?
Essential items are pieces that stay in your wardrobe for years, and pieces that you wear constantly and replenish when the time comes. For me, it’s our Firebird and Hera pants in both black and cream, silk bias-cut slips, fresh sneakers, white t-shirts, colourful knitwear, and a handful of blazers and jackets in different cuts. A good selection of our signature Mirella cotton pieces are essential in my wardrobe also.
What will your team be doing while in lockdown and what are you doing to keep in touch with your Rubette's while everyone is in lockdown?
In lockdown, our team is focused on a new way of thinking and working. We are meeting virtually to keep in touch and implementing ideas that we have been considering for a while and now are in the position to put into action. To keep our spirits up, we have Zoom drinks every Thursday evening to catch-up on what everyone has been doing in isolation.
The most exciting thing that has launched in lockdown, is the introduction of our RUBY sewing class. We have spoken often about the idea of selling our beloved patterns online for people to sew at home. We love creating, and we wanted to be able to share this with our community.
