We're the
rice rafferty girls - aka the
real Gilmore Girls. We're not the typical mother/daughter we even share the same names. My middle name is my mothers maiden name hence we share the names
rice & rafferty. Since neither of us have a sister, we're best friends and actually enjoy hanging out together (i thought this was normal ). While each of has our own friends we share; inside jokes, love watching foreign and old movies together, attend concerts, cook, garden, work on our designs, and doing our own photo shoots.
We share cross generational information. Mom took me to see Cyndi Lauper, Leon Russell &
Mikhail Baryshnikov. Last week I took my mom to an Ingrid
Michaelson concert to meet up with my friends and tonight we're going to see Rusted Root (to support our Pittsburgh roots, go pittsburgh)!
We even went to colleges together (sort of). When I was looking at art colleges my mom decided she had unfinished business. The same day I started at University at Buffalo, my mom entered classes at Buffalo State College (
yay Cindi Sherman). We joked that day from
Romey and Michele's High School Reunion, " If this doesn't work out, you want to fold scarves?" It actually worked out really well because we would share information, critiqued each others work, and share supplies. My university education was more conceptual and her college program was stronger with craft and technique. Together we were able to fill in the gaps everyone finds in their education. This is when our serious art camp began.
My silk screening class projects were heavily influenced by my mother's fiber background. While the professor had all of his students printing on paper, I was off silk screening on t-shirts, up cycled denim skirts and even created fabric made into a bras to ward off breast cancer. My mother taught me to make handmade paper which I silk screened my
designs then built into lamps for my Senior BFA Thesis Project. Graphic design became more interesting when I combined fiber elements - embroidery in books, binding handmade books, and scanning in interesting textures.
After graduation I began working graphic design jobs while my mother taught classes for her college program. Working full time jobs left less time to make handmade items at first, but I quickly learned I'm a maker and it makes me happy. My mother kept designing her devore scarves, dyeing them, and burning out the designs. I would assist her with it the process and soon we began a partnership that keeps building. I design the business cards, labels, websites, work on trend research, and the jewelry. She keeps making new garments, statement necklaces and devore scarves.
Always hungry for knowledge, mother moved to Savannah to attend
Savannah College of Art and Design masters fiber program while I stayed in Buffalo working as a designer. We were miserable apart. I kept researching about textile and accessory businesses while she was gathering information @ SCAD. Last June she returned home. Full of ideas and armed with more knowledge we started working on more projects together and that is how
rice rafferty was born. We
specialize in making one of a kind accessories items; statement necklaces, devore scarves, silk scarves, copper jewelry, hair accessories, aprons and tutus. Visit our website
www.ricerafferty.com to learn more about us and see our designs!
