Trudy Mayers: Enjoying the Freedom to Design
Patrons who attended this year’s Kingdom Arts Fashion and Visual Arts Gala saw a stunning display of elegant fashion from Trudy Mayers. If you were viewing her work for the first time, you wouldn’t be faulted for thinking that formal wear was her speciality.
Click here to read my review of the fashion show!
However, as I discovered when I chatted with her during intermission, she doesn’t put herself in a box. She designs everything from swimwear and casual wear to formalwear and bridal gowns under the brand Chudi Creations.
And while she has been designing for about four years, it was the first time she sent a collection down a runway. For the collection entitled Sang Lave, meaning blood-washed, Trudy chose a palette of red, black, white and gold to portray the relationship between Christians and Christ.
Trudy is a self-taught designer.
“I just started making clothes, what you would consider just making for anybody and everybody. But then there are some people that when they’re going out just want unique things so that’s where the designing came in. My base is art so then I paired the two,” she says.
Trudy says the thing she enjoys most about designing is the freedom it gives her.
“It’s different to if somebody comes and says I just want an off-the-shoulder shirt. . .. When you’re designing now, you can put yourself into it. You could just think of so many other things … the sky’s the limit,” Trudy says.
Despite her love for creation, Trudy acknowledged that fashion design and production can be costly.
“To put out something that is really nice you have to invest in the quality materials,” she said, adding that you also have to find ways to market their work.
The journey to completing her first collection was also challenging.
“Some days I knew my hair grew! You start off with the sketches and think “this is what I’m going to do.” Then, when you go and select the material, you realise it won’t work with the design that you have created so it’s a lot of shifting and that is where patience comes in.
Trudy said the knowledge that you’re “placing yourself out there for people to critique you” can also play on a designer’s mind.
“It is stressful a bit, but it is also challenging and also exciting at the same time,” she said.
As for the future of Chudi Creations, Trudy said she was leaving it up to God.
“I’m just taking it how God intends it to go and where he places me, I believe that’s the direction I’m going in,” she tells InMyWardrobe.
Keep up with Trudy and Chudi Creations on her Instagram page and check out some of my previous the other fashion creatives
