Judith Rothman-Pierce

Founder of the incredible brand RoseCut Clothing, Judith Rothman-Pierce has created stage outfits for artists ranging from Post Malone and Kevin Morby, to acts such as Midland and Boy Genius. From exquisite appliqué to custom designed textiles, Judith does a little bit of everything. With her incredible work ethic and remarkable eye, Judith’s sparkling creativity shines brightly. I especially appreciate her words on failure: “Everything I do is a bit of an experiment since I try to never do the same thing twice.  So there's all kinds of 'failures' that happen there, but it's all just a long learning process.”

How would you describe what you do? 

I like to call myself a professional clothing decorator but I do a whole lot of other stuff too.  I design and sew clothing, do appliqué, chainstitch embroidery, rhinestoning, painting on clothes, and probably other things too that I'm forgetting at the moment. And I also run my entire business, I don't have any employees.

How do you deal with the continual ebb and flow of “success” as a creative person?

The internet has made 'success' an interesting concept, I feel like for a while I was constantly comparing myself to other people which is a horrible habit to get into.  Now, I try to define my success by making things that I'm personally proud of, pushing myself to be better at what I do, and not necessarily taking other people's opinions of my own success as being as important.

When is a time you felt really successful? Or a time you felt like you failed?

Everything I do is a bit of an experiment since I try to never do the same thing twice.  So there's all kinds of 'failures' that happen there, but it's all just a long learning process.  I can't tell you how many suits I've totally ruined with some idea that just didn't pan out.

What is your biggest struggle as a person in creative industry?

Managing my time, I'm not good at it and LOVE procrastinating! Also, trying to always be coming up with new ideas.  Sometimes they're just not there which makes it hard to work/make new things.

What is your daily routine? Your weekend routine?

I usually work 6 days a week.  I don't particularly have a routine since I do SO many different things.  Always starts with coffee though.  Usually I start by answering emails, but then after that it's always different.  Could be sketching a suit, designing templates, cutting out appliqué, practicing chain stitching, making a pair of overalls, sourcing fabrics, packaging orders...the list goes on....forever.  

How do you motivate yourself to actually get things done and/or maintain some level of productivity? 

I'm definitely a workaholic.  So even if I'm not working on an order, my procrastination usually involves making a personal project that I'm really excited about.  My studio and bedroom used to be one and the same and I never took breaks, so they're separate now :) Plus rush orders and deadlines force me to get things done.  There's simply no way around it!

How do you manage the stress/anxiety that’s inevitable with putting yourself out there?

That doesn't really bother me anymore!  People either like it or don't.  There's nothing I can do about that so I've let go of trying to please everyone, it's impossible.

How do you know when it’s time to rest?

What's rest?  HA HA

Do you collaborate, and if so, what’s your collaborative process like? 

I've done a bunch of collabs but I mostly collaborate with my friend Tati Compton. We've designed about 5 fabrics together.  We usually organically think of ideas when hanging out.  We usually think of one article of clothing we definitely want to make and then make other things that go along with it.  

What’s your big dream? Do you have one? How do you set goals/set yourself up to achieve?

I actually don't really do much future planning for my business.  The way I see it is I have my dream job right now.  I literally get to decorate clothes all day with things I like.  I get to make people's dream wedding suits or insane stage costumes or recreate some vintage piece I love.  Every day is still so fun for me and I'm going to keep doing it as long as I can or until it's not fun anymore.  Then I'll figure something else out.

For more of Judith follow Rose Cut Clothing on Instagram or check out the online shop

This interview was conducted on May 9th, 2020