Nell Tercek is a knitwear apparel designer, who is featured in Roam Boulder’s Revelation Act Two. She weaves together leather, knit-work, and neutral colors to resemble a contrast of muscles and bones with the softness of skin. These qualities unveil themes of body standards and beauty in fashion. Nell studied fashion design at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York and at Politecnico di Milano in Italy, where her passion for knitwear flourished.
Tylyn King: What is your process of designing fashion and knitting?
Tercek: [The process] of developing the collection is my favorite part. First, you start with discovering inspiration, writing down words that inspire you, or looking at photos, or movies. Then sketching and taking notes. We were required to use journals and document all of this in a journal, which is my favorite part of this process. [We were] really trying to hone in on what those inspirations mean to me and how to depict that on a piece of clothing; identifying colors that are inspiring to me. Often, I find inspiration in nature, taking a hike and taking photos, or writing stuff down as I go. Once I’ve gathered my inspiration, I create a mood board, where I show all my inspiration and my thought process. From there, sketching different designs. It really is the best part because you’re discovering something new along the way.
King: I’ve noticed you often intertwine body image and positivity themes with your knitted designs. What inspires and moves you to create around these concepts?
Tercek: I’ve been in the fashion industry for so long, and this industry is built on unhealthy standards. Considering my own experience with eating disorders and body dysmorphia, I really wanted to challenge the norm and send a message that the beauty standards in the fashion industry should not be ideal because that’s something I grew up following.
King: Do any of your designs for the Roam Boulder’s Revelation include synchronicity between experimented materials and colors, as seen in your previous collection Leather?
Tercek: Yes, absolutely. This is an archive collection of mine from 2022, and it happens to fit well with the vision of Revelation. My theme for that collection originally was the contrast between muscle, bone, texture, and different body movements. That juxtaposition between body shape and texture allowed me to really expand my designs. It just happens to fit perfectly. I love conceptual design and conceptual fashion—having a full vision and storyline means a lot to me.
King: Do pattern, symmetry, shape, and color manifest in your designs at all?
Nell: Definitely. I like to work a lot with asymmetry. Silhouette and shape are my biggest elements [when working] with design. I experiment less with color, because I’m very honed in on neutral colors. With this particular collection, shape is important for demonstrating the different body shapes—the contract and release elements of the body. When I’m designing, my first thought is shape and silhouette, then secondly texture.
King: What about knitting and fashion design pulls you in or draws you to create?
Tercek: I love the idea of creating wearable art. I grew up styling myself for school every morning, spending hours and hours picking outfits. Self-expression through clothing is the most powerful form of self-expression. Having that opportunity to help others express themselves through clothing is important to me and sparks so much joy and inspiration in my body. The fashion industry has no limits. I’m constantly inspired by new things happening, and past things that have shaped the industry as a whole. You can’t go wrong with anything in the fashion industry. Although there are standards, people are trying to challenge themselves and step away. It’s endlessly evolving, and I want to be a part of [that].
King: What can aspiring designers learn from your art?
Tercek: Go with your gut and follow what feels right for you. Don’t follow the standards and norms of the fashion world. A huge imperative moment of my fashion career and learning in school was instead of trying to design for the industry where I knew I would fit in, I wanted to design outside of it. I don’t care about sales; I care more about sending a message. Secondly, it’s important to experiment along the way. It’s okay to make mistakes. Mistakes make or break a collection. Oftentimes, mistakes bring me to the best ideas I have ever had. It’s super important to be extra clear and confident with your process and your message. That also means becoming strong at illustrating, constructing, and creating mood boards. It’s important when being a designer, to understand the technical aspect of it—how is this garment going to sit on someone’s body, how are you going to take it off, is this too tight to fit around someone’s leg.
King: What was your biggest takeaway from Milan, Italy?
Tercek: I went to Milan to study fashion, and I did not even consider knitwear design. I was a regular sportswear apparel designer. Coming to Italy, the center of knitwear design, I discovered how incredible knitwear is. I visited a lot of manufacturing plants and different yarn retailers. Seeing it in person and being able to touch, feel, and experience where knitwear is coming from changed my view. I was so set before with normal ready-to-wear that I didn’t realize there were more niches you could fall into. Going to Italy, I was able to discover my niche.
King: How do fashion designs and attitudes differ in Italy vs. The United States?
Tercek: Italy is a lot more conservative, so a lot more clothing people wear daily happens to be more modest. It is delayed in terms of diversity with clothing. People wear the same thing every day. The US is a lot more experimental and less afraid to show their body because Italy is more of a historically religious country. Modesty is really important there. When I went to school in New York and then went to Italy two years later, my style changed drastically because I was exposed to less experimentation with everyday clothing and dressing. In Italy, construction and the technical aspects of fashion design are really focused on. People were wearing garments that were not out there but well-constructed. [In New York], people throw on some thrifted pieces that look amazing, but they are not as well constructed.
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