Andrea Reynders of St. Charles sculpts career in fashion design

After Andrea Reynders of St. Charles took early retirement from chairing the department of fashion design at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, she found the time to build a clothing line, now carried exclusively by Sandra Webster in Geneva. Her creative career extends from being a visiting artist at the Royal College of Art in London to consulting with art and design schools across the country on developing new fashion studies programs. She and her architect husband, Hennie Reynders, co-teach a design course annually at the SAIC, and have both been involved with the St. Charles Arts Council, including plans for a fashion-themed "neXt gallery" pop-up exhibition this year.

What does your line focus on?
I'm producing … one-of-a-kind or small edition clothing. I have been designing my whole adult life.

You hardly sound retired.
People say retire. I say rewire. If you're a creative person, it never leaves you. It's not something you leave at the office and lock the door.

What will people find at Sandra Webster?
A fine line of coats. I love to work with natural fabrics. They'll be looking at a lot of natural woolens at the moment. I also love the idea of repurposing woolens and cashmere. … I take really good woolen blankets, wash them, soften them, clean them up and make them beautiful and give them a whole new use and life again. I hunt around for … really good cashmere sweaters. I will launder them and take them apart and recut them and put them into new designs. I truly believe if you have a (well) produced garment and it's made out of a very good fabric, you could have that garment for many, many years — if it has a good sense of design to it. It's all about style. I'm not a a trend designer. I'm (aware) of what's in fashion in the moment, (but) I tend to design something simple and architectural in shape (and) ways of manipulating the garment itself.

Share an example.
(My) flip coat … is a two-way coat made in a high-tech fiber, a well-made synthetic. You can fold them up into an envelope size. There are two ways of wearing them: One way is a shorter coat (with) two deep pockets and a very full collar that you can make a hood. If you take that coat and turn it upside down, it becomes a longer coat. It's a trick in design. It still has pockets that are usable.

You create garments conducive for travelers.
I like to eliminate carrying handbags or purses. I like to build in a lot of pockets. (And) I like to hide pockets in places one wouldn't expect to look for them, (where) you can keep valuables, a passport, extra money. (I pick) fabrics that are … wash and wear, and pack up really small.

You've been sharing fashion advice with the St. Charles Singers ensemble.
I've done a lot of costume (work) in my career … for film and theater and advertising. I'm very aware of people's reaction to what you're looking at. I'm very interested in all aspects of design and living, and how we can make our lives beautiful, but functional at the same time, so it's a pleasure to be alive.

Find her clothing line

What: Women's garments from the Andrea Reynders label are carried at Sandra Webster. Reynders also designs shirts and custom items for men

Where: Sandra Webster, 209 W. State St., Geneva, 630-208-9434

Contact: www.andreareynders.com, www.sandrawebster.com