Designer Sketchbook

Inspiration Factor

These local stylists sound off on their go-to methods for their design process. Love of fashion steered them to where they are now – designing for Wilmington women and, for some, clients nationwide. 

CastlesCouture

Caroline Castles, creator of CastlesCouture, considers all things inspirational when it comes to design. Art, old or new movies, fabric and people are the many things Castles considers inspiring.

“I start with scribble drawings and a lot of lists,” Castles said. “Those develop into the sketching, which at last, turns to clothing.”

Castles said her personal style is always changing. 

“One day a little bohemian, one day punky,” she said. “Some people say I always look different: style, hair and makeup.  It’s all over the place.” 

RubyAssata

Alisha Payne has a day job but manages to find the time to produce leather bags and bowties through RUBYASSATA. Payne uses the theme of repetition in her sketches.

“I usually draw the same thing over and over until I get more ideas,” she said. “It just happens naturally. I don’t just sit down to draw a bag.” 

Payne uses more of a classic approach when designing bags.

“I want them to be something that you can have for six years and no one will know it,” Payne said.

For her own style, Payne goes for prints and patterns – vintage, classic and American. She loves pinks and purples – lots of colors, and steers clear from black.

He and Me

Kristin Wood, founder and designer of He and Me, reaches for magazines for inspiration when designing new pieces. Vogue, W, even Travel + Leisure and Architectural Digest are her favorites. Wood’s new Morse Code Couture line is a new jewelry concept she is excited about designing.

“When I am finished with one piece, I wear it all day, mainly to see everything I want to change about it, see what others have to say about it, and what I love about it so that I can continue in the right design direction.” Wood describes her style as contemporary bohemian.

Fabrics, textures, color and vintage fashion are what she aims for when designing new pieces. 

Beth Zink Jewelry

Beth Zink, founder and creator of Beth Zink Jewelry, finds gemstones and pearls her muse. She likes to look at gemstones first and get many of her gemstones from India.

Zink takes a look at upcoming colors and fashion details, and then uses sketches to start a new line.

Zink labels her style as elegant. She seeks to design elegant jewelry for the elegant woman. Zink also says the pieces she makes are “one or two of a kind, so a woman knows that she won’t see the same piece everywhere she goes.”