Words: Tina Edward Gunawardhana
Creating furniture, fashion and art is a passion for designer Rochelle Fernando. A graduate of the Academy of Design and the Politenico Milan, Rochelle is also a Diploma holder in Art and Photography from the University of Fine Arts in Rome. She has been hard at work promoting her work overseas. Her art is sold on the Saatchi online gallery while her furniture and paintings are on display in a gallery in Copenhagen which is a mecca for creative design. This speaks volumes of Rochelle’s creative abilities. Currently Rochelle is working towards another exhibition to be held in Copenhagen while designing a new line of furniture for Urban Island.
What attracted you to a career in the creative industry ?
I am a firm believer that we are all born creative. As a child I always explored my own creativity. I hardly ever played with toys that were already man made. Instead I used to write short cartoon stories and was often lost in my own world of imagination. Furthermore, I was always motivated by a strong desire to make things by hand. So each day I moved a step closer to the creative industry.
As a designer you create art, furniture and fashion. What is your most favoured medium and why?
I don’t think it makes a lot of difference because I enjoy designing buildings as well as designing a simple bracelet. That cannot be quantified.
Whatever I create whether it be a tiny piece of jewellery to a piece of furniture to art or fashion, I enjoy the process of creating .
