Hi my name is Odette Insoll.
I am the designer and creator of Nouvelle Habit.
However I cannot take full credit for the idea as this was given to me by a friend who asked me a simple question “can you make me a water proof riding skirt” to which I replied, “I don’t see why not…”And this was where it began.
My brain started ticking and this was when I realised that if I could figure out how to do this then not only could I make one for Selena but also one for myself. And if it worked for me then maybe other Riders who were fed up with getting cold and wet would want one too!
I began researching the history of riding skirts or Habits as their known and very quickly started dreaming up an idea of what I wanted mine to look like and most importantly what I needed to do to achieve this.
The first hurdle was how to transform my idea into a reality…
Trained as a traditional upholster, I was comfortable working with fabrics and a competent sewer but by no means would I call myself a seamstress.
I had good working knowledge of fabric applications and construction but little to no knowledge of making clothes or designing a garment from scratch.
My dream of a highly practical garment with an elegant line meant training. I had to commit as much time and energy to this as I could. I searched about and booked myself into numerous courses on sewing machine skills, pattern cutting, block making, the list goes on. Much like learning to ride, I was keen to tackle every skill that would bring my dream to life!