Designer Rachel Scott (b. 1984, Jamaica) comes to fashion through language. Drawing on her background in French existentialism and post-structuralism, Scott’s interest in fashion began with an awareness of language’s connection to culture and creativity. In an effort to stay close to ‘the things themselves,’ Scott looked to fashion design as a moment of intellectual, aesthetic, and corporeal unity to be explored.

Having worked at all levels of the design process – from designer to executive to consultant – throughout her 16-year career, Scott brings vast technical and creative knowledge to DIOTIMA. Foundational experience acquired at Costume National in Italy and J. Mendel in New York laid the groundwork for an approach to fashion rooted in a reverence for craft, construction, and fine materials – and her design sensibility as a Jamaican grounds her work in the concrete intersection of the historical, political, and the aesthetic.

Founded in 2021, DIOTIMA offers a year-round and seasonally interchangeable wardrobe, which is designed and crafted between Jamaica and New York. Rooted in a reverence for savoir-faire, focus is placed on supporting and amplifying artisanal communities in Jamaica. All crochet, which the foundation of the collection, is made in Jamaica. Tailoring is crafted with Heritage Tweeds from the UK, as well as Tropical Wools and Basketweaves from top Italian mills. With an emphasis on craft, Scott aims to create a more expansive definition of luxury.