Between the seems- first stitch till now
My career of designing for others was
first inspired by my tooth faery Mira Bell. I would spend hours creating
intricate garments for her placing with my freshly loosened tooth
beneath my childhood pillow. Of course high school crept upon me and the
task of creating the Me proved impossible with the current fashion- so
out came the scissors thrifted clothes and a cast iron Singer Sewing
machine no one but me could figure out.
At the age of 16 I quickly understood my breed of human was not made for public schools and I began fostering my true creativity at an amazing drop-in for street involved youth in my urban home-metropolis Toronto. They had an "all you can create" buffet of artistic tools. Their sewing studio became my new inspirational home. With all the fabric, notions, industrial machines, sergers etc.. I finally the resources I needed to thrive.
The wind of change caught me and my nomadic life took flight. Sewing became a distant sweet memory, unless it was patching up falling apart garments or sewing on bells. Until a day arrived that I found myself in the beautiful Big Island of Hawaii. Slowly friends shared their coveted machines with me and my new line WHYMZ was born. One dayI was handed over a sewing machine and being told 'you must sew'. I was then living in a community of 30 plus wild travelers, musicians and bare-footed folk in the jungle oasis by the ocean. Our minimal solar power system could barely do more then give us flickering lights at night, so the idea of sewing was almost impossible.
At that point I had a collection of WHYMZ hats I had created and a massive home made bamboo hat rack- which I would carry on my back 2 miles and stick out my thumb praying for a ride to the farmers market (S.P.A.C.E) before the booths filled. One day I sewed a pair of paints with an inverter attached to a friends truck battery. I had a breaking point with the universe..... THIS HAS TO CHANGE! I NEED A STUDIO ! I NEED POWER !
That was the best request I ever made and within the next week I was living in the wild and colourful community on the mountain with a full- artist in residence scholarship and a growing studio. Two months later Whymz was beginning to blossom. I had enough new clients from the market that I was creating commission pieces. I was able to rent a whole room for my craft and host weekly Open Studio where all walks could get their sew on. I had to keep turning away sewing machines people wanted me to have- because 5 was plenty!
Life continued beautifully, I married my beloved and birthed an amazing daughter. This catalyzed my business's complete identity change and Star Skins Apparel was born!
At the age of 16 I quickly understood my breed of human was not made for public schools and I began fostering my true creativity at an amazing drop-in for street involved youth in my urban home-metropolis Toronto. They had an "all you can create" buffet of artistic tools. Their sewing studio became my new inspirational home. With all the fabric, notions, industrial machines, sergers etc.. I finally the resources I needed to thrive.
The wind of change caught me and my nomadic life took flight. Sewing became a distant sweet memory, unless it was patching up falling apart garments or sewing on bells. Until a day arrived that I found myself in the beautiful Big Island of Hawaii. Slowly friends shared their coveted machines with me and my new line WHYMZ was born. One dayI was handed over a sewing machine and being told 'you must sew'. I was then living in a community of 30 plus wild travelers, musicians and bare-footed folk in the jungle oasis by the ocean. Our minimal solar power system could barely do more then give us flickering lights at night, so the idea of sewing was almost impossible.
At that point I had a collection of WHYMZ hats I had created and a massive home made bamboo hat rack- which I would carry on my back 2 miles and stick out my thumb praying for a ride to the farmers market (S.P.A.C.E) before the booths filled. One day I sewed a pair of paints with an inverter attached to a friends truck battery. I had a breaking point with the universe..... THIS HAS TO CHANGE! I NEED A STUDIO ! I NEED POWER !
That was the best request I ever made and within the next week I was living in the wild and colourful community on the mountain with a full- artist in residence scholarship and a growing studio. Two months later Whymz was beginning to blossom. I had enough new clients from the market that I was creating commission pieces. I was able to rent a whole room for my craft and host weekly Open Studio where all walks could get their sew on. I had to keep turning away sewing machines people wanted me to have- because 5 was plenty!
Life continued beautifully, I married my beloved and birthed an amazing daughter. This catalyzed my business's complete identity change and Star Skins Apparel was born!
