Designer Portfolio EN FINAL

Flagbarer
Flagbarer offers unique Canadian-made
products made from banners that represent
our Canadian heritage.
Following a beautiful, functional life displaying
Canadian values and locales, banners from the
Ottawa region are dry-cleaned and sent to
EcoEquitable. The banners are cut to maximize
their images, sewn onsite, and developed into
beautiful, functional products.
HANDCRAFTED IN CANADA
Products are designed and supported by the
stellar industrial design firm The Federal
Design House.
For more information, visit:
www.flagbarer.ca.
Manon Blais
Manon Blais worked as a designer in
Montreal’s fashion industry in the 1990s.
Her career allowed her to make frequent
trips to New York and to be front and
center of the latest fashion trends.
Ready to start a family, Manon left the
industry for a more stable and secure
profession.
When personally approached by friend
Isabel Sébastiao to create sustainable
clothing, she happily accepted.
Sheila Bbosa
After graduating at the University of
Ottawa in Environmental Studies,
Sheila decided to explore her passion
for fashion design. She enrolled at the
Richard Robinson Fashion Academy.
Having completed a year in HautCouture apprenticeship, Sheila won
first place for best dress of 2013 at the
annual end of year fashion show held
at the Hilton Lac-Leamy Hotel.
Sheila then decided to submerge
herself in artistic fashion through selfteach techniques to further her
knowledge and expand her creativity.
These experiences have inspired her to
create expressive clothing with
environmental sustainability in mind.
Christelle Campbell
Christelle was born in Saskatchewan
and raised in Ottawa. She has had an
eye for fashion for as long as she can
remember.
Three years ago, she decided to act
upon this passion by designing
and making her own pieces, which she
sells in small Ottawa boutiques.
Last year, she create a website to
showcase her designs, all created with
100% recycled materials.
For more information, visit
www.fullcircle613.com
Randi Cherry
Randi has been a gipsy all her life
using her master degree in biology to
work at the grassroots level with one
of Ottawa's first blue box organic food
from farm to family groups. She created Earthrise Players
Environmental Street Theater creating
giant puppets such as the Turtle and
Oceana to support people's
understanding of interconnectedness
of all life. She has also taught belly
dancing for over 40 years.
Supriya Chettur
Supriya loves making jewellery. She uses various
materials such as semi-precious and natural stones,
pearls, wood, and shell. She plans
to explore other materials such as metal, polymer clay,
porcelain, and metal clay.
She is currently taking an EcoEquitable sewing class,
which has opened up new avenues of inspiration
including bead weaving, fabric jewellery, and the use
of recycled materials. In addition to her interest in jewellery, she has a keen
interest in pottery. She taught pottery classes for a few
years within the Christie Lake Kids program. She is
currently in the process of completing the construction
of a pottery kiln with her husband, Vinod Chettur, who is
also a ceramic artist. For more information, contact: [email protected],
Facebook: www.facebook.com/SupriyaChetturDesign,
Instagram: instagram.com/supriyachetturdesign Micaela Cook
Micaela Cook began her design career by drawing and creating
costumes. In high school, she maintained her dream of becoming a
fashion designer. She began her career studying Fashion Design at Fanshawe College. Upon graduating, Micaela received a bursary to attend the University
of Huddersfield in the UK where she grew her confidence in, and flair
for her “Out of the Box Thinking” designs. When Micaela is
designing, she is inspired by cultures and landscapes, the odd or the
unusual shapes and colours. Every design focuses on flattering the
real women’s body taking into account her shape.
While designing for several companies in the Ottawa area, Micaela’s
mother launched the label “AVENIR Designs”. Micaela is now the
head designer working out of AVENIR Design Studio in Almonte. Their
boutique ONLY carries Canadian designers including their own AVENIR brand which can be found in many boutiques in Ottawa and Toronto.
Proudly created and made in Canada.
For more information, contact: [email protected]
Facebook: avenirdesigns1
Deborah Doherty
With 40 years of experience making clothing and home
furnishings, Deborah is a fantastic addition to both the
Metamorphosis show and the Eco Equitable
organization. A retired public servant, Deborah finds
purpose in coaching young women as a volunteer for
the EE boutique.
So what about her pieces? Imagine an excited young
girl creating a party dress in her Santa Monica home in
the 1920s. Two decades later, parts of that dress are
found in an old suitcase. A young mother takes one of
the skirt panels and transforms it into a scarf. These
two women are Deborah’s grandmother and mother,
and that scarf and dress make up two of Deborah’s
designs created 7 decades from where it all
originated.
What happens when you work in a timeless scarf,
fabric from a costume and recycled fabric from the EE
boutique? Not only a new dress and updated bolero. A
story through time.
Note: Inspired by Randi Cherry’s life sized puppets, Deborah and Christelle Campbell assisted by Supriya Chettur are
creating some new puppets to tell the Metamorphosis story. Megan Duffield
Born and bred in West Carlton, Megan was
trained in Fashion Design at Fanshawe College.
She then returned to Ottawa, where she
accumulated a wide spectrum of experience
including working with period costume specialist
Stan Boil and window dressing for The Sassy
Bead Co., Bank St. Framing, Pom Pom and Frou
Frou, where she was also the assistant buyer.
Her passion for designing her own line coupled
with her experience in the fashion retail
industry gave her the confidence to launch her
own line in 2011.
Her label, Duffield Design, is carried by Green
Tree Eco Fashion in Westboro Ottawa. The
collection is also available online at
www.duffielddesign.ca
For more information, contact:
cell: 613-795-7877; [email protected]
Monica Ethier
Monica Ethier is a First Nations Aboriginal
beader. Her mother taught her how to
bead at a very young age. Monica, like
most young women, has a love for shoes.
She recently decided to combine her love
for beading and shoes by adding some
beadwork to a pair of her pumps for an
event she was attending. That beaded
pair led her to create her shoe line
"E'pit".
"E'pit" is a Mi'kMaq word meaning
"woman". E'pit Shoes are designed to
make women feel strong, powerful,
proud and beautiful, all words that
define women. Monica aims to have
women exude these traits when they
wear her shoes.
Sophie Goyette-Hamels
Sophie Goyette-Hamels is a 12th
grade student at De La Salle, with a
concentration in Dance. Her interest
in fashion has been growing since
the 8th grade. She has participated
in many school fashion shows. She
loves working with colourful patterns
and floral fabrics.
For her Metamorphisis collection,
Sophie primarily used EcoEquitable’s
recycled materials. Sophie hopes to
position herself in the world of
fashion, begining with next year’s
admission to a university program in
Belgium.
Emma Inns
Nearly fifteen years ago, Emma’s curiosity
about where beautiful things come from, who
makes them and what life of the artisan is
like led her to travel through parts of Asia.
During these travels, Emma met local artisans
and fell in love with their hand-made
creations.
In 2005, she set up a small-scale, microfinanced program to market traditional
Tibetan crafts to the tourists. Upon her return
to Canada, Emma opened a stall in the
Byward market selling Tibetan crafts to
Ottawa locals and tourists. In September
2007, Adorit Boutique opened its doors. With
this additional space, Emma expanded her
collection to include more ethically made and
fairly traded items from Canada and abroad.
Whether you are already a valued customer or
you have never been in the store, you should
stop by. We’re sure you will adore it!
For more information, visit www.adorit.ca.
Èvelyne Jury
Èvelyne Jury is a 17 year old grade 11
student who has been sewing for
about 2 years. After participating in
her high school fashion show twice,
she decided to join the Eco Equitable
show in order to challenge herself in a
real life experience outside of school.
Though her sewing style is not distinct
yet, she is greatly inspired by the
fashion world in Japan, especially in
the streets of Harajuku. This show is
meant to showcase her sewing
capabilities with the use of bright,
vibrant and barbie-like colours
and soft and fluffy fabrics.
Munira Kamrijee
Munira recently graduated with a Master of
Architecture from Carleton University’s Azrieli
School of Urbanism and Architecture. She
possesses a natural inclination to push herself
creatively and a passion for all things design.
Her entry into fashion arrives because of two
reasons: her mother who is brilliant at making
beautiful garments and being unable to find
clothes that fit well. With these two reasons
presenting both a challenge and solution, Munira
is in the process of only wearing clothes that she
has made for the next year.
The details of her fashion adventures (and the
occasional misadventures) can be found here:
www.muniramakes.com
Suzanne Legault
Ottawa-born Suzanne Legault learned to
sew from her mom and Home Economics
teacher in the 1980s. Shortly after the
birth of her daughter, she turned to cloth
diapers as a means to save both the
environment and her bank account.
Discouraged by the initial costs, she
decided to make her own, which
catapulted her journey in the world of
sewing!
Suzanne began EcoEquitable’s Sewing for
Jobs Intermediate program in February
2014. Through the program, she learned
to draft patterns from measurements,
which spurred her desire to make Ladies
Wear.
The EE Boutique gives Suzanne access to
beautiful quality textiles. In addition to
the fabrics, Suzanne benefits from the
expertise within EE as she continues
along her journey.
Marie-Louise Maluta
Marie-Louise is an experienced,
high fashion seamstress from the
Congo. She has sewn for
ambassadors, and other high
level officials both in Canada and
in Africa. Belkis Navas
Belkis is a mother, Fashion Designer and teacher committed to
sharing the enjoyment and rewards of sewing. She received her
diploma in Fashion Design from Richard Robinson Fashion Design
Academy. She has been sewing and designing for women and
children for over 18 years and teaching for seven years.
Having joined the EcoEquitable team as the Beginner Sewing
Instructor in 2013, Belkis is now a full time employee, working as
the primary instructor for the Sowing for Jobs program. Outside of
EcoEquitable, Belkis teaches sewing to young children aged 5-9.
Belkis creates wearable garments with innovative and original
techniques. As an instructor, Belkis taps into her students’
creativity. She is committed to individual attention and clear,
hands-on instruction.
Belkis believes children should learn to sew by hand before they
learn to use a sewing machine. Hand sewing skills develop finger
dexterity and teach the values of patience, manners, creativity,
completion, and how to follow rules – all through the enjoyment of
sewing.
Sol Inés Peca
Sol Inés Peca started making jewellery as
affordable and personalized gifts for family and
friends while studying at university. The positive
feedback she received inspired her to develop her
line of paper-based jewellery, called
luca3creations. She upcycles discarded
newspapers and magazines into beads, which she
then integrates into original and elegant creations
that add a unique touch to any style.
Luca3creations designs can be purchased via her
website, and at various craft markets and fairs in
Montreal and Ottawa throughout the year.
For more information, visit:
www.luca3creations.com
www.facebook.com/luca3creations
Carole Piché
Carole’s mother taught her to sew at the age of
seven. By the age of 10, she was helping her
mother create her dress for Canada’s
centennial. Since then, she has dedicated her
efforts to recreating period dresses using
curtains, sheets and bed skirts. Plenty of fabric
and all at a good price!
To this day, people within her network drop off
bags of fabric. Once sorted, she drops them off
at “Chez Mère Bruyère”, “Maison Marie-Louise”
and “Les Bergers de l’espoir”.
Carole is also a quilter for organizations
including Victoria’s Quilts Canada, Quilts of
Valor, and CHEO’s Neo-natal Intensive Care
Unit.
Most recently, Carole registered for
EcoEquitable’s sewing courses. She is now an
EE certified assistant trainer, working with
Belkis in the beginner’s class.
Liudmila (Lucy) Popova
Lucy combines her interests in sustainable economies with fashion
to create repurposed clothing and articles from textiles that would
have otherwise been discarded.
With a Masters’ Degree in Education and a certification in Clothing
Design and Tailoring, Lucy immigrated from Russia to Canada in
2004. She has since launched her own company, Sewlux, through
which she applies her decades of experience in designing,
producing, and altering clothing and apparel.
Lucy’s great passion has been to develop and teach students
through her Restyling Fashion Program. She uses a dynamic, handson style to impart enthusiasm and inspiration for those wanting to
gain the necessary hands-on experience and knowledge to develop
their own unique styles, and turn fashion’s leftovers into timeless,
salable creations. Lucy is an advocate for green fashion and the
difference it can make in helping to sustain our planet!
Lucy’s dream is to transform her custom of clothing business into a
collaborative source of wearable art, working with individuals to
create unique, restyled wardrobes that reflect their personality,
style, and environmental conscience.
For more information, visit www.sewlux.com
Theresa Rigby &
Ayub Mohamed
Clean lines, eye-catching details and vibrant
colours are just some of the key elements that
Theresa of the TwizTed Stylez’ and Ayub of the
AYM brand has to offer. Their label mainly focuses
on vintage funky fabrics and gently used and
recycled garments.
Huge, lasting influences from aesthetic, and avantgarde labels, such as Alexander McQueen,
Valentino Garavani, Dolce & Gabbana, and
Channel, has allowed them to incorporate
interesting mixtures of patterns and fabrics, giving
the garments a touch of confidence and sex appeal
as well as an unexpected quality of craftsmanship.
Colour, design, and patterns have always been a
huge influence in their lives. Although they are two
different individuals from two very different
cultures, they are citizens of their environment
and their inspiration comes from the world
around them.
Isabel Sebastiao
Isabel's journey with sewing and creating with fabric started
after she immigrated from Portugal to Canada.
In the 1980s, Isabel’s mother purchased a sewing machine
and helped Isabel make creations with different types of
fabrics and upcycling with existing clothes. As she was
preparing to graduate from High School, she wanted her
prom dress to be unique. Working with her mother, she
created a beautiful one-of-a-kind dress. It was later
transformed for two separate occasions.
Isabel has also learned to knit and crochet. She wants to
continue discovering the possibilities of creating with
recycled fabrics and upcycling clothing to make unique
creations.
She is the creator of the Metamorphosis Eco Fashion Show.
For more information:
613.778.8116; [email protected]
Robin Whitford
Robin grew up watching her mother create beautiful things
from a variety of materials from her home in rural Quebec.
With her sewing machine, she created quilts and clothing. With
her knitting needles she created sweaters. Naturally, Robin
followed in her mother’s footstep, and as early as elementary
school!
Having left a demanding career, Robin now dedicates her time
to playing with fabric. With a passion for upcycling, Robin
fashions colours and patterns from discarded items to produce
unique pieces.
A true believer in clothing as wearable art, she seeks to share
her passion with others. Where this journey in the creative
world will take her is unknown, but Robin is well positioned to
enjoy it!
If interested in her work and/or in donating 'no longer
wanted but still in good shape' T-shirts for her creative
process, please contact Robin at
[email protected]