Oh my god, you guys, it’s time for Edmonton Fashion Week!!!
Is this a big deal? It is to me. This may come as a surprise to most folks, seeing as I dress like a garbageman 90% of the time (no offense, garbagemen), but come on, we all like to play dress up from time to time. Even I like to trot out some lady clothes bi-annually. Finally, my chance!
So, anyway, one interesting designer showing at this year’s EFW is Cherie Howard. The 30 year old Edmontonian is premiering her Spring/Summer 2010 collection on Tuesday night. She decided to build the collection around a zero budget, treating the lack of money as an inspiration, as opposed to an obstacle.
Exclusive photo from Cherie Howard's 2010 Spring/Summer Collection
“I‘ve been jumping hurdles for much of my past now, and find that it results in the wasting of too much energy,” says Cherie. ”If you look at it as a hurdle, then you must jump it. I choose to work with my obstacles and flow through life with only my inner conflicts to battle. It just makes sense to do what I can with what I’ve got and make something beautiful that you might want to wear.”
Cherie has used recycled or leftover fabrics from her previous collections for her new designs.
“I get a lot of old fabric from friends and clients they don’t want to throw it away and often think that I will use it one day. Well I did and I couldn’t have asked for a better variety of materials,” she says.
“The Collection is typically me - the dark elements in the collection are a part of my past and present, and will never change. By dark, I mean the unusual and strange, exotic and eccentric. I used scraps of old fabrics, like Indian prints, silk and satin in bright colors contrasted with dark trims and detailing. There is a bit of a bondage theme to this one too.”
Cherie has been sewing since she was a kid, when as she says, her parents pushed her into learning the craft because “they thought it would serve as good bonding time with grandma.”
She later studied fashion and costume design in high school, moving on to take Graphic Arts & Marketing, at the post secondary level. She also studied hairstyling. She currently works in a variety of professional roles, including office administrator by day and hair stylist by night, pursuing her passion for fashion design in her office hours.
“Fashion design is what I work so hard to do part time 2-3 times a year. I sew one thing every night and spend my holidays catching up on the rest. I do not sell my clothes for the most part. . . I just keep myself producing goods and showing you what I can still do, learning and getting better as I go on.”
If you see something of Cherie’s you like, you can contact her and she can make it for you, custom fitted, for the coming season. Check her out online, on facebook, at or follow her on twitter. You can see the calendar for the EFW events here.
