Freedom Clothing Collective: 2017

Wednesday, April 5, 2017

Meet the Maker: Kathryn Rebecca

You may recognize Kathryn Rebecca as one of the women who works at Freedom but her work also adorns the shelves as well! Katie (as we know her) makes some of the most exquisite pieces we have in the shop. She works with gold, sterling silver and semi precious stones. The cuts and colours she uses are undoubtedly classic but there's always a thoughtful forward thinking quality to them. She was just recently at the One-Of-A-Kind show but she's at Freedom Clothing Collective all year! Follow her on twitter here and instagram here.

1. When did you first start making jewellery? What got you interested?

As a young girl I always had an interest in creating anything I could wear with my hands. I also had an interest in polishing coins to look shiny and brand new .;). As I became a teen I channeled that energy into creating beaded pieces. When it was time to choose what to apply for post secondary I looked at what I enjoyed doing in my spare time and thought jewellery school might be a good idea.

Meet the Maker: Slashpile Designs

Art and design is a family affair for the Toronto based Slashpile Designs. Twin sisters, Tara and Courtney Neray are the dynamic duo behind one of the most idiosyncratic and witty jewellery lines we carry. Their work is unique for its variety of styles, shapes, colours and materials. It's safe to say that they're never ones to be pigeon holed! Tara an Courtney are just as comfortable working with technicolor gemstones as they are crafting earrings and necklaces from molecular structures. Tara was kind enough to give us a bit of insight into their influences and approach to jewellery design. Come by and have a look at their their work!

If you can't make it to the shop you can find them online and follow them on instagram here!

Make the Maker: R a m o n a l i s a

Freedom Clothing Collective is dedicated to celebrating independent Canadian design. With dozens of makers in stock we thought it was best for you to get to know them a bit better! Every other week we'll be profiling a different designer on our blog so you can know a little bit more of the who, what, where and why of Canadian style.

Montreal's Ramonalisa perfectly encapsulates Freedom Clothing Collectives approach to fashion and design. Canadian made and eco friendly, Lisa Bobrow's line of dresses and tops are some of our most comfortable and fabulous pieces in the shop. In fact her spring dresses have just arrived and they are swoon worthy and she is this week's special of the week! Her spring and winter pieces are available at the store but if you can't make it in person you can always place an order at our new online store!

We got in touch with Lisa of Ramonalisa to talk; inspiration, fashion ethics, and what it's like to be a Canadian designer.

When did you start making clothes?

I learned how to sew when I was 15. I loved the feeling of power that came with being able to create my own style, a la Molly Ringwald of Pretty in Pink! Many years later in 2008, I made a few pieces for a local shop on consignment. They sold right away so I decided to keep going and the rest is history!

What compelled you to make eco-friendly clothes?

When I first created my clothing line, the most important thing for me was to offer an alternative to sweatshop-made clothing. Montreal has a long history of garment manufacturing but in the past 10 years most of it has moved overseas. I saw an opportunity to draw from the past and build a new kind of future for fashion, one that is based in creativity and sustainability rather than large-scale industry. A few years in, I began to learn about the process of fabric production through friends and colleagues. The more research I did, the more I understood that while fair labour practices are a must, for clothing to be truly ethical it has to extend also to the choice of sustainable fabrics. From disease caused by pesticides to pollution of waterways and everything in between, it's clear that was best for the earth is also best for all people.