La Collision, A fashion line for change

From my Interview: Years ago, I used to do kids camps and after school programs and all of our beautiful children would be wearing Walmart gloves and hats, and that's not really efficient when it’s -40 weather and we’re on the trapline or out doing ice fishing. So I started feeling like it would be nice to be able to make really good gear, because everyone is sporting those nice skin mitts and everything. I started a workshop with the kids to teach them to make these mitts, it was a great thing to be doing with them, and they loved it, and it was so good. I realized in the Yukon you need to have a good tough product, which skin and fur is so resilient. It will last forever, it will keep you warm. So I came up with Yukon Tough. Also, it turned into: you have to be tough to live in the Yukon also you just don’t need good tough gear. So that’s where it came from. Since I was a little girl, my auntie was a seamstress, so I was her mannequin, she would pin stuff on me and show me how to make patterns. So I always had a love for it. I am also a journeyman carpenter so I have that kind of mind where I can see things before I put them together. Sewing in the north: the north has a unique art, and it’s in their clothing. All their clothing is amazing. It’s a great time for the north to be introduced to the fashion world. My background is I am french acadian from New Brunswick, so i am bringing the love of corsets and the fanciness and beauty of the french kind of style, which kind of goes well with the yukon on rendezvous. Actually, renedezvous was where they started trading fur, it's really a part of yukon heritage. And then it meets the rugged, super strong, tough, fur trapping, hunting, all of those together so it’s called 'la collision'. the collision. Now, Toronto fashion week: It's really exciting! In last May, this artist resident Henry Navaro came to Junction and made the Junction collection. And he is also in fashion art Toronto. He came and saw my stuff and said I should put an application in. I was very surprised to find out they accepted me and I’ll be there at the end of April! I just need some help to get there...