The Hat Junkie

I've been wanting to do a series of blog posts featuring customers wearing Paper People and what better opportunity than this one!  I was contacted by Anna Shoub of Hat Junkie in April.  Anna lives in Lunenburg Nova Scotia and has purchased several of my dresses from Luvly in Lunenburg, a beautiful little shop devoted to independent Canadian designers.  Anna was looking for a dress she had seen at Luvly.  Being that most of our designs incorporate reclaimed vintage materials each is one of a kind so she was after something particular incorporating a vintage floral print.

Take a look at Anna modelling The Donna Dress by Paper People and one of her own hat designs:

photography by Heidi Jirotka

  Born out of her love of handmade hats, Anna started her own line of hats.  She has quite a variety made from materials like organic cotton, straw, fleece and even some rain hats (perfect for the east coast climate no doubt).  When I spoke to her over the phone she was dying some fabrics for her designs.

You can check out her work here: http://www.hatjunkie.com/ or browse her etsy shop: http://www.etsy.com/shop/hatjunkie.

A Big Boost from Fresh Collective!

About a month ago I was feeling a little uninspired.  We'd just finished designing and shooting the fall/winter 2012/13 collection and sales season for the line had wrapped up.  With the those major projects completed (successfully!) I was feeling like slowing down.  But if you own a small business you know it's never really time to slow down.

Laura-Jean from Fresh Collective offers "boost" meetings to all of her members who are feeling like they could use a little advice or a push in the right direction so I decided it was time.  I'd been struggling with a few things over the past few years.  Although my fall/winter line has been greeted with much success, spring/summer has struggled to approach our expectations.  This season we were lucky/smart enough to hit on several key items that are doing well but we also produced a lot of items that aren't doing well.  So although we're excited to have some hot items, the not so hot items have tipped our books in the opposite direction.  So we decided to embark on a little market research to discover just what it is our customers are after instead of force feeding them things they aren't interested in.

So with the help of Laura-Jean and Jane, Fresh Collective's regional manager I crafted our little summer dress market research plan.  We administered physical surveys at the 3 Fresh Collective locations which complemented our online version we ran through Survey Monkey.  Customers were asked to give feedback on the designs presented and in return we gave away 3 free dresses.  We also collected some basic demographic information to help us define our target market for our business plan.

We got a lot of interesting and helpful feedback and we hope to run more contests like this again in the future.  Plus who doesn't like making customers happy with free dresses every once in a while!  Stay tuned for some fun photos of our contest winners . . .

Ecoholic Body Book Launch

It was at the One of a Kind Christmas Show and Sale where I first met Adria Vasil.  She came in to try on and purchase one of my signature sweater dresses and went on to introduce herself.  Needless to say I was thrilled to meet, greet and clothe her!

Adria is the brains behind the weekly NOW column Ecoholic which has been running since spring of 2004.  If you're a downtown Torontonian you're probably familiar with her informative articles that get into the nitty-gritty of all things eco.  Over the years her weekly articles have fuelled a collection of books by the same name: Ecoholic, Ecoholic Home and now Ecoholic Body which I am proud to say we've been mentioned in!

I attended her book launch this week at Ben McNally Books and was able to pick up a copy and get it signed!  This was a great first step in my resolution to read more!

April 1st & 2nd at Fresh Collective

This week I had a double dose of Fresh Collective!  I worked Sunday in addition to my usual Monday.  The One of a Kind Spring Show and Sale just passed.   My friend and colleague, Nicole Boudreau of Desserts and Skirts AND Precious Pink Designs was busy selling her designs this Sunday so I was filling in for her at the shop.

Adrienne Top & Angeline Skirt by Paper People Clothing with sterling silver necklace by Apa Designs, dress by Spruce & Tasha Scarf by Paper People Clothing.

The Adrienne Top has been a big hit this season.  I always shied away from designing basics because I thought people would just buy those things elsewhere, but actually it turns out our customers really appreciate well thought, quality, locally made basics to go with the funky bottoms and layering pieces we offer.  This top comes in royal blue, grey (shown), turquoise, fuchsia, coral, purple and teal.  We've nearly sold out but not to worry!  There are more on their way and we've added some new colours too: olive green and orange spice!

Florence Shrug by Paper People Clothing with knit dress by Desserts and Skirts shown with Fleurtje Bags!  

Fleurtje Bags are new to Fresh Collective!  Designer, Nicole Fleur van der Oord used to hail from Queen Street occupying a shop about a block west of us but she's since moved her operations to the Distillery District and continues to make her cheerful yet functionally durable designs.

Allison Dress by Paper People Clothing with wrap by Things Aren't So Terrible, Polka-dot dress by Michelle Carey

Bird print skirt by Fresh Baked Goods, on mannequin: Chloe Vest & Adrienne Top by Paper People Clothing

Andrea Tank by Paper People Clothing, Linen Look Skirt by Mandala Design and leaf necklace by Curious Oddities

I just couldn't resist pairing these two together!  Don't you love how the turquoise patina leaf  necklace by Curious Oddities matches the leaf print with splashes of turquoise in our tank top?

The Andrea Tank is a style that I revamped from a few seasons ago.  It's one of my personal favourites and I hope it will be one of yours too!  Made from organic cotton/spandex with a contrast from playfully printed bedsheets and reclaimed or vintage buttons, this top is all eco.  It comes in some great colours: royal blue, deep purple, lilac (shown), sage green and mushroom.  We used a nice variety of printed bedsheets so each top is unique!

Donna Dress with Tasha Scarf by Paper People Clothing, Linen Look Dress by Mandala Design with Amber Cropped Cardigan and Hand knotted bead necklace by Elementals

I just loved how these outfits came together!  I stuck with just the two colours to tie everything together but used a playful variety of texture and print.  Both these dresses are incredibly flattering on a variety of figures types.  The A-line shape floats over tummies and hips and will never stick or cling.

Adrienne Top & Angeline Skirt by Paper People Clothing with Locket Pendant by Curious Oddities

Thanks for checking out Fresh Collective and I hope to see you one of these Mondays!

Scarf Dresses for Spring 2012!

Today we got our first batch of Jasmine Scarf Dress back from the sewers.  Each dress is made from 7 colour coordinated vintage scarves and an organic cotton/spandex bodice.  The bodice front is lined so you can go braless on those hot summer days if desired and the skirt is convertible so you can wear it long or short.

And here is our progress on the second batch of scarf dresses.  After those are done we start fall/winter production (think mittens! lots and lots of mittens).

Monday, March 27th at Fresh Collective Queen!

left to right: Allison Dress by Paper People with necklace by Sugar Rush, linen look dress by Mandala Design with cube necklace by Precious Pink, Adrienne Cowl Top by Paper People with poppy print skirt by Mandala Design and amethyst necklace by Curious Oddities.  

Every day at Fresh Collective we change the mannequins to freshen up the store.  There are so many fun pieces to play with and so many great colours!  This Monday Mandy Armstrong of Mandala Design visited to drop off some brand new dresses and skirts before scurrying off to set up for the One of a Kind Show.  You can visit her March 28 - April 1 at booth H-26!

Nicole Boudreau of Precious Pink Designs will also be exhibiting with her super cute clothing line, Desserts and Skirts!  You can visit her at booth O-26.  

And lastly, Kat Shura of Curious Oddities will also be at the OOAK selling her lovely handmade jewellery.  Her amethyst pendant above is one of my favourite pieces.  It comes with a super long chain and has some rust orange streaks running through the stone, very unusual for amethyst.  I think I might have to buy this piece if no one beats me to it!  Kat will be in booth K-06 sharing with another friend of mine, Hannah Richardson of Hana. Hannah does a line of vintage inspired clothing for women.

The Donna Dress in green.  This dress is made from a hemp/organic cotton blend with a contrast made from reclaimed bedsheets - check out all the different colours and patterns this one comes in.

With the strange weather we've been having it's a good time to stock up on those stylish layering essentials.  The Amber Cardigan is made from lightweight, reclaimed sweaters with a contrast made from reclaimed bedsheets.  This one comes in a ton of different colours and patterns so you really have to come in and see them for yourself!

Monday at Fresh Collective!

Some selections from my Monday spent at Fresh Collective!

Pictured above from left to right: printed linen look dress by Mandala Design, floral dress by Nude Clothes, Amber Cardigan by Paper People Clothing, Eve Dress by Paper People Clothing.

Visit Fresh Collective (692 Queen St W in Toronto) to check out these great pieces!

The Amber Cardigan is made from reclaimed, light weight cotton or wool sweaters with an accent of reclaimed bedsheet and reclaimed or vintage buttons.  It comes in tons of different colour and print combinations.

The Eve Dress is something we just unveiled last Friday and we've already sold 3 of them.  It comes in green or purple at the Queen location.  If you visit Roncesvalles (401 Roncesvalles Ave at Howard Park) we also have it in grey or purple.  We only made one or two in each colour so they'll sell out quick!

And here we have the Tasha linen'n'lace Scarf up top.  It's made from hand dyed, reclaimed doilies and handkerchiefs that have been carefully selected, washed and pieced together for your enjoyment!  They're extremely delicate and full of interesting quirks and details like embroidery, florals & plaid prints, monograms, crotched trim and more.

Below we have the Tara Sleeves.  These are made from a variety of cotton, ramie, silk and rayon sweaters so they're a great accessory for the transitional weather.  They are marked down to only $12 (originally $32) and lots of colours to chose from!

Lastly we have the Allison Dress and the Andrea Tank.  The Allison Dress is made from 100% tencel, a fibre that comes from the eucalyptus tree.  It is a rayon based fibre but it is processed in a closed loop cycle so the chems used are reclaimed and used over and over.  The dress comes in purple & grey (shown) or a punchy coral & grey combo.  This dress is available in Toronto only at the Fresh Collective Queen West location but you can also get it at select stores across Canada.

The Andrea Tank is something new we just unveiled on Friday as well.  It comes in a ton of brights and neutrals to suit your wardrobe: royal blue (shown), purple, lilac, olive green and mushroom.  Each top features a contrast panel made from reclaimed bedsheets.  We've chosen a great selection of bright, bold, graphic patterns as well as some delicate, feminine florals so take your pic.  Accented with vintage or reclaimed buttons, each top is unique!