The Designer

Hey Ya’ll!
I was born and raised on the west coast of Britsh Columbia. From Vancouver, to Pender Island and now Victoria, I grew up surrounded by the beauty of the coast and mountains. I spent a lot of my childhood in the great outdoors and have developed a love for the natural world and its beauty.
I am a person of colour, with Scottish, British and African-American heritage. Connecting with roots and family background is really important to me, as I connect significantly with my African ancestry. The journey of learning about the history, culture and lifestyle, is a big part of my life.

From a young age I have enjoyed sewing and fashion illustration. I would spend many hours sketching out various outfits and making clothes for my dolls. Small business is also been another passion I have had since a child. Starting with lemonade stands and handmade jewelry to selling needle felted creations at markets.
After high school I attended Pacific Design Academy for their Fashion Design program. Throughout the school year, my life long love for African print fabrics grew. After graduating I was still unsure what direction I wanted to go in the fashion world. So I got a job at Leka as a production assistant, were I gained a lot experience.
In fall 2022 I decided that I was going to start my own fashion brand and turn my dreams of creativity, fashion and starting my own business into a reality. So in May 2023 I launched my brand “ette”, which is named in memory of my late Aunt Jeanette, When creating Ette, I knew that incorporating my African heritage in my work was integral to me. One way in which I do this is taking traditional fabrics such as Ankara, Kente and Mudlcoth and designing them in modern silhouettes.

I really resonate with this quote by Mos Def. “You can positively affect and change a social circumstance with art, and it's vital that a change happens now.” I take this seriously and I apply this to all my art and creative endeavours I do.