Ashley Parsons of Ottawa-based Sugarbum Designs.
Last minute snips and stitches helped Centretown-based designer Ashley Parsons earn praise at the fourth annual Ottawa Fashion Week. But now, the young entrepreneur is hoping her fashion week exposure will help her expand her business.
With more than 2,000 people packing the National Gallery of Canada’s Great Hall, this year’s Ottawa Fashion Week – held Oct. 30-31 – was the biggest and most glamorous to date.
Parsons, who started her fashion line, Sugarbum Designs, in 2006, says events such as Ottawa Fashion Week are important because they help local designers gain exposure.
“Having people being able to see my clothes is key,” she says.
According to Bruno Rancine, creative director for Ottawa Fashion Week, the event is unique because unlike fashion weeks in bigger cities such as Toronto and Montreal, the general public is allowed to attend.
“A lot of the time we have great local designers, and we don’t even know about them,” he says. “(Fashion week) brings a link between regular customers and these great designers.”
Participating in Ottawa Fashion Week can also help Ottawa designers gain the attention of local boutiques and shops.
“Just because designers haven’t been approved by stores like Holt Renfrew or the Bay doesn’t mean their stuff isn’t good,” Rancine says.
In fact, Angel Daoust, manager of the Red Velvet clothing boutique on Elgin Street, says Ottawa Fashion Week not only helps boost the careers of local designers but can also aid local businesses.
“Anything that brings awareness to the fashion scene has an impact on local businesses,” she says. “We do like to carry local designers.”
Over the last three years, Daoust says she has seen more attention paid to local designers in Ottawa. And although she says she's hesitant to tie this directly to Ottawa Fashion Week, which began in 2007, she believes the event does help the city’s designers.
As for Parsons, she says she's anxious to see what her experience at Ottawa Fashion Week will mean for Sugarbum Designs. “I’m looking forward to seeing what the ripple effect is going to be,” she says.
Parsons, whose studio is on the upper floor of her home, plans on finding a local place to showcase and sell her designs in the near future. She says she's hopeful that after seeing her collection – which she describes as “fun,” “girly,” and “adventurous” – people will be excited to own a Sugarbum dress of their own.
“We’ve got to keep the ball rolling, I want to take things to the next level.”