kdon's Kim Cathers talks shop
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Image by Flickr / Kris Krüg
Vancouver fashion designer Kim Cathers of kdon and Our Social Fabric talks with JK Models’s Jennifer Koning
I've always gravitated toward fashion designers who are unconventional and push the boundaries of fashion aesthetics, such as Jean-Paul Gaultier and Japanese designer Issey Miyake who are influenced by architecture and technology.
In awe of their stunning works of wearable art, I'm constantly on the lookout for local designers who share this sort of creativity in their designs, but from a Vancouver perspective. This year I found one who caught my eye.
Vancouver designer Kim Cathers (pictured left) was one of 14 Canadian fashion designers chosen to be part of this season’s Project Runway Canada design competition. Kim’s unconventional designs allow women to wear fashions that are outside the box, yet still very much ready to wear.
Cathers's line, kdon, is distinctive and unique just like the designer herself. The clothing and accessories feature design elements such as: zippers used as appliqués rather than for function, multi-coloured pocket wallets and “troll pouches” roughly cut and adored with studs and snaps.
The majority of materials used for Cathers's designs come from Our Social Fabric, a textile recycling initiative of which she is on the board. I talked to Kim before her fashion show at the Red Room on November 5, 2009 to find out more about her beginnings as a designer, her current projects and the future for kdon.
CitizenSTYLE: What sparked your interest in fashion design and how did you get started as a designer?
Kim Cathers: I have always made my own clothing, from way back in junior high. When I was in a big hippie phase that somehow lasted most of my life [laughs] I was altering jeans into bell bottoms and restyling vintage clothes to have a better fit.
In my early 20s I started travelling around to music festivals and farmers markets selling my wears, which included leather goods and restyled vintage. Eventually my ambitions lead me to Vancouver, where I enrolled in fashion school to get technical pattern making skills. Shortly after graduating and winning the Innovate Design Award, I opened a retail store in Gastown, which closed a couple of years ago, and have been creating my line kdon ever since.
It’s been a long and windy road, but to be honest I wouldn't trade this journey for anything. The universe in all its glory makes so much magic happen it is hard to explain in just one interview. [smiles]
What qualities and skills in your opinion make a successful designer?
KC: I admire people that have amazing technical abilities, and people that also stick to their vision. Even if it's not my taste, I love seeing people commit to their ideas.
How do you choose your fabrics?
KC: I love all fabrics that are natural. And I don’t exactly have a specific system for choosing my fabrics. Sometimes I wander the aisles of the fabric store to get inspired, and other times when I am using fabric from Our Social Fabric, I use whatever is available to make samples and short runs out of.
Also I've been reusing and recycling materials since the first day I began sewing, and it is a very important part of what I do. I use reclaimed leather, vintage fur, linen, cotton, bamboo, hemp, silk, and wool. I love natural fibres. I also use a lot of recycled fabrics and materials from Our Social Fabric.
Can you tells us about Our Social Fabric?
KC: Our Social Fabric is essentially a textile recycling initiative that involves recycling textiles in Vancouver and the surrounding area and providing jobs to those living in the Downtown Eastside. It was founded by a man named Leandre, and you can see more about this amazing program on the website.
We are facing many challenges as the program is in its early stages and needs all the support the community has to offer. Currently we are in search of a space to house our donations and get started with the reproduction of these items. We are looking for a warehouse-type space in the Downtown Eastside.
The kdon fall/winter 09 line samples were all made from fabric from an OSF donation, and as a business I have committed to giving 10 percent of all sales to the organization.
Do you consider yourself a “green” or “eco-friendly” designer?
KC: Absolutely. From hangtags to actually sewing materials, I use recycled and reused products.
What do you see lacking in today’s fashion and do you think you can fill that void?
KC: I think a well-designed men’s wear line is lacking for the guy that wants to be stylish but isn’t interested in being a metro sexual.
What mistakes have you learned from that have improved your technique/line?
KC: I have learned the hard way to take time in the planning stages like pattern making; it makes everything so much smoother when the first part is done correctly.
What can we expect next from Kim Cathers and kdon?
KC: You can expect a new men’s line and an amazing spring/summer line. I have also been toying around with some really cool eco-friendly, recycled baby products.
Where and how to buy
kdon offers custom pieces, including hats, clothing and accessories. Check out her website for product info. Email for more information or to purchase: discollection.kdon AT gmail.com. Her hats may also be purchased at Any Hat in Gastown.
