Character Inspiration: Fashion Designer
"Sam Stringer is a fashion designer and photographer based out of British Columbia. Her work in design has been featured onstage at the Juno Awards and at Tokyo Fashion Week, and her photography has been featured extensively in both print and online publications, including British Vogue and Vanity Fair, Women's Wear Daily Japan, and Elle Mexico. In addition to her artistic pursuits, she is also the general manager of French Door Winery in Oliver, B.C."
WBS: Can you tell us what your journey was like getting into fashion design? When did you really get interested in the industry? What steps did you take to make it happen?
Sam: I think my journey started as soon as I could see and feel fabric. I was always that kid that laid out my outfits the night before, I wore the most ridiculous things to school, I always wanted to eat/sleep/breathe fashion. When I was 8 I enrolled in a sewing class and I absolutely fell in love. I remember the instructor kept trying to do the sewing for me whenever I had a question, which just made me even more stubborn to learn it on my own. My grandma continued to teach me how to sew and then I was off to the races. My textiles teacher in high school, Mrs. Higgins at Esquimalt High, was really the one the propelled me into fashion as a career. She taught me so much about construction of garments and let my creativity run wild, and helped me with my portfolio when I was applying to fashion school. I had interviews at a few universities and colleges around the world, and ultimately ended up choosing to pursue my Bachelor's of Design at Kwantlen Polytechnic University, which has now become the Wilson School of Design. From there, the opportunities continued to roll in and everything took off from there thanks to the industry connections I made in University.
WBS: What does "a day in the life" look like when you are working in design? What are some typical tasks and commitments you would have?
Sam: A day in the life quickly becomes a month in the life haha, sometimes the days melt together when you are working on deadlines, it's pretty much cyclical depending on when you are doing showcases. My side of the fashion industry is probably very different from other designers because I do custom pieces, so I work one on one with clients but I also did annual showcases of some of my creative pieces to show clients my skillset. On a typical day, if I had a showcase coming up, I would be meeting with models for fittings and show selection, doing media spots for radio stations/tv segments, emailing with online journals for interviews, trying to promote showcases on social media, and of course, sewing my little fingers off. My pieces are highly intricate and require a LOT of time in construction, so after all the initial design work and fabric selection is done, I am pretty much sewing from dawn until dusk. I am the only sewer that works on my pieces, unless it is crunch time and that's when I call in the cavalry (my extremely wonderful friends) to help me hand sew some lace at 3am.
I don't focus on showcases as much anymore as I only do custom pieces, so my day to day now would involve more consultation with the client, design inspiration research, fabric sourcing, and a never ending sample swatch book of new fabrics for clients to view later. I currently only take on a few pieces a year, and enjoy working 1 on 1 with my clients to create beautiful pieces for their life occasions.
WBS: How do you get your work featured in a show? What steps do you have to take to get noticed as a designer?
Sam: There are a million different kinds of showcases that are suited to different genres of fashion. There are international fashion weeks which are great if you are looking to meet a buyer or sell your work directly to wholesalers/retailers, and there are lots of cool underground/invite only shows which are perfect if you are trying to increase exposure and brand recognition for your line. I was lucky enough to showcase at Vancouver and Tokyo Fashion Weeks due to my work as a photographer for many years in Vancouver, so from my experience, it is all about networking, networking, and more networking. Go to all the events, talk to new designers, everyone is willing to mentor. I started as a 'reporter' for an online magazine when I was 18 and that is how I met many designers, models, and photographers that helped me get into the industry. I should also say something about social media and how important it is but honestly it's EXHAUSTING so I would recommend hiring someone for that, it is a FULL time job.
WBS: Do you actually sell your work at shows? Or is it more of a networking thing?
Sam: A little bit of both. My work doesn't lend itself to selling right from a show because I only do custom pieces, so I wasn't looking for buyers at showcases, but I was looking for future clients that would keep me in mind when they had an event they needed to dress for. Because of my showcases at Vancouver Fashion Week, I was called when the Juno's were in town when the Minister of Canadian Heritage needed a gown to go on stage. It is also a massive networking event, the people you meet at shows can be lifetime connections.
WBS: Are there any shows that are a big deal in the fashion industry?
Sam: Any of the official Fashion Week shows are the big ones in any city, there is a calendar of sorts where all the shows will be in Paris, London, Milan, Tokyo, etc, and you want to be a part of the official shows, but those are for big brands like Chanel, Dior, Balenciaga. Then there are side shows that are private that are put on by local organizations around the same time as their city's fashion week which is where you will find some emerging designers, but you have to be really careful vetting these because a lot are just a massive cash grab. Some places advertise to you to "show during Paris Fashion Week" and while it's true that the timeframe is during the official shows, you might end up showing in a random warehouse attended by 50 people, and spent $30,000 to do so. Lots and lots of research is required.
WBS: After your work is featured in a show, what are the next steps for you as a designer? What happens to that collection of outfits?
Sam: That is always the hard part for me specifically because I'm not actually showing a collection that anyone can buy. If I was showing a new line that people could just go into a shop and grab their size, that would be easier, but my pieces are just examples of what I can do so people order something custom from me. There is also the issue of the sizing of runway shows, obviously there has historically been very small sizes shown on the runway, so after I did my first collection I realized I wanted to be making pieces that could be worn by a much larger range of people, so I started showcases sizes 2 - 16 at my runway shows. These pieces became rental options if clients weren't able to invest in a custom gown, but had an event they needed to rent a piece for. I still do the occasional rental with some pieces, but I also do sample sales very rarely to finally let them go to a good home.
WBS: Is it a solo pursuit? Or do you have a team of people that work with you to help get your work out there?
Sam: I think nothing in this industry is solo when it comes down to it. I do all the design, fabric sourcing, production, event coordination, model casting, etc, but I have always been lucky enough to have an army of wonderful humans who are there to help in any way. The models I have worked with have been with me for years, we started together at some of their first runway shows ever when I was a backstage photographer at events. Hair and Makeup artists and Photographers have always been incredible connections that have helped me with promotion as we trade services over the years. I couldn't do any of it without all the hundreds of people that collaborated with me over the years.
WBS: What are some of your favourite moments and memories from your work in design?
Sam: The absolute best feeling in the world is waiting backstage for your show to start, hearing the hush go over the crowd, your music start blaring, and feel the electricity of the room once the show begins. Everytime I am behind the stage watching the models line up and start to walk, I want to scream/cry/laugh all at the same time. I get to do the coolest thing in the world with people I love and feel so much support the whole way through. It is electrifying. I will also never forget my experience at Tokyo Fashion Week for my second collection. I was able to bring my friend from high school who is one of the most sought after models in Victoria to the show with me, and boy was it a blast. It was a million times more fast paced than any show I had ever done, I barely remember stepping out to give my bow, I was sewing girls into their dresses backstage 10 seconds before they had to walk out, it was madness. I missed all the afterparties for my own show that night because I passed out exhausted in the Air BNB and my friend, bless her heart, outlined my body with chocolates so I had something to eat when I woke up. What a time.
WBS: What are the challenges of pursuing fashion design?
Sam: A simultaneous mix of creative roadblocks and physical exhaustion. It comes as no surprise that designers sometimes struggle to come up with their next ideas and so you have to constantly be researching trends and new ideas and sketching ALL the time which I am terrible at, but you have to keep your mind creative at all times. The physical exhaustion is probably the hardest though, you can't work 9-5 in this industry very often, and the "hustle" mentality is everywhere which I believe can be very toxic. You are seen as not successful if you aren't constantly hustling and to me, life is too short, health is too important, so I had to adapt to design my way.
WBS: You are now the manager at a winery in B.C.! Can you tell us how you came into that position?
Sam: Total 180 hey? The last question is a perfect segue into this because I was running myself ragged in the fashion industry, putting every ounce of my being into it, and I put myself in the hospital probably 3 times a year because of it. I wasn't blessed with the healthiest of bodies, but I also know that a lot of my health issues were massively aggravated by my insane work/life balance (and by balance I mean not at all haha). I realized that although the electricity of the showcases and the events was enticing, I needed to create a better balance in my life, so I got up and moved to the Okanagan and started a new career knowing that I could select only the projects I wanted to take on from there on out. I started visiting the Okanagan in 2017 and quickly fell in love with the culture around wine and hospitality, and it seemed like something I could really sink my teeth into. I moved to Oliver/Osoyoos in early 2020, quit my jobs in Vancouver, and started a new adventure out here not knowing what would happen. And guess what happened? Covid. 2 weeks after moving here, the pandemic began and suddenly I was in a town where I knew 1 person, couldn't work, and didn't know where I was going to live. Luckily, life has a way of showing me what is meant to happen, and the very first businesses that were deemed essential was alcohol haha, so I was back on track. I started working at a winery selling wines to guests and fell IN LOVE so quick. This is a pretty small industry so everything just kind of fell into place after that, I was able to meet some incredible people who taught me so much and when I was approached for this position, I just couldn't turn it down. I manage one of the most vibrant and beautiful wineries in the Okanagan, with a small, dedicated, and inspiring team.
WBS: What does a typical day at the winery look like? Does it change based on the season?
Believe it or not, sometimes it reminds me of the fashion industry. One day I will be doing all the administrative work, networking, putting together deals with vendors, but then others i'll be elbow deep in grape guts or climbing into a tank to clean it. It is the most fascinating industry I have ever worked in and I LOVE the mix between the administrative/logical mind boggling number work and the amount I get to do with my hands. I work year round in my position so in the summer it is a lot of organization of my staff when we are selling to the public, and the in the winter is when we get to focus on getting the wines ready for the next release. It is perfect for a tactile person like me. Plus, sampling wine all day doesn't suck either.
WBS: What are the best and worst parts about managing a winery?
Sam: Worst Parts: it's cold, all the time. I am the coldest human on the planet so I am constantly in a fluffy jacket in the fall/winter and I am sure everyone is tired of hearing me complain. There are also a massive amount of black widow spiders that live in wineries because they love barrels ad pallets, so those are always a fun surprise.
Best Parts: Literally everything else. The people. Oh boy the people are wonderful. They are endlessly creative ad inspirational, but also very kind and just so enriching in my life. Plus everyone in this industry is also a total foodie so all we do after work is eat and drink and sit on patios. This life was made for me :D
Follow Sam:
Instagram: @samstringerstudios @samstringerphotographer