Sneak Peek!

My mind has been wandering and I have been so busy lately. Here’s a sneak peek at what I have been up to. My COVEN by Sonia Kang line also got published in the March Issue of Ellements Magazine. But, I have been way too busy to make any posts on it. I also now intern at Jenny Bird. :)

Preview at Quaintrella Spring-Summer 2012

In other news. I have had two new products bought off my head recently. :) They are what I call half-circlets. They also make great hijab clips which is funny because most of my sales have been from Muslim girls lately. They are a new product that I am still testing that vaguely look Elven. There are also a few more pieces that will be hitting boutiques very soon that I have posted pictures of in this post. Thoughts? I’m taking the non-bridal stuff to a different direction at the moment. It looks a lot more modern Bohemian.

COVEN by Sonia Kang

My focus for the time being will be developing my re-branded line, COVEN by Sonia Kang. 

Follow my new brand here: COVEN by Sonia Kang and COVEN by Sonia Kang FB Page

Aside from catching up on University work after being sick with the flu for so long. I will not give up Quaintrella - I’m currently waiting for the seasons to turn into Spring so I can set up an appointment with a prominent stockist (a museum) for my gorgeous Quaintrella goodies. I will be moving into a more bridal direction later on in the year and have tonnnnnssss of new product I haven’t posted about. I will do that in the coming weeks. 

Currently, I will be stocking in by stockist boutiques more so then my Etsy. We’ll see what happens. I have let my creative passions flow both ways but I have always wanted to pursue a high-end market. This will be my chance to see just how strong I can be in proving I can take a cutthroat market and challenge the way I do things. The price points are higher and my business plan is almost done. :)

Wish me luck, guys!

Little Devil Outfit Shot and new COVEN by Sonia Kang Updates!

Outfit: COVEN by Sonia Kang Braided Leather Hairband, XXI asymmetrical collar lace blazer, H&M tanktop, Danier leather studded belt, Le Chateau Short Velvet Pencil Skirt, H&M leg warmers, Aldo wedges, and COVEN by Sonia Kang bird skull clutch.

It is quite rare I ever consistently do outfit shots and this does sadden me a bit. But, it is a New Year’s Resolution of mine to try to take more outfit shots! I had actually just dyed my hair my synthetic red. I actually bought out the stock of this red at Pacific Mall when Palty (Japanese hair dye company) announced they were discontinuing it. So, that is the last of my synthetic red shade until I get another Japanese brand or find more of this color. So sad.

This outfit was for the first day opening of Underworld Awakening. I love nothing more then seeing women in catsuits in movies. Kate Beckinsale in PVC is no exception. I loved the movie and am so happy Michael and Selene have a child together. I hate how so many stereotypical fantasy-horror movie genres make vampires dead soulless sterile beings. Life would be so much more beautiful if they could have children with each other (or so the sappy romantic in me would like to think). Then again, there are probably a few sick vampires out there who would abuse this biological advantage. But, let’s not get into the technicalities. :) I definitely think the plot has been getting better as every movie is made in the Underworld series. I really wish I watched it in 3D now.

Another update with my COVEN by Sonia Kang line is that I have finally sewn chain on to the bird skull clutch. It looks amazing. So far, I have a waiting list of at least 5 orders (1 overseas) for the clutch and I have been recommended a couple boutiques to approach in Yorkville once I start production of it after all the testing and refining. Exciting news! I have also started a sample product that I made from scrap leather from the bird skull clutch. I braided the leather and made a really really cool studded headband (I’m wearing it in my outfit shot) which I want to sell very soon after I make a few more tweaks to it. What do you guys think about my new direction and re-branding?

Also, I feel like since re-branding COVEN by Sonia Kang I feel like I should add more black in my wardrobe. I spent two years removing it from my wardrobe and now I want to go back. The irony. 

MENTORS + BIRD SKULL CLUTCH SNEAK PEEK!

Bird Skull Clutch - COVEN by Sonia Kang

 I have had a crazy few days with little sleep and attempting to do as much as I can with the time I putt around being insane - creatively insane that is. People always ask me how I do what I do. I just don’t sleep that much and it has really destroyed pieces of me. Hahaha. I can’t stay on a consistent sleep schedule. Even sleeping early is hard because my body now runs on 5 hour sleep and 1-2 hour power naps.

The great news is that this Passion for Fashion program I completed has this great little middle? Aside from the cash prize competition the best part I think is the MENTORS. I now have FASHION INDUSTRY MENTORS. You have no idea how excited I am over this and I have Mentors who have experience in adding environmental value and charitable causes to their businesses. Something, I strive for. This is so great! I met most of them yesterday and I was so impressed by all these people who are just willing to help budding entrepreneurs like myself. The Fashion Tribe was there too! What a great thing.

I would like to personally thank, Gail McInnes, our lovely coordinator of PFF for doing this. Without her, this program would not exist and I wouldn’t have ever found the niche I belong in. I met lovely Mentors and had great insight into the industry. THANK YOU, GAIL! :)

For the Mentor Meet and Greet I made a leather envelope clutch for myself last minute. There’s the sneak peek before I take better photographs of it. :) Yes, it’s an epic bird skull clutch - I already have 4 commissions for it since debuting it. However, it’ll be at least 2 months of testing, wear-and tear, durability, and refinement BEFORE I feel comfortable to sell it. I have insanely high standards and I want to know how I can make my product the best it can be before I sell it. It makes new designs for me slower to get to the market but it also gives me a chance to perfect it.

This will be sold under COVEN by Sonia Kang. I’m hoping the upcoming editorial that will feature a few of my pieces chooses this clutch. It’s too epic to not go into a magazine. :)

NEW Stockist: MADE YOU LOOK and Street Fashion Feature

Image from Moonrox.ca

I have some rather exciting news! I have my 7th Stockist! My two lines, Quaintrella and COVEN by Sonia Kang (I have decided to re-brand and separate my more gothic and taxidermy lines to this brand) are now carried at MADE YOU LOOK a boutique on Queen West. It’s actually a few minutes from my condo - which I find quite convenient. This boutique is fabulous and was voted the TOP Jewellery boutique by NOW Magazine and BlogTO for 2011. It has a ridiculous amount of variety and is total eye-candy for the accessories aficionado. 

http://www.torontoverve.org/2012/01/sonia-veruca-all-bundled-up.html

In other news, this is myself and designer buddy, Veruca Cyn had our outfit shots taken by a street fashion photographer, Nigel of Toronto Verve while we were out with the Fashion Tribe and supply shopping. 

Funny, we are polar opposites when it comes to our typical personal fashion choices until I don my leather. ;) Only then, do we have the same tastes. I only wear my leather at night - like a vampire. A fashion vampire. Hahahaha. 

Aside from being polar opposites in our personal fashion choices we do however share an insanely similar taste for positivity. Funny enough, it has reaped us so many small successes and a ‘Never Give Up on Yourself’ outlook on life. 

Mori Girl: NEW Ofelia Ljuv SS2012 pieces!

New Ofelia Ljuv Collection SS 2012 pieces!

One of the things I always like to ask my stockists (boutiques I sell at) is for feedback. If you strive to improve upon product, services, and yourself - feedback is essential unless you want to be stuck in a habit of simply doing everything the same. I do not care if it’s hurtful, blunt, or even minor. Anything helps because if I am going to change AND succeed I will take the hits early and get over my ego. 

One of my stockists, Nathalie, had told me months ago certain things I should look into for my Ofelia Ljuv Collection. My Ofelia Ljuv Collection is all about Mori Girl aesthetics - bringing in the natural world, upcycling scrap fabrics and laces, and using bits and pieces of found objects. She had told me that I should consider silk and linens for backings of my pendant necklaces and brooches because some people are allergic to wool. That, wool was also a material limited to seasonality. She said that I should explore other color options since my palette was limited to beiges, creams, and browns. There was also positive feedback received on the versatility of certain pieces - combinations where a headpiece could be a brooch and necklace.  At the same time she said my aesthetic was very romantic and feminine which means I should attempt to test the bridal market. 

Photo Shoot for Men’s Bird Skull Necklace

I recently helped my photographer friend the brilliant, Gabe Toth, with a photo shoot he was doing. We were friends when we worked together in the same company but we are closer now that we are heading in the same direction. The fashion industry. He has done photography for some time but now it is a full-time job. His work is so crisp, professional, and I can always pick out a sort of balance in his pictures. It is a little hard to explain - but it is a feeling, an aesthetic, a touch that is really just his own. Steamy topless photos are enclosed in the link below…

Happy New Year and Holidays Catch-Up Post

This will mostly be a belated catch-up post of my holidays. I hope everyone had a awesome holidays like I did! Wishing all my readers, clients, stockists and friends the best for the New Year!

 I really took advantage of my Christmas holidays in 2011. It feels strange saying last year because it seems like it was so long ago yet I still remember it. I made a list of what I wanted to do and accomplished most of it. To top it off my University grades were awesome - very awesome for a person who balances a PT job, full-time university, and a fashion business. I was surprised. 

But, I know my perseverance has been very high since the whole debacle with my former business partner. I almost have to thank her for giving me a better view of my priorities - because without the bullshit and drama I wouldn’t have been this successful. Sometimes, I wonder what she took from the experience. I certainly learned I was stronger than I thought I was. That I can conquer my fears. :)

It makes me so proud to say that my brand has been carried by six local boutiques. 

Even prouder is the fact I did it by myself mostly in under 7 months as soon as I launched Quaintrella. There has to be something said about that and not letting people tell me: ‘You can’t do this..’, ‘You can’t sell better then this person..’, ‘You need this…’. If I faced an obstacle I just told myself to take it as an experience and learn from it. I don’t let anyone bring me down in the process. Yes, it’s been difficult and testing at times. But, I did it. 

I was recently told my unwavering attitude is what makes me different. It came up in a discussion with a co-worker about a mutual friend who was unable to find a job in her field. I told my co-worker this:

“If I can’t find a job in my field then I’d make my own. I don’t believe in being told I am not good enough.”