Fashion Show Designers

Alanna Tinsley-Roy is a fashion designer from Winnipeg, Manitoba. A recent graduate of MC College School of Fashion and Apparel Design, Alanna designs womenswear clothing with subtle feminine details and uses contrasts such as structure, softness, fluidity and texture to create a modern feminine look.    

Her Winter 2013 collection, Black Magic, is inspired by current and historical backdrops. Urban settings, dark, Gothic architecture as well as shadowy smoke and fog create a sense of sophistication and of the feminine mystique. Designed for the young professional, the collection emphasizes quality, classic silhouettes and luxurious fabrics. Black Magic is transitional between daywear and eveningwear and provides a lifestyle collection combining timeless styles with an urban, contemporary feel.  
   
Alanna has always been interested in the creative arts, a passion that developed at a very early age. She is a self-taught artist with a focus in painting, drawing, portraiture, and fashion illustrating. Her passion soon grew from fine arts into other creative areas such as film, music, literature, and fashion design.

Following graduation, she intends to begin her career in the fashion industry by working amongst other designers, merchandisers and creative professionals to gain as much knowledge and experience as she can. Eventually she would like to design her own clothing line and manufacture locally.

Andrea Pelletier’s love for fashion design started years ago when she
became dissatisfied with what the mass market had to offer. She turned
to thrift stores, where she found interesting vintage fabrics and
designs that were more representative of her style, and 15 years ago
she taught herself to sew to alter those pieces to fit properly.
 
Through experimenting with different fabrics and designs, Andrea
became a skilled designer, and found there was a large demand for
custom formal wear, mostly for weddings. Although she enjoys creating
dresses for special occasions with expensive fabrics, she likes to
practice making garments of all types, using a variety of fabrics.
Andrea wanted to spend more time working with casual fabrics and
colourful prints, and decided to delve into costume design. She has
made costumes for dance performances, Halloween, and special themed
events, using quality materials and craftsmanship. She has also
started to create menswear and functional work clothes.
 
Andrea describes her style as bold, colourful, and quirky, and usually
steers clear from a pastel colour palette. Although her own personal
clothing style has grown a bit tamer over the years, she has been
working on her tattoo collection, so still presents a pretty colourful
visual. Andrea appreciates the creativity and fearlessness behind Lady
Gaga’s wardrobe, and enjoys the experimental designs of couture
fashion such as Comme des Garcons. She also draws inspiration from
fairy tales, Hitchcock films, and street style.
 
Aside from clothing design, Andrea has a strong passion for tattoo
art. Tattoos are a big part of her life as she co-owns Rebel Waltz
Tattoo with her husband Don. Her husband is the closest creative force
in her life, and she finds herself inspired by his work, and tattoo
art in general. There are tangible connections between creating
clothing and tattoos, such as the use of needles, colour, design, and
shape to adorn a body. And while tattoos are permanent, clothes you
can change every day, to suit whatever mood strikes at that moment.
She strives to make clothes that the wearer will love, something that
is expressive, that fits, and is suited to the individual who wears
it.

Lili & Francine Lavack, twins founded bi.polar couture in early 2011. Their
common vision stems from their sisterly collaboration, combined in unexpected ways
with their contrasting styles, to create Lili’s and Francine’s 2 unique BI.POLAR
COUTURE lines.

Francine’s Paradox

Haute Couture Fashion Designer, Francine Lavack’s interest in fashion started at an early age, with many fashion sketches and chalk drawings on side walks outside her French Saint Boniface home. Francine started designer clothing for herself and her twin sister Lili at the age of 10, letting Lili do most of the sewing. The fashion designing aspect was what most interested Francine as Haute Couture Collections fascinated her. During high school Francine assist design a avantgarde mini fashion collection to showcase at the high school fashion show. Since then, she has participated in several fashion shows, more notably, the Fashion Affaire and Richard Robinsons Grande Premier in 2010, 2011 and 2012.

Francine Lavack studied along the side of Richard Robinson at the Fashion Academy, graduating in both Fashion design and Haute couture. Her collections presented to Richard Robinson have always been styled keeping the best quality as priority. While Francine was attending her post secondary education, she worked at Ca Va de Soi and is currently boutique manager.

Together Francine and her twin sister Lili Lavack founded bi.polar couture in spring 2011. It has always been Francine’s dream to construct garments of haute couture quality under the same label as her twin sister. Together, Francine and Lili work to gain exposure and offer garments of high quality and design offering a collection for spring/summer & fall/winter for bi.polar couture.

Lili’s Paradox

Fashion designer and Textile expert Lili Lavack was first interested in fashion and the creation of a garment when she experimented with her Mother and Aunts’ textiles and homemade garments. She was always determined to find the perfect textile for a self-designed outfit. At a young age, with her twin Francine, they started designing and creating garments. During her first year at a private Fashion Design Academy Lili was introduced to silk painting. And since then she has created garments with her silk paintings. In the present time she is studying and working towards her 4th year degree in science of textile degree at the University of Manitoba.

 Along side with Francine she has created many collections which have been showcased in a variety of fashion shows from 2007 to the present time. Lili is now Co-President of the Winnipeg Fashion Incubator and a very proud representative of Winnipeg fashion with the medias such as the French local newspaper La Liberté, Radio-Canada television & radio, Breakfast Television, and many other local medias. With the WFI team she organizes different fashion events to support local designers.

 Lili and her twin sister Francine founded bi.polar couture in the early 2011. Lili brings a more extravagant flare to the company image with the use of many patterned fabrics, bright colours and elaborate trims. Always using good quality fabrics in very different ways, she creates the sister line that is absolutely unique under the bi.polar couture label every fashion season.

Dee Karpa was born in small town Okucani, Croatia. At a young age her impressions of life were eye-opening. A turbulent four-year civil war erupted near her home and her family escaped to Serbia to seek refuge. They were devastated to leave everything behind knowing that if they returned, nothing would be the same. 

In 2001 her family move to Winnipeg for a new start. Graduating high school with honours, Dee continued on to a diploma program in Business Administration and Marketing. She enjoyed her studies is sales and economics but discovered her passion for architecture was growing too strong to ignore; fashion design would suit her vivacious personality and burning ambition. She enrolled in the year-long intensive fashion program at MC College, and is thrilled to be able to design clothing that would suit a woman life herself – experienced, driven, and focused on their personal and professional goals. 

The Dee Karpa Collection for Fall 2013, is titled Fame & Fortune. Her iconic muse is the duchess of style, Victoria Beckham. Beckham is a fashion mentor, mother, wife, and an entrepreneur who is always on top of the next big fashion trend. 

The Dee Karpa brand offers career and eveningwear for a body conscious woman, whose taste for high quality fabrics, modern colour palettes, and dramatic style lines, is unceasing. 

Dee Karpa was invited to be a guest on Winnipeg’s Finest, a show broadcasted on Red River Radio (radio.rrc.ca) To hear more about the designer, where she came from, and where she plans to go, we invite you to listen to her interview on the show.

Shannon Klymchuk has always loved fashion. When she was laid off at her last job, she decided it was time to try out something fun. She opened a shop at 400 Academy Road, Divine & Conquer. Shannon had taking a fashion merchandising course as well as accounting courses, and felt she had the skills to successfully run a fashion focused business.

Shannon is a true fashionista from birth. She always wanted to look different from everyone else around her and would paint, rip, cut, sew, or dye her clothes to make it so. Divine & Conquer now displays and sells many unique Canadian designer fashions for women in Winnipeg, and tries to only carry items no one else in Manitoba has.

Some of the designer fashions you'll find include Dee Karpa, Alex Espinosa, and Lennard Taylor.

Stop by Divine & Conquer, say hello, and get a peek at great fashions created in your very own backyard!