Ali Schick’s designs have been featured on the runways at Western Canadian Fashion Week and are sold in local stores like Bamboo Ballroom and Hideout Distro, but her passion for design started in a junior high classroom.
“My fashion instructor was actually pretty integral,” says Schick. “My teacher said, ‘Hey, you draw lots of really interesting clothing on your characters. Did you know that you could take what you’ve drawn and we could actually bring it to life here in the classroom?’ And that just kind of blew my mind.”
Schick created the Suka Clothing brand in 2001 when she was a student in MC College’s Fashion Design and Apparel Production diploma program. In 2007, Bamboo Ballroom picked up her designs to sell in-store and Suka Clothing quickly gained popularity. Shick describes her designs as always evolving with a punk rock-esque edge. Or, in her words “social misfit fashion.”
“It’s always evolving and it’s always growing up with my demographic, and that’s kind of the fun part about it,” says Schick. “I wouldn’t say there’s something for everyone, but it’s definitely for the person that connects with their surroundings and their community.”
One of Schick’s best selling designs is the diamond dress, a black form-fitting dress with an asymmetrical hemline and mesh sleeves. Canadian country singer Amy Metcalfe wore the dress on the 2016 Alberta Country Music Awards red carpet. Schick says she knows a piece stands the test of time when she sees designs from 10 years ago being resold on websites like Poshmark.
“It really is encouraging that these pieces have this character where people are remembering them and are still looking for them,” says Schick.
Schick is currently working on collaborations with Honest Wear Goods and Hideout Distro that will be released later this year. Her current collection of jackets, blazers, dresses, knits and tees is available at https://www.sukaclothing.co
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