Since beginning her millinery career, Carrie Yap says she has developed a newfound understanding and appreciation for the complexity of Asian arts.Melanie Gauer/Yap Sister
Creating custom millinery requires intense skill and concentration, qualities that attracted Carrie Yap to the métier. “Everything is done by hand, it’s extremely precise, it’s extremely detailed and it requires a ton of control and discipline,” she says. The founder of Yap Sister Studio in Calgary, she can spend up to a month producing intricate, eye-catching headpieces that reflect her Asian identity.
After travelling to New York to study under milliner Anya Caliendo in 2019, Yap returned to Calgary to launch her brand. “I love the derby world and English fashion hats, but those pieces just didn’t resonate with me,” she says. Instead, Yap employs traditional millinery techniques that have been interwoven with references to Asian culture, such as silk embroidery and Chinese knots. “I’ve woven in little pieces of symbolism that would give good blessings or be good omens to wear, things like having good fortune or happiness,” says Yap, who sources small amounts of silk and natural-fibre textiles so that each piece will be unique to the wearer.
Since beginning her millinery career, Yap says she has developed a newfound understanding and appreciation for the complexity of Asian arts. “Every time I make a piece, I just learn so much more about the culture and the history. Bringing that to light, I see that a lot of other hyphen-Canadians can resonate with that message of embracing that culture again,” she says.
Yap Sister Studio, yapsisterstudio.com.
In stock
Melanie Gauer/Yap Sister
Yap Sister Studio Bird’s Nest, US$250.
Melanie Gauer/Yap Sister
Yap Sister Studio Double Coin, US$325.
Melanie Gauer/Yap Sister
Yap Sister Studio “Yun” or Cloud, US$575.
Style news
Fashion, wellness and design events continue both virtually and in safe, physically distanced ways. London Fashion Week runs from until Feb. 23 as a digital-only event. This season’s schedule features nearly 100 designers, including Molly Goddard, Simone Rocha, Roksanda, Victoria Beckham and Tiger of Sweden. Tickets are available for Goop’s next In Goop Health: The At-Home Summit, taking place on March 6. Featuring a roster of practitioners and thought leaders, the content will be available to guests for four weeks. And Winter Stations in Toronto has revealed its four winning designs, to be presented outdoors once lockdown restrictions permit.
George Sully, the Canadian footwear designer and founder of the Black Designers of Canada, a comprehensive index of Black Canadian designers in the fashion industry, has announced the launch of The Black Designers of Canada Award of Excellence. The award is recognition of talent across the country and an acknowledgment of the struggles faced by Black Canadian designers. On Feb. 24, the designers will be honoured for their exceptional companies and brands, websites and ecommerce shops, as well as social media platforms, photography and overall brand presentation. For more information, visit blackdesignersofcanada.com.
Two popular fashion brands have teamed up on a new collection. On Feb. 19, Vans and Opening Ceremony launched their first global collection of footwear, apparel and accessories. Opening Ceremony founders Humberto Leon and Carol Lim have put their spin on Vans’ signature checkerboard print, using abstract snake and leopard patterns on shoes, including Vans original deck shoe, and clothing such as a track suit-inspired jacket, pants and a tote. A second footwear style follows in a monochromatic quilted style with an Opening Ceremony patch on the heel. For more information, visit vans.com.
Known as a social marketplace for new and second-hand apparel for women, men, kids and the home, Poshmark has recently introduced a category dedicated to pets. Recognizing the increase in pet ownership during the COVID-19 pandemic, Poshmark is catering to these family members with new and second-hand accessories like collars and leashes, supplies like carriers and crates, toys and other essentials for dogs, cats, fish, reptiles and other household animals. Poshmark members can follow the action using the hashtag #PoshPets. For more information, visit poshmark.ca.
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