Quentin Collier, alongside models wearing his designs, thanks the more than 200 people that showed up for his fashion show on Saturday night.
(JENNIFER STAHN / iNFOnews.ca)
February 04, 2014 - 10:49 AM
QUINN COLLIER ISN'T A SECRET ANYMORE
KAMLOOPS — Each turn on the catwalk is like the page of a story Quentin Collier wants to tell: A sweet, innocent girl heads to Los Angeles where she is transformed by a rocker lifestyle.
This story is the inspiration behind the designs in 16-year-old Collier's latest fashion line bringing lace, leather and fur against plaids and tapestries to help bring his story to life.
Collier, who began designing and sewing in Grade 6, says he tried some new elements this year, including the appearance of cutouts in many of the pieces.
“It's more work than it looks like,” he explains of the complex process he learned on the fly. “You cut a strip and sew it... line it up and then insert it.”
Collier is no longer a secret in Kamloops. Once his shows were small enough that he could fit them in his house, dressing mostly his sisters and a few friends. For this show, they needed a bigger venue and Infotel News was invited to both a sneak preview and the show itself.
Dining space in the Culinary Arts building at Thompson Rivers University was transformed by Nic Zdunich and several others to meet the needs of an edgy fashion show.
The girls gathered at 1 p.m. before Saturday's 15-minute show to start getting ready. Several hours are spent perfecting makeup and hair before a few more hours of rehearsals. Collier, who turns 17 this week, knows what he wants and does several runs of the catwalk himself to show the models what he expects of them.
“They all need to be confident,” he says. “We figure out who will wear everything after, but I have a pretty good idea (as I'm sewing.)”
More than 200 people packed the converted dining space on Saturday evening for food and fashion and all eyes are on the teenage girls Quinn chose to showcase his work.
Before the lights go up, parents talk of their 'grown up little girl' but none of them as proud as Todd Collier, not only father to Quinn but also Simone, chosen by Quinn as the final runway model in the final piece—a skirt inspired by a scarf brought over from Europe many years ago.
Quinn was nearly overwhelmed by the amount of support he received.
“Thank you, thank you so much,” he says with just a hint of tears in his eyes.
To contact a reporter for this story, email jstahn@infotelnews.ca, call (250)819-3723 or tweet @JennStahn.
News from © iNFOnews, 2014