Charlene Hall has been designing and selling jewellery at her Sun Peaks’ boutique for longer than she cares to say. While crafting custom jewellery is still her passion, in 2011 Hall launched Fusion North Designs, a line of ladies’ clothing. She’s excited to see her newest creative endeavour flourish.
“My goal’s to get it into other boutiques in Canada,” says Hall who’s recently partnered with a fashion representative in Vancouver who’ll market the line.
Hall’s boutique, Fusion North, caters to women who “Have some curves but want something stylish that looks good and feels comfortable.” The clothing line debuted with a line of dresses and skirts. As the seasons changed, Hall moved on to designing winter coats.
“For winter all our stock changes, so I started a line of wool coats,” she explains, noting she’s getting a great response for her three-quarter length walking coats.
Hall’s sense of fashion is informed by a desire for comfort, style and convenience. She uses fabrics that travel well and are cold water washable.
“You don’t have to walk around in fleece all the time and just because we live on a mountain doesn’t mean you can’t have style,” says Hall.
Showcasing her line at Fusion North is the first step in a test marketing campaign that Hall hopes will grow. As the spring and summer wholesale clothing shows get underway, Hall will be debuting her line of raincoats, dresses, skirts and tunics.
Ann Philpot, a local designer who sells handcrafted wall hangings at Fusion North Boutique took the leap into fashion designing alongside Hall. Philpot’s line of hand-painted appliquéd shirts caters to women of all sizes, including plus size.
“We did a couple of shows in Kamloops and we noticed there’s just not much out there for bigger ladies,” says Philpot whose designs sell exclusively at Fusion North.
“Ann and I are collaborating on this project,” says Hall. “We saw there’s a market for clothing that’s beautiful, that curvier women can fit into.”
Finding a niche and filling it is no small endeavour, but Hall and Philpot are up for the challenge.
“There’s going to be a full push in January,” say Hall who’s also planning on taking her fashion jewellry line national this year.
Fusion North Boutique is located in the Delta Sun Peaks Resort Hotel.
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