GENES #4 - Jamie Dawes of Fyoocher
This issue is about Jamie, a local designer, and her one of a kind, hand-made, piece of clothing that is both beautiful and deeply philosophical.
If you are at all familiar with the fashion scene in “vancouver” then I would guess that you have already seen Jamie and her clothing brand ‘Fyoocher’. If you haven’t, then I suggest taking a minute or two to read a piece about the brand I wrote in 2021; a year into the creation. You can find the link here to get some background information. It covers some of the origin story, as well as the sustainability focus of the brand.
In a city not typically known for its progressive fashion design, Vancouver mainly focused on the “athleisure" industry, Jamie is carving out her own space, putting an endless amount of attention, care, and love into creating a brand different from the rest. She strives to create unique pieces for all, to make a statement with her designs, but also make a difference, focused on sustainable materials and doing everything herself, locally.
Since the beginning of ‘Fyoocher’, I’ve had the privilege of visiting Jamie in all of her studios as she navigates growing a company in a city and industry that always presents one challenge after another, especially when doing it on your own. Although we’ve only sat down together a handful of times, she has always been willing to share her current insights, struggles, victories, and creative process with me as I often ask question after question. It’s been fascinating to watch her pivot from one design to another and the energy she puts into being a one of a kind designer is inspiring to say the least. Originally, it was the pants she was creating that enticed me into checking out the brand and soon after as the brand evolved, I continued to watch as she released beautiful pieces backed with creative marketing and a hyper local appeal.
When I initially asked Jamie to take part in GENEs, I expected her to share an amazing story about a vintage piece she had found. The first time I met her was during a post-thrift shopping session, and our discussions have often revolved around finding quality items sustainably.
When I walked in that day, she actually said the same thing, but decided to pivot to an item of clothing she created herself, and I am so grateful she shared the story with me and ended up picking this piece.
The Dress
I walked into Jamie’s Pandora St. studio on a sunny Saturday morning, a definite upgrade from the windowless studio I visited her in earlier this year. Peek-a-boo views of the mountains in the industrial north end of “east vancouver”. Natural light filled her two room studio, with racks organizing different samples of designs, such as her popular “u-top”, and the typical array of tools of the trade; scissors, paper, sketchbooks, pencils, on the large table where we sat and started to catch up.
We exchanged a few updates about our lives since we last talked, and while we chatted, a dress hung in the corner, just over her shoulder, that kept catching my eye. I had seen it in photos on social media recently but hanging in real life, it was so much more mesmerizing. Thinking it was something she was still working on, or simply just left there to display, I continued on with the conversation not thinking too much more about it. We chatted about life, family, the city and after a little while, I asked simply…”Well, what do you have for me today?” and I hit record on my phone.
To start, with a bit of hesitation, Jamie admitted that she did not have a vintage piece to discuss, although she debated a few options, she didn’t feel like any of them held the same sentiment as the piece she chose.
“Clothes just matter to me so much. I have so many pieces that I've had for years and years and years, but they don't really have a special connection to me like this new dress that I made. It's my favorite piece ever.”
She pointed over her shoulder at the dress I had been staring at and looked at it admiringly.
“I think because I've been in a creative rut recently, and this was an opportunity for me to make a dress or just make something for myself for an event that I was going to…I was just looking all around for something that really suited my personality, and I couldn't find anything out there that was under a thousand dollars. So I spent four days drafting and figuring out what I wanted and then this dress came to life, and now it's my favorite thing in the entire world. It's like a punk princess, and it has all the details that suit me. I like to cover up my neck, and I like to cover up my arms in all aspects of my life. When I publicly speak, which I had to do for this event, I break out in hives….”
Jamie had recently won Western Living Magazine's “One to Watch” and was invited to an event where she’d receive an award and had to give a short speech. Unfortunately, she has a tendency to break out into hives across her chest and on her arms when public speaking and this one, she was anticipating, was going to be a big deal.
“It was such a special moment because I've only been doing this for three years. Physical events where you get recognized rarely happen anymore and I can’t see it happening in the future, so it was just so special. My parents were so excited. My mom got six tickets for us all. I was the only one with their entire family there. It was really special. I think Fyoocher is an extension of me. It was just a really great experience because it was the first time that my parents were seeing me be recognized by the community in a way that isn't just online. I think that even just the physical ceremony and space that they rented and to have an event at all is so rare for creatives.”
She knew wanted something different, something unique to her, and something to shield her physiological reaction to public speaking. Luckily her skill set allowed her to design something perfect. This dress covers all dimensions of those needs and also represents a very pivotal moment for the brand itself.
She started with the top. Wanting to cover up her neck and her arms, she drafted the top as one piece and skirt as a separate piece. Once she was satisfied with the general design she “added in all the seams and the cutouts, and I thought it looked really futuristic and I cut the holes just to play with exposure. When exposure really terrifies me.”
The pattern was cut out and it was time to decide on a fabric. I, of course, at this point was standing right next to it, checking out the details and taking photos, fascinated by the contrasting colours and patterns I needed to know more about their origins.
“I'll never find this fabric again. I found it all at Value Village, and all of the fabrics were perfectly in a row next to each other in the material section. I was just like... I was so blown away because it's all the same sheen and all the same texture. And I had been saving this fabric for probably two years, and I really had no plan for it because I wanted to make something for myself. I tend to make a lot of things that don't have sleeves, so I don't wear my own clothes. This was really a big moment for me to actually wear something for myself. In reality, I don't own a single Fyoocher piece.”
The attendees on the day of the awards could not have been dressed any different. An older crowd, mostly dressed in black, juxtaposed a vibrant Jamie rocking her custom dress, again, marking her place in this cities creative design community. The dress fulfilled all the needs of the evening, protection, uniqueness, and of course, style.
We transitioned from talking about the creative process of the dress to the philosophical and sentimental aspects of this dress, both rooted deeply in where she feels the brand, and her own creativity, are right now.
“I'm going through a really interesting phase right now in my life where I think that I'm really trying to find my creative confidence again. I think owning a brand really kills your creativity. Because it's so focused on money. I have so many expenses just to run the company every month that it has taken away all of the joy of really trying to just create something different and unique. It really puts me in the mindset of this needing to be commercial, this needs to be marketable. This needs to be sellable. And that's not what fashion should be. I think fashion should provoke people and you offer an idea and people are going to hate it or love it, and then it will grow on you and then it will become accepted.”
We dug deeper into this balancing act of being both an artist and entrepreneur. Each side takes so much time and energy and at different points require more attention over the other, sometimes taking away or being counter productive to the other side of the equation. At this unique part of her journey, she is feeling pulled in different directions, wanting to open up the creative side of ‘Fyoocher’ while still ensuring she has the financial capabilities to continue on and have a successful business, especially in an expensive city.
Her analysis and reflection on the ebb and flow of the fashion design business was fascinating to me and I couldn’t help but think about my GENEs header design in relation to what we had been talking about. One line of the ‘gene’ representing the creative process, the other the business side. When one is peaking, the other is likely taking a back seat until they cross paths again. Jamie is now at the point where she wants the creative side to dominate so that she can enter into the next phase of this company, having to potentially put aside the more “successful” designs to open space for something new and exciting. With this comes some financial sacrifice, a step into the unknown, and putting herself out into the public eye by releasing things that people may be unfamiliar with, things that we would generally consider business “risks”, but maybe more exhilarating for an artist.
The dress represents this next phase. In my interpretation, allowing herself to take on a new challenge, to design something new, something different, and something truly herself, reopened what she has always believed the purpose of designing in fashion is; an extension of herself, and a provocation to anyone watching. Taking a risk and “playing on exposure” is part of that action of creation, pushing your understanding and own boundaries by testing the skill set to improve, refine, or evolve the vision. Inspiration and these sparks of change often come unanticipated, in this case, it was the need to design something for herself. She of course seems nervous about this next step, knowing that a step into the unknown is risky, especially when you have a business to run. She has learned a lot since starting this company and I am sure there will be more to learn, but there was a sense that she has settled into the uncertainty and is ready to move forward.
Into the Fyoocher
We headed outside to take a couple more portraits and talk about what we had planned for the rest of the weekend. I then left to get to my next interview and Jamie went back upstairs to get some work done.
I think it is safe to say that although she is at an inflection point of her journey as an entrepreneur, I am confident that this next phase of Fyoocher will be one of inspiration, creativity, and organic growth. In my mind, creatives work best when things get a bit chaotic and uncertain. That day we talked, I saw someone driven and energetic, inspired and ready, and I look forward to seeing what comes next.
Jamie’s GENE’s recommendations;
a local; she suggested long time friend and photographer Briggs Ogloff
a reach; she suggested Vivienne Westwood, the inspiration for the dress
Thanks, as always, for reading. I am so glad that Jamie picked this piece, my brain was on fire for days after putting this story together in my mind. If you don’t already, follow Fyoocher to stay tuned to what is happening.
If you liked this story, please consider subscribing, sharing, leaving a comment, or hitting that heart down below. I would love to continue this series and hearing from the people reading it gives me the fuel to continue!
— md