Gazing Into the Fyoocher

by Victoria Nergaard

Spring sunlight crept through the studio window and danced across the sprung floor, landing on a set of surreal, gigantic eyes. Quite literally dancing about, the eyes drifted together and apart as the model wearing them swayed, then posed. Reached, then posed again. Set squarely and expertly in the centre of a pair of pants, just above the knees, the designer of this garment, Jamie Dawes, watched with deep focus and care while her tailored pants were photographed. And the pants watched back.

”I’ve always had the draw to be creative and want to make clothing from scratch myself.” Jamie began to recount her career in design, which started early on in a youthful quest to develop personal style. “I think it came in high school. Obviously, we’re all figuring out our own personal style, yet trying to fit in. It came from me not being able to afford the Aritzia clothing that everyone was wearing, so I started cutting, sewing and making things for myself. That’s probably when it sparked for me and I realized that I actually did love it.” Jamie’s interest to style herself ballooned through her teen years during high school elective sewing classes, slowly building into a career. “I remember that it was everyone’s least favourite class, but I just absolutely loved it. Throughout high school I didn’t take any other electives, the school let me take fashion design class in three separate blocks. I didn’t take art, I didn’t take drama, I didn’t have to do any of that. My parents had to come sign a form and I got sew for like three hours a day. It was really great looking back. And then going into university, and the industry afterwards, there wasn’t really anything that I could identify with as far as other companies. It was good timing for me to start Fyoocher.”

Fyoocher, Dawes’ Vancouver, Canada, based brand, reimagines second-hand, landfill-bound textiles into pants, jackets and more. While her brand grows in infamy— hailed by North American friends and fashion editors alike as the best fitting pants that you’ll ever put on your body—Jamie maintains that it’s really all about the fabrics that she uses, even if these textiles tend to play hard to get. “Sourcing is probably the toughest thing. I have a few local factories that I visit in greater Vancouver. I get their off cuts and scraps, anything that’s been sitting in the warehouse that they know is destined for the landfill or that they’re not going to be using. So that’s been great! Other than that, it’s thrifted fabric. I spend hours at Value Village looking through everything. It’s actually gotten really great in the last couple of months, people have been sending me pictures when they go to Value Village, and I’m like “Yes buy it! I’ll eTransfer you right now!” and they come and drop it off. I have a little sourcing team of friends which is great! To be honest, it’s slim pickings here in Vancouver. My plan last year was to do a road trip to LA’s fashion district and bring my car back full of fabric, but obviously that never happened. So maybe next year? Fingers crossed. I do buy from Fabcycle, they’re a great resource. Yet, in spite of the ever-elusivity of pant fabrics in the Canadian-Pacific-Northwest, Jamie has come across a few gems. Most notably couture marketing banners rescued from Gucci and Dior boutiques across the city that she’s twisted and contorted into wearable works of art. “They’re just so unique, it was the very first thing I ever worked with. It was the first photoshoot I did, and it’s really cool that I was even able to get a hold of them. I didn’t know if they would work as clothing so, it’s just using these unconventional materials to make a classic silhouette. It’s special to me. It’s so different, I could never design fabric like that.” And there really is something so mesmerizing about the hands and expressions perfectly tailored to fit over a living, moving body. Jamie adds, “It’s all about the faces! I love eyes and big faces on clothing because it’s something you never see.”

While Jamie’s fabric sourcing is certainly circular, she points out that sustainability wasn’t necessarily essential from the beginning of her design practice. “I feel like we’ve only started talking about sustainability in the last two years. It was a personal preference as I started making things, especially after watching The True Cost. I want to find a way to be in this space and not add to the consumption, so I’m trying to do it the best I can. But sustainability hasn’t always been a focal point. Maybe the last 2 or 3 years I would say that it’s become important. I was interested in it before, but I was still going to regular fabric stores and still buying fast fashion. I was conscious of it, but I wasn’t changing my actions, like I’m sure lots of people were.” She recognizes that brands like Fyoocher are fairly fresh, and only recently did clients have chic and responsible options. “The only sustainable brands back in the day were linen and, for lack of a better term, hippie hemp clothing. That wasn’t really interesting to me as a young girl who’s into fashion. It’s cool to see the direction that it’s gone now.” Even with sustainability as a novelty in today’s fashion market, it has become increasingly key to the ethos of Fyoocher. “I think you can tell by the lack of quantities that I have that sustainability is in the core of this little brand. Anything that’s not mass produced is on the right track. Plus, the fabrics that you can find that aren’t “this season” are really interesting. There are so many good textiles out there! Don’t get me wrong, I’d love to go to a fabric store, purchase everything, and make a million garments tomorrow, but that’s not what I’m trying to do here. I’m really trying to think about fashion in a more thoughtful way. What am I trying to achieve in this space? What am I trying to leave behind? All of those things have to be well thought out, because I have to back my product at the end of the day. And if I’m not 100%, then I just wouldn’t put it out.”

For Jamie, designing the perfect pant came somewhat out of necessity in her own closet. “I always get thrift store pants, and I always hem and alter them. Being 5’2, I’ve never owned a pair of pants that I haven’t altered. I originally started making products for myself while I was at my old job. I realized that women’s bodies are so different, and I really wanted to offer a product for people to feel good in, and have a customizable option, but still be trend-focused and modern to our generation. There are very few brands out there, especially local, who offer a wide size range, and it’s so rare for women to be able to shop by inseam. Often women don’t have a tailor they go to, so I wanted something that was custom and was a special garment made just for you. Honestly pants just kind of happened first, I never consciously decided to be a pant company. I want to do everything, but pants were the first product and it just kind of took off. Now I can’t get to other designs because I’m so busy sewing pants.” Offering women something that’s chic and current is always top of mind when it comes to Jamie’s designs. “I think choosing the fabrics are a huge part. I don’t just choose everything. I choose what I’m really drawn to, or what has inspired me lately. I’m still trying to stay current.” But Jamie feels that it’s not just her designs that speak to her cult of clients, but also Fyoochers, image, mood, and all of her collaborators which help create it. “I think a lot of it has to do with styling and modelling. I’m really trying to stay true to my brand in the sense that I want to give voices to all of the models that are underdogs without tokenizing anyone. And, knowing that I am a privileged white girl, I don’t want my clothes to only speak for that customer. I think that the way my clothes are styled, who I hire for photography and modelling, and everyone behind the scenes makes it come together to be current. It’s almost like the fabric doesn’t matter. You can make anything cool if it’s photographed the right way. Fashion is all about perception and having that cool factor. If you see a wild print on someone that you think is cool, then immediately it’s trendy.”

While the pandemic turned countless small, local businesses upside down, it revealed itself to be a soft landing for the year-old brand. “I was reflecting on whether or not the pandemic was a good time to start a business and having all of those insecurities. Then I took a second glance and realized this probably was the best year for small businesses to start. Everyone was so busy all the time before, but now they’re slowing down, rethinking their careers and their lives, and really focusing on people in their own country.” While Fyoocher got its start in a city that isn’t necessarily known for brands on the pulse of fashion, Jamie sees the positive in launching out west. “Vancouver is special because we’re so small. It’s a really tiny city and we’re not known for fashion like Toronto and Montreal are, so I feel like it’s a really good starting point. Everyone here is so supportive, and you actually have all of the room to explore. There aren’t many peo-ple in this space doing what Fyoocher is trying to do, so it doesn’t take much to get noticed, which is really great when you’re starting out. I couldn’t imagine being one of 10,000 designers in LA all trying to start at the exact same time out of university, so I think I have a huge advantage that way.“ And from local beginnings, Jamie has very ethical and scalable dreams of expanding, a breath of fresh air under the constant demand for infinite growth entertained by brands. “Ideally, I’d love to hire home seamstresses by contract. I still want to cut everything, so I’d like to drive around doing drop offs and pickups of orders and have a little union here in Vancouver of home sewers. People love working from home and hav-ing that flexibility. I don’t think I’ll ever have a big space where everyone comes in, I really want to allow my team to work whichever hours they want. I always want to stay small and true to my ethos, I can only grow so much with the fabric that’s in Vancouver. When the border opens and I can go to LA, or even Washington and get fabric, there’s room for ex-pansion. Right now there isn’t, but I just want to focus on growing in that direction. I still want to be able to pay everyone what they’re worth and work on some really cool collaborations.” And as the brand grows into itself, Jamie stays firmly planted in Fyoocher’s roots. “I’m really trying to be in the moment and appreciate every sale and every person that I come in contact with. I’ve met so many people here in Vancouver, so I’m trying not to get ahead of myself, and lose the love for why I started this. I don’t want to sew for 10 hours a day, 7 days a week and come to resent it, so I’m trying to take it slow, and be thoughtful with everything. Every opportunity and thing that I’ve done so far, I’m equally grateful for.”

Photos by Noah Markus Leach