Graduating St. Joseph Catholic High School student Carissa Greer is hoping a medal from the national Skills Canada competition last weekend will help her to continue pursuing her love of fashion design.
Greer was in Saskatoon last weekend where she earned a bronze medal in Fashion Technology. She says she has been sewing since grade six, and after 4 regional and provincial competitions, this was a very rewarding way to finish.
“My fashion teacher Mrs. Gorman, she kind of recruited me in Grade 9 so it’s been a very long journey and I’ve slowly climbed the ranks. It feels pretty amazing to finish of Grade 12 and the skills journey with a bronze at nationals.”
Greer was competing with five other students in the Fashion Technology category. She says she was given a basic pattern for a denim jacket a few months before the competition which allowed her to research and design the jacket she would go on to create.
“I usually look at designers and different big companies that are constantly making these new fall and summer lines. I go through and see really cool designs that I decide I might want to incorporate that into something that I’m making. This jacket actually was inspired by Burberry.”
The design of each jacket is what makes them stand apart in the competition.
“I added a cape on top and a flared cuff on the sleeve, and also a flared piece on the hip of the coat with a whole bunch of design lines and such to create sort of a wasp waist design so it looks like a corset.”
Greer says she hopes more students start to get involved in Skills Canada as it is a great way to gain experience, beef up your resume, and start making a name for yourself in your chosen industry.