Theres no smell of patchouli filling the air at WE Vancouver as Lexi Soukoreff lays out her tie-dyed yoga pants on the table.
She fans out the hand-dyed panties and scarves next, andNopeThe only scent surrounding the collection is of style with subtle notes of sexy.
Soukoreff is spot on trend. Tie-dye once the official print of jam bands and hippie clichés is back.
With skin-tight Shibori pants and flowing ombre dresses appearing on the likes of Nicole Richie and Alessandra Ambrosio this summer (its practically all Ambrosio wears on the street), the look has returned, sophisticated and effortless. Effortless, yes. Easy? No.
In reality, Soukoreff puts hours of layered techniques into each one-of-a-kind tie-dyed piece for her clothing line, Daub + Design:
I call it colour math, because most of us know from basic art classes that red + yellow + blue = mud. So you have to bereally careful.
The designer got her BFA from Emily Carr, studied merchandising at Blanche Macdonald and textile design in the now-suspended Textile Arts program at Capilano University.
Its disappointing, she says of the program cut. In terms of having technical skills to take to a company or to start your own line, it was really valuable.
In the two-year diploma program, Soukoreff was able to use a plethora of specialized equipment for weaving, silk screening, and what she ultimately discovered as her favourite process: surface design, which is anything that goes on the surface as opposed to actual construction.
Her company name has its roots in technique; Daub means to apply colouring material to a surface crudely, but the results are antithetically refined the wicking fabric aptly handling the rigours of yoga class while transitioning in style to après-drinks.
Her pieces are sewn locally, and hand-dyed by Soukoreff in her Gastown studio in small runs, using only the necessary amount of dye (a process called "exhausting the dye bath"), meaning her line is also eco-friendly.
With Fall filling her collection with darker hues and limited editions, head to her website for updates and local stockists.
Custom prints are also available.
