Dernier Cri has unearthed another amazing Ottawa designer, Angie Fisher the head designer and the creative mind behind all of Demü label designs.
But before we delve into the fabulous world of yet another Ottawa designer, I want to remind everyone of the GREAT Spring giveaway. All you have to do is click HERE and you can win a choice between two AMAZING summer scents, Love (Chloe) and/or Lola (Marc Jacobs). Each perfume is 50ml (eau de parfum) and is brand spankin' new. So make sure that you check out the contest here.
So without further ado, let me introduce you the mastermind behind Demü: Angie Fisher.
1. Tell me a little bit about yourself and how you got started
Well my name is Angie; I’m 23 years old. I’m a Carleton Azrieli School of Architecture graduate but I have always had a soft spot for the Fashion industry. Both my family and my business partner & fiancé Andre’s family are entrepreneurs, so entrepreneurship has been imprinted in our DNA. Andre and I started dating when I was 15 and he was 17. By the time I was 17, he and I would constantly talk about starting a company together. Not only did we feel we could maybe be successful at it, we also felt it would be a great project for us to take on together... kind of like when a couple enjoys biking together, only we’d enjoy running a business together (looking back, we were naive to think that comparison actually represented the project we were embarking on, but you live you learn). It wasn’t until my second year of University that we realized how obsessive we were about street wear and fashion. Both Andre and I would see ourselves traveling and spending countless hours at the shopping malls and analyzing what we’re seeing on the racks of major brands from all over. We’d literally buy nothing and have a great time doing it (which I think every girl would agree is unusual)! After countless nights of brainstorming and conversation, we decided to amalgamate my artistic touch with Andre’s business sense. That’s when Demü was born. It took months to come up with a name that represented what we stand for. Demü was chosen because it is short form for “Demütig” which is German for humble. Andre and I agreed that this was the characteristic which we admired the most in a person and thus we wanted our brand to represent it. In the interest of not writing a novel, I won’t go through the nitty gritty of how we finally launched our first collection, but I can tell you it involved over a year’s worth of writing a business plan, brainstorming ideas, drawing, cutting, sewing and making the contacts necessary to develop and sell our collection. There were so many challenges and setbacks, but I wouldn’t have it any other way! It was extremely hard, but very fun too!
Design and Craftsmanship: We put an extreme attention to detail on every garment we produce. While many street wear brands put their trust in mass producing production partners, we collaborate with artisan producers who have been in the fashion industry their entire life. I engulf myself in every step of the design and development process looking at ways of constructing the perfect piece. Our graphics as well have are very detailed in nature. For example, one particular piece we call the Blue Print was developed using notes during our brainstorming session for the vigil-ANTI concept. You’ll notice in small print words such as “Guardien du Monde” which is what the collection was initially going to be called until we switched it to something a little more Demü! Finally, I think what is most unique about our designing is we don’t follow the mould. We’ll make it a point to lock ourselves away from what the industry is telling us in an effort to produce something that is relevant to us and that we know our customer will love.
Exclusivity: As “unmodest” as it may sound, we always try to consider ourselves the hidden gem of the fashion industry and we always want to be viewed that way. We produce very limited quantities and we are available in very few retailers. We don’t want to saturate the market with our designs because we want you to be a part of a select group who owns the piece you purchased from us. We feel this creates a sense of community as we’ve heard countless stories of our customers wearing Demü running in to another person wearing Demü and they sparked a conversation solely because they were curious to know how they had both heard of the brand. We love hearing stories like that, because that’s what we want to accomplish as a brand. Make people feel like they’re a part of something special and unique.
The Values: The collection comes with a goal to bolster self-esteem. This means a portion of the proceeds from the sale of any of our pieces goes towards funding another top quality collection which we will continue to create in the intricate manner we’ve been doing since day 1, another portion will be set aside so that we can reach our secondary goal of establishing a charitable organization geared towards bolstering self-esteem worldwide and finally a portion of the proceeds will go towards supporting existing causes which support youth and their proper development to become strong and confident young adults.
2. What makes your collection unique?
I think our collection is unique for three primary reasons:
Design and Craftsmanship: We put an extreme attention to detail on every garment we produce. While many street wear brands put their trust in mass producing production partners, we collaborate with artisan producers who have been in the fashion industry their entire life. I engulf myself in every step of the design and development process looking at ways of constructing the perfect piece. Our graphics as well have are very detailed in nature. For example, one particular piece we call the Blue Print was developed using notes during our brainstorming session for the vigil-ANTI concept. You’ll notice in small print words such as “Guardien du Monde” which is what the collection was initially going to be called until we switched it to something a little more Demü! Finally, I think what is most unique about our designing is we don’t follow the mould. We’ll make it a point to lock ourselves away from what the industry is telling us in an effort to produce something that is relevant to us and that we know our customer will love.
Exclusivity: As “unmodest” as it may sound, we always try to consider ourselves the hidden gem of the fashion industry and we always want to be viewed that way. We produce very limited quantities and we are available in very few retailers. We don’t want to saturate the market with our designs because we want you to be a part of a select group who owns the piece you purchased from us. We feel this creates a sense of community as we’ve heard countless stories of our customers wearing Demü running in to another person wearing Demü and they sparked a conversation solely because they were curious to know how they had both heard of the brand. We love hearing stories like that, because that’s what we want to accomplish as a brand. Make people feel like they’re a part of something special and unique.
The Values: The collection comes with a goal to bolster self-esteem. This means a portion of the proceeds from the sale of any of our pieces goes towards funding another top quality collection which we will continue to create in the intricate manner we’ve been doing since day 1, another portion will be set aside so that we can reach our secondary goal of establishing a charitable organization geared towards bolstering self-esteem worldwide and finally a portion of the proceeds will go towards supporting existing causes which support youth and their proper development to become strong and confident young adults.
3. What was the inspiration behind your new collection: Vigil-Anti?
The inspiration for this line stemmed from our ongoing fascination with the dynamism of comic books. Superheroes nowadays come in all forms; from the fictional to the political to the inspirational. The intention of the collection is to demonstrate the equal grounds on which anyone can establish themselves as a superhero. The style itself is inspired by a cross between nerdy and rock & roll, nostalgia meeting contemporary
4. What is the next step for DEMU?
Well, our short term goal is for the brand to become available in independent boutiques across Canada. We want to share our brand with the select group across Canada who is interested in what we’re attempting to accomplish. In the longer run, we’re entertaining the prospect of opening our own store location. But that’s very much in its early stages of planning. We’re not sure of what the store would entail, where it would be and when we would open it. It’s a conversation Andre and I have over coffee every now and again. In the meantime, we will continue to bring forth collections that strive to surpass our target market’s expectations and coordinate events that will connect our customers. As I alluded to earlier, a side project of ours is developing a charitable organization geared towards bolstering self-esteem in a meaningful way. We plan that this can come to fruition within a 3 to 5 year time span.
5. Do you think that there is a vibrant fashion scene in Ottawa?
Much like our brand, we look at the Ottawa fashion scene as a bit of a hidden gem. Though we are not recognized for being a major hub for the fashion industry, when called upon, the Ottawa fashionistas can come out and make a pretty strong statement! I suspect that with great stores like Schadd on the market and the recent opening of Urban Outfitters, major retail stores such as H&M will start to recognize Ottawa’s downtown core as a prime place to open up shop. Once that happens, I think Ottawa will be better recognized for its Fashion scene. Until then, it’s up to independent designers and independent clothing stores to help put Ottawa on the fashion map by not abandoning their roots and working through the challenges of operating their brand outside of the major fashion hubs of North America.
6. Any advice for people who any up-and-coming Ottawa designers?
Here is also a great video showcasing all the outfits. Who ever choose the music and did the editing, I just have to say WOW. I love the clip! Check it out
Never do anything for the money; always cater to a greater purpose and stay true to what you believe in. Though it may sound corny and cliché, I can’t stress how quickly you will crash and burn if your sole motivation is making money.
Here are a couple of great shots from their Vigil-ANTI campaign! Great idea, costumes and some awesome models. If you want to purchase any of these great pieces, please visit the label's website. And don't forget to check out Dernier Cri's giveaway rightttttt here!
Here is also a great video showcasing all the outfits. Who ever choose the music and did the editing, I just have to say WOW. I love the clip! Check it out
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