Fashion Forward - The Biography of Valrie Powell - Cherry Chic Designs

Born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, of Jamaican heritage and cultural descent, I was strongly influenced by my mother who was a seamstress.

Manitoba, (more specifically Winnipeg), is a unique city heavily influenced by the arts. From the backdrops of old monumental buildings of the Downtown core-to St. Boniface, the Forks, Fort Garry, and the Monastery ruins of St. Norbert , the influence of the city’s scenic settings hosts inspiration to a variety musical talents and the arts on a whole-- produced in this city.

My interest in fashion started at an early age, constructing patterns and creating new designs with Barbie dolls as my models. As I matured my interest in fashion continued to grow and evolve, as I focused on creating designs for EVERY WOMAN. The challenge was to create “feel good” fashions that could place every woman, regardless of their body type-- from the runway and pages of a magazine, to the club, to the office, and every place in between. These designs were created to accentuate individual assets of each unique body type and proportions, while masking the challenges of breaking the mould of 36”-24”-36” measurements.

My experience began in High school—creating pieces for the Spring pre-graduation fashion shows. I further pursued opportunities in collaboration with (PR) promotional opportunities for club openings, hair shows, and other fundraiser's and fashion shows. When an opportunity arose, I took the initiative to host my own showcase featuring 20+ garments of my designs. Through networking with other local designers, makeup artists, hair stylists and models, the show itself was a success. Unfortunately at the time, Winnipeg as a city venue, had not secured a place on the map in the fashion world industry.

I continued to produce my pieces for friends, and accepted requests for alterations on store purchased items, increasing my knowledge of garment construction and design, while reaffirming the growing need for style accessibility for every body type.