Many department stores end up with bags of unsellable opened packages of nylon hosiery which they either toss away or try to donate to non-profit organizations, or if they’re lucky someone will take them off their hands. But who would do that and why would they?
Back in 2002, while in the Textile Arts Program at Capilano College in North Vancouver, BC, Katherine Soucie was working on a project learning screen printing, “we were supposed to apply different printing processes and surface design techniques. At that point in time I was really into finding and working with materials that were discarded in the [textile] industry and that no one else was printing on,” says Soucie. That led her to experiment with nylon hosiery to re-invent a strong and long-lasting material which was the beginning of her popular Polymer Series. This project won her two scholarships which allowed her to launch her business “Sans Soucie,” French for ‘without a care’.
Imagine pantyhose transformed into snag-free and long lasting form-fitting tops, skirts, and dresses. Soucie has achieved this by dyeing, cutting, and silk-screening regular grade nylon hosiery. Soucie’s hosiery garments are machine washable, more abrasion-resistant and less likely to ruin or run.
Katherine Soucie in her work garb and sweet Chauchi (having a snooze)
I visited Soucie this past November at her small work/live studio in historical Japantown in Vancouver. Katherine’s knowledge of the fashion and textile industry is impressive. What follows is part of our conversation on the textile industry, business, and on being an artist.
Katherine’s work/live studio: in the foreground tops by Sans Soucie, in the background piles of stockings
How did you get started on sewing?
My dad’s mother was a milliner and my great great grandfather was a tailor. It’s just kind of in my blood – in my cultural history. My mom’s British. She immigrated to Canada, and my dad is French Canadian. I became fascinated by fabric and sewing at a really young age, and it wasn’t until I was 12 or 13 that I determined that it was something I wanted to do.
How did you develop your knowledge of fashion and textiles?
I went to a high school where I was able to study fashion from grade 9 to grade 12. By the time I hit college I was already familiar with drafting patterns, sewing on industrial machines, and selling my work. I studied fashion at two colleges in Ontario. I was very creative and a lot of my work was very couture based and I wanted to get that fabric that was that perfect shade of red. As an independent designer you’re really limited. There’s not that many print houses or dye houses where you can get materials made for you on a small scale. That’s when I realized I should be studying textiles.
My sister was living here [Vancouver] and convinced me to move out to the west coast. I completed the Capilano College Textile Arts Program four and a half years ago. From the time I finished, things really took off as a result of getting a few scholarships. I decided to take that money and put it into what I’m doing now.
Sans Soucie’s Pomegranate Dip-Dyed Skirt in a hand-dyed nylon/spandex blend
I see you’ve got quite a few bags of black hosiery. Do you find it limiting to start with a predetermined colour?
No, I like that challenge. That’s where your design skills come in. Sometimes I get really fine hosiery, and because it’s so delicate I have to layer it with other materials. I can’t just section it together, it’s an evolving process.
Is all your stuff one-of-a-kind and limited series?
Yes, I like doing retail shows because I can have all one-of-a-kind. Typically I find people gravitate toward the one-of-a-kind stuff anyway because there’s something to be said about the way you approach your work when you’re in a certain head space. There’s an energy when you’ve done something that you’re really proud of, instead of having to produce something over and over again. I can be more experimental ― sometimes I’ll only have a certain amount of material dyed in a certain print, something will occur, a mistake perhaps, and I’ll look at another material…things will just evolve. It’s a very random process which I really enjoy.
With one-of-a-kind how do you decide what size to do a piece in?
That’s the tough part because with one-of-a-kind sometimes you only have enough material to do something small. People typically buy one or two pieces at a time, because they know it’s never going to be produced again or because it really represents who they are. It’s amazing the response I’ve had “these are my colours…I’ve never seen them put together like this…this sums me up” Or once a woman said, “I’m a widow. I went on my first date and I bought one of your pieces and it changed my life.”
What do you do to keep abreast of new developments in textiles?
I’m a member of the Surface Design Association. I go to their conference in Kansas City every two years. There’s people from all over the world there, die companies, fabric companies and there’s a showroom. I’m also always on the Internet. I’m a bit of a research bug, I’m constantly into seeing what people are doing.
What do your marketing efforts entail?
In the past four years the media attention I’ve received has garnered a lot of word of mouth. I let the media know what I’m doing. I sent out press releases when I do retail and wholesale shows. I don’t advertise anywhere. In researching online, I also look at websites where I can cross link.
Where do you sell?
I used to do many shows but I now do three shows a year: Circle Craft Christmas Craft Market (a retail show here in Vancouver) [features a nice photo of Soucie's work], One of a Kind in Chicago also a retail show, and Atelier in New York , a wholesale trade show. I also have an Etsy shop, sanssoucie.etsy.com
Hand dyed and sewn knee socks made from reclaimed nylon hosiery.
What is your creative process like and what informs your work?
I do a lot of concept sketching of random things, which is against my whole training in design where you’re supposed to put 50 to 100 illustrations together for a collection. I approach everything in a series because I’m limited with the materials I can get.
I’m interested in the history of textiles. Recently I started researching Victorian lace and that led me to look at post Victorian / Edwardian lace. The next series I’m doing is based on the Belle Époque. I start research on the Internet looking at certain patterns, motifs, artists of the period, and their philosophy. I also look at architecture. I always liked lace but could never find a proper construction to apply it to because its typically a very formal material, either that or it’s associated with funerary or mourning attire. So I’m trying to find the right place for it within my work.
I’m also inspired by Vancouver weather, and especially by this area (Japantown), it’s interesting to see how the environment effects your taste in colour palettes.
How do you fit in within eco-fashion?
I use non-toxic pigments and low impact dyes. Through all the processes I take into consideration what I’m putting out there. The material becomes stronger because of the process I apply to it. Because of that this material is not ending up in the landfill. It’s not produced as yardage, if it was I probably wouldn’t be doing this. There’s a huge waste in [the textile] industry, especially in the dying and printing phases, and obviously in all the five steps of processing from fibre through yarn to dying, and printing, even the energy that goes into weaving and knitting on an industrial level. I’m extremely aware of that and try not to contribute to it as much as possible. I like working with waste materials. I take into consideration all the steps, even the energy that’s being used in this place [work/live studio], how I ship my work — I’m always recycling boxes and I get recycled plastic. It’s my responsibility what I put out there and you have to practice what you preach.
What is success for you?
It comes down to sustainability, in regards to being able to maintain it. When you’ve built yourself up to a certain level where you want to be and maintaining the professional relationships you have and continuing to produce work that’s not only going to develop your skills but to contribute to that whole maintenance. It’s hard work to get where you want to be but then it’s also hard work to be able to maintain it. I want to be able to develop and evolve and as a result making a living at something I really enjoy doing.
Katherine Soucie – Website.
About the writer: Laura Bucci is a freelance writer from Vancouver, Canada. She has a background in Fine Arts and has always been involved in the arts through photography, web design and as gallery assistant. She now designs her own knitted felted bags. She blogs on arts, crafts, and activism as well as small business issues and current projects. Blog .
