Local Artist Spotlight: Dee-Dee Shkreli of Dilly Daisy
July 29, 2011 – 10: 00 am
For over five years, Dee-Dee Shkreli, 31, has been making a living out of designing clothes from her home in Windsor. Shkreli said she has always had a love for fashion and claims to have always been creative and colourful with her clothing and accessories long before she knew how to sew. Once she started sewing her clothing line, Dilly Daisy, was born and is unique just like her.
Even though Shkreli attended the University of Windsor for electrical engineering, she always knew fashion was her primary passion; “I started designing and sewing clothing and selling them between classes to help pay for school,” she said.
The saying that everything happens for a reason could be true for Shkreli. Shortly after finding a job after graduation, she was laid off. This allowed Dilly Daisy to become her main focus and it blossomed into something she had always imagined: a career she loves. “Now, I work from home and I couldn’t be happier with the way things turned out,” she said.
Her first big break was in 2010 when she won an international competition that allowed her to travel to England to debut her collection during London Fashion Week.
Dilly Daisy designs stem from Shkrelis’ love for vintage clothing. Retro designs, colourful prints, and distinctive details like ruffles and vintage buttons make her clothes one-of-a-kind. When describing how her line is different from others, she said: “The cuts and designs tend to lean towards an era before I was even born. The fabrics are bright and fun and often resemble fabrics from the past; [Dilly Daisy] doesn’t look like the clothes you see at the mall.”
There are only a few local clothing designers in Windsor, but Shkreli says that they get together to promote their designs and try their hardest to show Windsorites the talent that exists around them. She is so into the local scene that she even takes in students that want to become designers. “I work with them and try to teach them what I know and what I have learned from my experiences. I can only hope that one day they will all become great fashion designers and make Windsor a more fashionable place,” said Shkreli.
Spreading the word about local artists and buying local is the main way for artists like Dee-Dee Shkreli to thrive in this city. You can purchase her line from Hometown Skate Shop on Victoria Ave. in Windsor and JTrove in Mississauga, or online at www.dillydaisy.com
Dilly Daisy will be featured in the upcoming Harvesting the FAM in Windsor. This is Windsor’s largest independent inter-arts festival designed for the promotion and development of independent film, fashion, arts and music talents. It’s a free event that will run from September 30th- October 8th. Check it out at www.famfest.ca!
Photo by Plastic Puppet
Photo by Plastic Puppet
If you are an aspiring designer and want to volunteer with Dilly Daisy email Dee-Dee at dee-dee@dillydaisy.com
Do you know of any local artists that are too unique to go unnoticed? Email Nikki to put them in the spotlight they deserve! nikkirobillard@gmail.com.
