I will admit, I fell in love with Christie Clayton at the BC Fashion Week press conference. She was friendly, approachable and she looked crazy with her neon pink hair. I appreciated her energy. We covered her Fall 2008 showing at BCFW’s Generation Next, and I loved her line, Carny Love. At the time, I spoke with designers and media and heard the whole gamut: it was a love/hate relationship. One designer marked the Carny Love line as “lacking creativity” and having a “generic style.” Another journalist mentioned she “didn’t mind the line, but [I] expected more from someone who has such crazy style in her own day-to-day look.”

Then yesterday, Christie Clayton and I shared a chance reunion at the Vancouver Public Library…we were meant to meet again! I sat down with the designer of Carny Love for an impromptu interview and learned some valuable insights:

What would you say is the artistic direction of your line?

Big things are happening right now, it’s going both sophisticated and indie. I’m looking to close that gap and bridge the two together.

Where do you sell your stuff right now?

Dream, Pleasant Girl, and Liquid. I also have retailers in Victoria and Nelson as well.

Where are you from originally?

Nelson. It’s actually a very fashion-forward town! I was looking around and style-watching when I was there with my boyfriend recently, and I realized that I’ve taken a lot of my design inspiration from my home town and youth. It’s eccentric and creative, but fashionable at the very same time. There are a lot of ski bums and hippies that don’t dress like ski bums and hippies.

Could you explain how you work in relation to the fashion industry?

The rule about fashion is that there are no rules. Actually, there is one other rule, and that is to be on time. Make sure you meet the seasonal deadlines and keep doing what you’re doing, be yourself. I am myself; I always have been and I always will be. I understand the concept of “the market” and the marketing side to fashion, but I have to be careful not to tweak my work to a point where it’s not even what I want.

Would you be offended if a flashy celebrity known for having little to no substance was spotted wearing your designs?

Of course I would like Paris Hilton to wear Carny Love! My clothing is for party girls, for women with personality. I found that BC Fashion Week wanted me to refine my age group, which was difficult. I’ve sold clothes to 50 and 60 year-old women, and I’ve sold it to young women in their twenties.

Why Carny Love, that’s not your name?

There is a book by Catherine Dunn called “Geek Love” about a family of Carnies. The mother in the story would give birth to deformed children who became “circus freaks” after unknowingly being drugged throughout the course of her pregnancies by her husband. She gave birth to many children, but only four children survived because one child had killed the rest of the children out of jealousy. The book is a dark story about humanity and I used this subject matter to get these ideas out through my work.

My clothing has a lot of meaning in it, for example the Holy Ghost Hoodie – in Catholicism, the Holy Ghost acts almost as a radio between the individual and the Lord. In wearing the Holy Ghost Hoodie, I wanted people to feel a closer connection to a creator – regardless of what you may believe. Whether you are simply spiritual or religious, or you are neither and just like a fun hoodie. I myself am not particularly religious!

Photo credit goes to Kris Krug of Static Photography.