“For generations in my family, it has been of great importance to appreciate handmade goods and support the industry as much as we could. And this is what I have tried to create with Natale: an experience where people are able to both learn, as well as value where their garments are coming from.”
Blanche Macdonald Global Fashion Marketing graduate Mireille Kessler speaks with such warmth and clarity when describing her new artisanal shop, Natale, Main Streets’ new handcrafted hub. Her little shop has already gained much recognition since it first opened its doors a little under a year ago (most recently, being named one of three best new shops on Main Street by the Georgia Straight) with a community of devoted clientele eager to support this growing movement. Her apt knowledge of textiles and handcrafted, fair trade goods, evident the moment you walk into her carefully curated space, goes back generations.
Mireille often travels back to her family's cottage industry in Lima, Peru, to observe and absorb the ins and outs of the textile industry. The impact these experiences have had on her heart and perspective are momentous, paving the way for her budding entrepreneurial career.
“My grandmother started a cottage industry when my dad was just a boy. She started it on the same property that we own now; it’s actually still our family home. We have our family home on the back of the property, and then there are two other large buildings that have five or six floors, each floor dedicated to different textile processes.
“Since I was little, we’ve always travelled back and forth to Peru. At the time it was to visit family, but even as I child, I was aware of the industry. My grandma would explain what was going on and I always remember being very curious. As I got a older I began to really understand it: how it contributes to the sustainability movement, the importance of ethical practices and fair trade, and the quality of handmade goods.”
Speaking with Mireille, it’s easy to come to the conclusion based on her deep-rooted understanding of the industry that she’s always had her future plans unequivocally laid out. However, the path to where she is now wasn’t always a straightforward one.
“I was always into academics. At one point I planned to go to law school. But there was a period where I got mentally ill and I couldn't finish high school the way everybody else did. Yet, it is because of my struggles with depression that I became more creative. Creativity became my outlet that I found to be really cathartic; it helped calm my anxiety and depression.”
It was during this period of her life that Mireille made the life-altering decision to come to Blanche Macdonald and study Global Fashion Marketing. A decision that would change the outcome of her future; putting her on the entrepreneurial track, and in an industry that has always been a part of her from day one.
“I decided to take a year off after high school to focus on my recovery and really decide what my next steps in life would be. It was during this time that I decided that Blanche Macdonald was the choice I wanted to make.
“I did a lot of research on schools and talked to people who had gone to Blanche. They spoke of their great experiences and the impressive roster of teachers. After that the decision was easy, Blanche was the right fit for me. Another thing that really sold me on Blanche was the small classes. I was told that their classes are small and intimate and that was really important to me, especially surrounding my anxiety and depression.”
With intention and drive, Mireille affirmed her purpose in the mighty world of Fashion. Building on her already extensive knowledge of textiles, production and manufacturing, Mireille devoured even more insight into the industry, instigating the building-blocks of what was to come.
“I was taught a lot of valuable information at Blanche that I wouldn’t have learnt otherwise. A lot of what I have learnt over the years from my family involves wholesale, manufacturing and production, but that was only to a point. My classes at Blanche were able to expand on that knowledge base.
“I also learnt a lot about the creative side of the industry. This has been, and will continue to be, a great source of knowledge for me to pull from. I am able to take everything I have learnt and use that in some realm of my day-to-day and as the business grows.”
And grow it has. Besides importing goods for her shop from Peru, she has also designed a line of her own that she sells at Natale.
“I actually recently designed a capsule collection that I sell in the store. It's a lot of minimal pieces with just something a little different about it. They are pieces you can mix and match and wear with a lot of other things.”
The garments are versatile and elegant, but more importantly, they are consciously crafted.
“For my collection, I used an organic Pima cotton from Peru. Something that many people don’t realize, the label on a garment will tell you where it’s made but it doesn’t tell you where the actual material is from. To cut costs, a lot of companies will have it made in Peru because in Peru the standards are better and the sewing quality is very good. However, the material won’t actually be from there, which they have you believe. A lot of times they’re not getting their cotton from Peru because the cost is higher. For me, it was really important that everything about it, other than maybe the style, was Peruvian.”
Being a conscious consumer and business owner is at the forefront for Mireille, but she also recognizes that supporting artisanal goods and buying local can be a challenge. It has become her mission to make this craft more accessible to the general public.
“My parents always wanted us to appreciate and support handmade wares. However, as a consumer that can often be challenging as handmade can be a lot more expensive. A lot of what you find in Vancouver may be made locally but in order for the artist to make a fair wage the price ends up being really high. Even the goods that are artisanal from abroad end up getting marked up significantly and it just makes it really hard to support. So that is something I’ve always tried to do – keep handmade goods at a reasonable price. I’m grateful because the fact that I’ve been able to cut out the middleman through my families business makes it possible to do so.
“I’ve had a few customers that have come into the store for the first time and have really appreciated what I’m doing here. I love that I get to sell things that my family has produced and have a platform for people to come and see why this is so important to us.”
Turning her passion into a career has been a labour of love for Mireille. Her purpose is unambiguous, and her boutique exudes these same credences. Whether you’re in the market to just peruse, you’re looking to buy, or you’re somewhere in between, one thing is for certain, you’ll leave a little more wise and well-informed than when you entered. You can thank us later.