Prior to the start of the VCC Fiat Mode Fashion Show, I managed to get in touch with a couple of the designers. One of them was Brianna Vogelaar, and she told me all about her line for the VCC fashion show, her passion for bag making, and her love of cowboys.

So Brianna, can you tell us a little bit about your background in fashion?

Well, I pretty much came into this with no background in fashion.

The reason I started it was I really wanted to learn how to work with leather and make bags. My mom was like ‘you should go to fashion school and learn the basics first’. Then, I started to get really caught up in the actual fashion part of it.

I feel really good about it now and it may have been something I never really wanted to do, but now I feel sort of akin to the whole thing.

Are you feeling the stress about the show? I know you said you were more relieved than anything.

We had a prep show earlier in the afternoon, so I’ve just kind of let it go. It’s out of my hands; I’ve done everything I can do.  You just need to say ‘there’s nothing more I an do’ and just sit back and enjoy it.

That’s the way to go! So lets talk more about what we’re going to see at the show tonight? What do your pieces consist of?

Mine is really obnoxious. I have bright yellow, bright turquoise. You’ll remember my pieces because they’re really bright!

I really wanted to learn how to work with leather, so there is a lot of leather in my looks. I did a couple of handbags. Nobody else really did handbags, but that was my real passion.

My fabrics were all natural, beautiful fabrics, cotton twill, wool, leather obviously, and a lot of silk.

Do you have any immediate influences on your work? Not just other designers, maybe something outside of fashion?

For me, the whole idea of New Mexico was my inspiration.

You’ll see not just ‘New Mexico’ in general, but the pattern and the textiles of New Mexico. There are a lot of geometric shapes in my collection, there’s the colours and feeling of New Mexico, the cowboy-esque type thing.

Was there any specific reason why you’re inspired by New Mexico?

I don’t know why, but I always go back to cowboys! I love old western, ruffian, bad-ass cowboys!

It’s really pretty and soft, but also rough cowboys. It’s like no matter what I do it always comes back to two pistols, guns…

And handbags!

… and handbags! Haha.

Aside from New Mexico, do you draw from any other designers?

Not really.

It wasn’t a big thing for me to start with, and I appreciate beautiful designs and designers, but if you look too much to other designers then you’re just knocking people off. You really want to get to the source of inspiration so that you aren’t just taking from people.

You can see a dress and just change it slightly to make your dress, but that’s not real inspiration. You want something to come from the roots.

What do you have in store for the future? Are you going to continue with fashion design?

After I did my two handbags, I found that this is what I really love to do.

I’ve got my studio set up; I’m going right in to start my samples. I’ve got them designed I just need to make the samples. Then I’m going to the stores and to the people and I’m going to start selling them!  So, I’ve got my future planned out!

That’s so exciting! I admire your focus!

Well you can be as focused as you want. If you’re a success that is another story! Hopefully I’ll be able to be both! We’ll see!