Introducing Honey Bliss Clothing + an Interview with Designer Monique
If dreamy, one-of-a-kind clothing is your thing, then you're going to love the handmade and feminine creations of Honey Bliss Clothing.
Monique McKay is the talented designer and founder of this boutique and she is based in Toronto, Canada. The self-taught sewer was both determined and extremely motivated in her quest to create her own clothes and initially set out to recreate the cute clothing styles she had "dancing about in her head".
When it comes to her favourite looks, the creative states that vintage inspired styles are always at the top of her list, including the hippie, carefree spirit from the '70s and the feminine looks from the '50s.
Without further ado though (and before we ramble on too much about this impressive seamstress), we'd love to present our interview with Monique below. Enjoy!
Q: When did your love of fashion design first blossom?A: It blossomed after high school when I picked up sewing and realized that I could design my own wardrobe. I was excited to create pretty clothes that were unique so that no one else would be wearing the same thing as me.
Q: When did you first begin Honey Bliss Clothing and what inspired you to do so?A: I was always very entrepreneurial, but I never imagined that I would sell my creations to others. As time went on though, I found myself making comments like, 'If I had my own clothing line I would make a top like that except I would add ruffles there to make it more unique,' or 'If I had my own clothing line I would make a dress just like that except I would make this cutout in the back as a twist.' I also knew exactly what type of feel my imaginary clothing line would embody. This happened more and more until I decided to just give it a go. I was already designing a whole collection. So that's what I started to do in 2009 and by April 2010 my first mini collection was available online (thanks to Etsy).
Q: How would you describe your label in just 3 words?A: Feminine, romantic and fun.
Q: What does an average day in the life of Monique look like?A: It varies a lot. I usually plan my days out ahead of time with a to-do list. I would have a cutting day (where I cut out my pattern pieces), a sewing day, a day where I take photos of my pieces or laptop days (where I spend most of the time on my laptop working on my website, on my monthly newsletter or other online tasks). I also volunteer a few days a week and I use my weekends for doing fun stuff with friends. That is what I love about what I do - I never get bored. I'm always changing it up and doing something fun and different each day!
Q: What do you hope to achieve with Honey Bliss Clothing in the not-too-distant future; Do you have any exciting, upcoming plans that you would like to share with us?A: An amazing, top secret idea I have for a Honey Bliss blog has been living in my head for over a year now and I can't wait to launch it! There is a ton of work I have to do beforehand to get it all ready (on top of my day to day agenda) but I really hope it will be all set to go by next summer. We'll see. Before then, though, I have some exciting new designs up my sleeve you can look forward to!
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We want to thank Monique for taking the time to shed some more light on her boutique, and we encourage you to check out her website for more info! You can also visit Honey Bliss Boutique on Etsy and be sure to keep updated via Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest.