Sunday afternoons in downtown Vancouver has never been as peaceful as I have ever seen as I was scheduled to meet with Ms. Sunny Moon at Caffe Artigiano near the “Glam Shrine” Holt Renfrew. Dressed in a white long sleeve dress shirt and topped with a princess short sleeve grey cardigan sweater and black dress pants, Sunny was slipping on her fresh grounded drip black coffee as I walked in, losing my breath for running up couple of staircases out of a parking lot that seemed more like a maze.

After a very warm greeting and getting my coffee (not black, I wish I can, but I am no where brave enough as Sunny.), it was inevitable to start our conversation with our afterthoughts about Vancouver Fashion Week aka where and how we met.

“Oh it was so exciting for me, it was my very first exhibition event at a Fashion Week and I was able to meet all these wonderful industry professionals that I would otherwise have no chance to meet with.” Sunny was lit up in excitement as she continued to talk about how she got involved.

“I was an Arts and Scripture student at University of Korea. In year 2007 I decided to come to Vancouver to study at Laselle College for Jewellery Designs. I was sad to leave my families and friends behind but this is my dream and I really really really thought that I can do this, to be able to design my own collection of jewelleries.”

And my god she can. I remember I had a fifteen minute break between the fashion shows at VFW and I had to get my bottom off my seat (Throne, actually, because it was at the front row.) to reconnect my blood circulations. That was how I found “them”, the “New Moon Wearable Art” jewelleries collection at a table booth, and I was hopelessly gravitating towards them, like a moth to the brightest lights, being allured away by their unconfined yet structural shapes that speaks such a powerful statement visually, I had no choice but to surrender my full attention and my ladies room time just so I can get her digits. No I am not hitting on the designer, just the collection, but yes, she is one of the most stylish and elegant lady I met at VFW. And to my biggest surprise, we shared a similar background in fashion: Modeling.

“I started modeling actually at the recommendation of my mother.” Sunny recalls as she take another slip of her black coffee. Brave girl.

“My agent sent me to modeling trainings and a few months later, I found myself working in the industry, getting jobs, and I was getting more and more passionate until when I realized I really do love my job as a model. I was able to meet these wonderful people and be in touch with so much creativity, it began to make me felt an awakening inside, of me and my possibility of designing. Finally, I told myself, maybe I can really do this. And here I am, in a city that I like, designing jewelleries, exhibiting my work at shows, getting positive reviews from the industry and having my own list of clients that like my stuff. I have to admit that it is all a wonderful experience and I am living in what I thought I could achieve.” Sometimes listening to advices from parents do put you in the right direction, In Sunny’s situation, it was a without doubt the best career suggestion a mother can give to a daughter.

This is what happens when two girls with similar career background (who both moved on to a retired model/something status) get together and chat. We move off topics. I tried hard to have control over my excessive chatting and failing it seems not bothering at all to Sunny. Travelling, food, where to hang out, some old industry experiences. . .lucky us that the café was half empty because it was the Easter Sunday. We were laughing and rocking our chairs back and forth. Professional images? It was out the window the moment we met.

Directing our conversation to her designs, I cannot help it but to fall in love all over again with her collection. “I called my collection “New Moon Wearable Arts”. My concepts came however for a lot of different inspirations. Most of the time it has to do with my background in Scripture Arts. I often like to apply my ideas into jewellery design using concepts of scripture making. I like my pieces to have a statement, a different element to the current pop cult. I tend to stay away from looking at other jewellery designs because I have my own mix pot of ideas that I have developed during the period when I was doing modeling. I have seen so many elements in design; I want to break away from being slotted into one specific category of design. That is the reason why my collection is “Wearable Art”. If I have to be called as in some form of genre, I would like to be a genre of Art.”

And this is what drawn me to her designs; originally timeless, elegantly romantic and with a magical artistic touch.

“And this is what it means to me, my designs, are art. It would not be me if it is not my art. It would not be art if it was not original design. And it would not be design if it is not done with passion.” Sunny smiled brightly she look at me and look out the window glass door of the café. A column of light broke through the heavy Easter Sunday clouds and shone on the Holt Renfrew sign across the street. One day, I thought, I will not be surprise to see Sunny’s collection being displayed at HR. As I draw my attention to the happy looking Sunny, she broke into an even happier smile. “I hope summer comes soon, it is the best place to be in summer. I love Vancouver.”

We are glad to have you here too Sunny, you bought light to the west coast. Best wishes, with love.

Xoxo, Kaila