Meet Heather Jude

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Heather Jude a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Heather, so excited to have you with us today. So much we can chat about, but one of the questions we are most interested in is how you have managed to keep your creativity alive.

I think as creatives we are fed the false narrative that we can drain or run out of creativity. When in fact, our creativity cannot be separated from who we are. It’s as much a part of us as our personality or our smile. I think certain environments can impede our ability to tap into that creativity, for sure. Just like putting yourself in the wrong room with the wrong people can make you feel like you can’t fully be yourself. Finding those rooms, spaces, and environments where you flourish is just as important as creating. What works for one person may not work for the person next to them, and the sooner you can tap into what environments work for you and which don’t, the faster you will be reaching new levels of creativity in yourself. Keeping creativity alive is making sure you feel the best version of yourself.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

After just returning home from Paris Fashion Week, I am more than eager to bring what I saw into my own fashion line and creativity. I think it’s so important to place yourself in rooms where others have the same passions and mindsets as you. As a fashion designer and stylist, I am always excited to expand my knowledge of the fashion industry. Although I am a designer for my brand, Jude Canada, I would say I’m an artist first. I don’t want to just make pretty garments, I want to make the audience and the customer feel something. I want the way the dress floats down the runway to send a familiar chill you get on Christmas morning. I want the garments to make you take a second glance because it’s multidimensional. In a world that has labelled fashion as something that is highly accessible, I want to remind viewers of the art behind garment making. The skilled artisans that create the beaded patterns, that spend hours draping a fabric just so it falls a certain way. I create everything you see at Jude Canada myself. I make the pattern, I choose the fabric, I come up with the vision. My brand is truly my heart and soul, and I want to convey that.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

Trying your hand at all skills required for your trade or art is so important. It makes you understand the work and dedication that goes into every aspect of your craft. Fashion is a language within itself, and the more you can understand all aspects of fashion, the better communication you will have and the fewer delays or misunderstandings there will be when your business grows and you can no longer do everything yourself. Speaking of which, I think a lot of us hope for the day our business grows. We stress ourselves out and cause so much unnecessary strain in our business simply because we think it will get better when. When I get a certain amount of orders. When this celebrity notices me. When this company hires me. But the truth is, you will never have this much freedom in your craft as you do right now, and you have to celebrate that. You have the liberty to take risks in fabrics because you don’t have a huge brand deal. You can invest in yourself as you wish because you don’t have outside investors. You can be creative, and you have free will to create the collection you want. When your company grows, it will just get more complicated, and the stress will not be relieved. You have to be happy in each level of your business, which I know is cliché to say, but it’s true. Watching celebrities leave the Dior show at Paris Fashion Week reminded me of this. They were dressed in the brand because they have contracts, and their security left a gap between them and their fans because they have new worries of safety that they never had as small actors. You have to find joy where you are and grow with that joy.

Before we go, any advice you can share with people who are feeling overwhelmed?

Feeling overwhelmed is completely normal, especially when you find yourself reaching new levels in your business. Accepting that feeling is the first step. Sometimes we feel such guilt for not feeling like we fit in or belong. It overpowers the moment and being able to appreciate where we have got ourselves. Everyone faces imposter syndrome, everyone faces doubts and fears. It’s normal. I like to try and reframe situations when I am overwhelmed or suddenly impacted by a fear. I try to think, “How would a brand like Gucci handle this?” Taking the weight off your shoulders and understanding that situation for what it is, apart from yourself. Sometimes we are overwhelmed because we are trying to do everything ourselves. The thing is, when you feel yourself reaching a new level, you have to be willing to accept help. No one becomes Dior or Louis Vuitton without a team backing them. Focus on your connections, who you can trust, and who cheers for you when others are silent. Those are the teammates you need by your side.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.judecanada.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heather.styles/?hl=en
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/heather-jude-387499113?originalSubdomain=ca