Dene fashion designer travels south
Michele LeTourneau
Northern News Services
Yellowknife (Dec 01/00) - Nothing can stop Dene fashion designer Berna Beaulieu.
Not illness, not an overwhelming workload, not even her self-admitted perfectionism.
For Beaulieu -- who flew off to Toronto last week to participate in a 10-day trade show called Christmas 2000 -- a work day stretches from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.
"If I feel OK when I get up in the morning, I put my mind to it and there's no way you can stop me. I just go, go, go," she said in an interview prior to her departure.
"Some days I just drag myself out of bed. I take pity on myself."
Beaulieu suffers from fibromyalgia syndrome, an illness that often causes debilitating pain to the body's soft tissues.
But she's also a perfectionist.
"I don't trust anybody (to help). I end up doing all the work. I'm so fussy with my work that there's no way I'm going to send it out with ... you know, even a little thread sticking out. If there's something wrong, I see it. I know it's there."
Call her a workaholic.
"When my contact told me about this show, he told me they select people with a unique style, unique crafts. And I thought, 'OK, I'll just give it a try.'"
The invitation to the trade show, which attracts thousands of people, came as a result of Beaulieu's attendance at a 1998 Meet the North conference in Edmonton.
"My contact in Edmonton is one of the main co-ordinators of this trade show and we keep in touch. Whenever there's a fashion show or anyplace he wants to promote me, he'll let me know."
Truth is, though, Beaulieu has a very hard time getting away to these events. At the time of this interview, just a few days prior to her Toronto trip, she had the accoutrements for a wedding to complete and she was working on 36 square-dancing outfits, not to mention getting ready for her departure. She's also recently completed the traditional garb for the legislative assembly.
Beaulieu had applied for the trade show's April event. But being as busy as she was with Caribou Carnival -- the Dog Derby Association wanted 17 moose hide outfits -- she had to put them off until the Christmas show.
The designer brought 30 ensembles with her to Toronto.
"I want to get rid of everything, all my inventory. I want to start a new line for 2001, for fashion shows next year."
She designs traditional Dene garb, as well as modern wear, often blending old with new.
Beaulieu acknowledges that it's time to take the next step with her business, which she calls Creations by Berna.
"I don't have time to do my books anymore. I have to either keep on sewing and make money or just leave it and do my books. And I can't just do that."
When she returns, she will be working on a marketing plan. Her business is poised to grow, to hire, and to create a fresh line of Northern clothing.
"I had no idea my business was going to get that big."
