Creative silkscreens put Winnipeg on the fashion map

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This article was published 21/02/2015 (4061 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

There are some designers in Winnipeg that always stick out in your mind for being talented at what they do and creative in their approach to fashion — Roy Liang of Firewood Crescentwood is one of them.

A well-known designer in the city’s fashion scene for years, Liang has become the go-to for those looking for unique silkscreened prints.

“In 2006, I took a silkscreening class at Martha Street Studios and it changed my life,” says Liang. “It started with simple prints but recently I started to have my own fabric printed up in the United States.”

Liang has always been one to look for ways to reinvent fashion — first with his leather fashions that incorporate vintage fabrics and now with his cheeky and witty prints that literally put Winnipeg on the map.

“I’m inspired by the things around me, things from the past always evoke an emotion from me — a demolished building or a street that no longer exists. It’s like re-discovering a childhood photo that you haven’t seen for 30 years,” says Liang.

One of his personal favourite prints that he has created — and one of mine I might add — is a vintage Winnipeg map that took months to get the detail and silkscreen print just right.

Another is his vintage matchbook cover print — a blast from Winnipeg’s past that Liang was lucky to have bestowed upon him.

“I wanted to do something really special with them because each matchbook holds a place in Winnipeg’s history, and matchbooks in themselves are special, they were an inexpensive way to advertise and a cheap souvenir as they were free,” adding that some of the matchbooks contained special little creative surprises printed on the inside or spine.

And the reaction Liang receives from clients and customers who purchase his prints is equally satisfying.

“I often get people stopping and looking at something and they’re not sure why. Then it clicks in that it is a reference to Winnipeg that draws them in. They often comment to me that it is nice that someone has taken the time to create something about Winnipeg for Winnipeggers.” says Liang.

Prints that come to mind for this fashionista are his Louis Riel Vuitton and his references to nostalgic places like the lakes in the Interlake region or the streets in the North End.

To check out the amazingly fun prints by Firewood Crescentwood, visit royliang.tumblr.com or email the designer directly at royliang1@hotmail.com. 

 

Got a suggestion for a future column or trend worth following? Email Connie Tamoto at connietamotofashion.com.