Star power

Norwood

St. Boniface

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 15/01/2025 (238 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Lucas Caracas Le-Fort believes in making the world a more colourful place — one garment at a time.

The 17-year-old Nelson McIntyre Collegiate student is part of the Norwood-based school’s project-based learning program, Propel.

As part of the project, Caracas Le-Fort, who uses they/them pronouns, has launched their own fashion line, Lucas Star, which reflects a fusion of the 12th grader’s Brazilian roots and their current Canadian home.

Caracas Le-Fort arrived in Winnipeg with their family when they were nine. Lucas Star recently celebrated one year in operation, and has now passed the 300 sales mark.

The teen said their customers don’t fall into one specific demographic, but many have something in common — a love for wearing colourful clothing.

“My customers vary, but it’s generally people who wear vibrant colours, people who want to shine in them day to day,” Caracas Le-Fort said. “I hope wearing my clothing helps bring out their confidence, and hopefully they stand out a little more.”

Several years ago, Caracas Le-Fort learned to sew, and takes great pride in making everything by hand. Their inventory includes T-shirts, shirts, vests, and their very own “strella” pants.

There’s also a sustainability element to Lucas Star, which is highlighted by their creation of one-of-a-kind T-shirts accented by surplus pieces of material that add up during the production process.

“I had lots of scraps of material piling up, so I started doing designs on black T-shirts — an object or symbol, like an orange star, for example,” Caracas Le-Fort, whose favourite colours are yellow and blue, said. “All my patchwork shirts are unique, as I never make the same one twice.”

The St. Boniface resident’s fashions are available online, and during their entrepreneurial journey so far, items in the Lucas Star collection have been available in-person, such as a one-day pop-up event at Chip’s Vintage in West Broadway, and a First Fridays event at the Tara Davis Studio Boutique in the Exchange District.

Caracas Le-Fort credits their passion for fashion and creative expression to their combined upbringing in South America and North America.

“I didn’t know any English when I came to Canada … and I always liked fashion, even as a kid, and I think I wanted to stand out,” they said. “Around Grade 8, I think, I had clothes I liked, but I wanted to make more, and I started making them for myself and my friends. I wanted to share my style with other people.”

Also part of their Propel project was a magazine of the same name as the business, which featured some of Caracas Le-Fort’s friends as clothing models. Grace Ross was the head photographer for the Lucas Star magazine.

“In the magazine, I share my stories and feelings. For example, a patchwork shirt is made based on how I’m feeling at that moment. I try to tell a story with my style of sewing, and different colours represent different elements of Brazil and Canada.”

Visit lucasthestar.com to learn more, or visit @lucas.star_ on Instagram.