Watch a video of a day at the CheriseDesign studio on youtube:
https://youtu.be/mzbEfRuIkFw

When I started studying clothing design, I wanted to create beautiful clothes to women of all ages and sizes, clothes they would love for years to come. That idea hasn't changed much. I started CheriseDesign back in 2007 when I was still at school and was operating from my living room. Now I share a workspace with an other seamstress and an Etsy seller near the center of Tampere in Finland. It is a former boiler room of a 1930's apartment house turned into a sewing studio. It is a cozy mess of clothes, fabrics, books, pattern folders, all kinds of odds and ends, mannequins and of course our work equipment.

The core idea of my business is to produce high quality, hand made clothing, that you'll love for years to come and I do no take this lightly. I love experimenting with cuts and patterns and I never take the easy way out when it comes to my clothes. All the patterns are drafted by hand and filed to perfection. After a pattern is finished, I make a sample. If any changes are needed those are then transferred on to the sample pattern which is then graded to other sizes. After that I cut each garment out of the fabric and assemble them individually. All this, I think, is what makes my garments unique - their perfected fit and polished details.

I choose to use mostly natural fibres such as cotton and wool in my work. I love the feel of those fibres on my skin, their ability to breath and the fact that once the garment has come to the end of it's road, it will decompose.

I've been into vintage fashion for a few years now and I find it an endless source of inspiration. I collect books, magazines and patterns and browse the web for more and more images and ideas of the fashions of the golden age of couture. I really want to capture the essence of my favourite eras of 30's to 50's in my designs.