Needlepoint – Winnipeg Free Press

Miriam Delos Santos grew up surrounded by sewing machines, but becoming a seamstress was never her plan.

Despite being the daughter of a skilled seamstress, Delos Santos taught herself the craft in her 30s as a young mother looking for ways to express herself.

Little did she know that the first thing she would do, a soft pink, delicate cotton bow with white dots for her baby, would change her life.

“When I became a mother, I went through a really big change and something in my heart pushed me to do this. “I was given an old sewing machine as a gift, and I just ate bananas,” she explains.

Previously working in a male-dominated space in the corporate world — at various points in her career, Delos Santos held full-time roles in aerospace as well as in the political arena — the rigors of her work environment no longer held.

A fashion lover, always paying attention to style and color, she decided to change her path.

Six years later, Delos Santos is a full-time designer and sole proprietor of fashion label Hello Darling, conceptualizing and creating unique clothing, headwear and accessories from her home studio.

“I needed to give voice to my creativity. I had to live a more meaningful life, even if it meant taking a really big risk,” he laughs.

“For me, the risk paid off.”

Three years ago, evolving from hair accessories to women's fashion, Delos Santos began designing for her body, which has changed since motherhood.

As someone who never subscribed to mainstream fashion trends and disliked shopping for clothes, it was a natural progression for her to create the clothes she wore herself.

“My body had changed so much and I didn't want to be ashamed of thinking about what size meant. There are different patterns of women and men and non-binary people who buy my clothes, because I think there's an importance in something that's made for you that hangs in a certain way and doesn't absorb you,” she says. .

She calls her style “wearing dopamine” – bold and extravagant garments with architectural structures that allow for maximum movement while maintaining their lines. Her clothes are designed to be versatile and she likes textiles that retain their shape.

Each item is made to order and she releases her collections in small batches, which she posts on social media. Her clothes are very popular and often sell out quickly.

“During the harsher months, winter or when I'm doing fashion shows, I'll hire a home sewer to help me sew, but in the more tender months like spring and summer, I do everything myself. I find textiles that I like, draw a pattern for something, make a shirt or pants and create content around it and post that one thing. I'll pre-order and tell people I can make it for you in three weeks, and I'm only making 20 and it'll sell out in an hour,” he says.

The designer also conducts workshops with high school and university students where she explores how creative women of color navigate spaces not traditionally embraced.

He believes that his vision will validate the choice of those who want to jump, as he did.

“A lot of times you're in uncharted waters. A lot of first-generation immigrants might think, “oh, it's not for me, maybe it's just a little thing that I can keep in my heart and it will go away.” I want to tell them that these spaces are also required for them.

“If you're passionate, eager to learn, and keep practicing your craft, inevitably something will click and you'll get it. But you have to really want it.”

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