Meet Valerie, Studio Director & Founder (she/her)
Like many of you, I’m a recreational adult ballet dancer. I’ve been dancing off and on since 2015, while juggling full-time work, moving across Canada, entering into motherhood, navigating a global pandemic, and starting a business. I currently live in Hamilton, Ontario where I operate Solalune Dancewear and teach sewing workshops at Needlework.
My background in apparel started as a Fashion Design student at Fanshawe College. I graduated in 2008 and joined lululemon athletica, working my way up through several roles over my ten years with this extraordinary company from a store Hemmer to a Senior Product Quality Technician at their Store Support Centre (head office) in Vancouver, BC.
In addition to ballet I love native plant gardening, cats, historical costuming, 90’s dance music, coffee, renaissance festivals, and reading. I dislike winter. There aren’t a lot of plants to look at in the winter.
It’s no secret that I adore story ballets full of elaborate sets, soaring orchestra music, and richly detailed costumes. While I don’t intend to make ballet stage costumes, you can definitely expect a bit of glamour from Solalune Dancewear in future collections. I won’t be able to keep myself from sharing some of that ballet magic with you.