De Ocampo Fashion House

MODELS PICTURED IN THE 9 - 5 JACKET BY DE OCAMPO FASHION HOUSE | MODELLED BY @LILDJINN AND @K.O.BEAUTYBAR

"I THINK YOU NEED SOMEONE OUTSIDE OF YOURSELF TO REALLY UNDERSTAND AND EXPLORE YOUR OWN POTENTIAL."

For Andrea De Ocampo, it was her cousin in LA studying fashion.

 "I remember one summer we were in Cali - at the time I was only 15 years old, and she just asked me out of the blue: "why don't you make your designs?" And me, being the competitive person I am, set out to prove that I could. It really grew as a passion of mine. So yes, I really think it just takes that one person."

Andrea is now the owner of DE OCAMPO FASHION HOUSE, a local design label dedicated to helping women feel bold both inside and outside of the boardroom without compromising comfort or style. We've been collaborating with Andrea over the past month to piecing together her unique story and capture the full essence of her label. Our Chief Editor sat down with Andrea for a bubble tea date as she unraveled the intricacies of her journey to success.

Andrea's love for fashion began as far back as she could remember. As an unusually resourceful toddler, Andrea found her creativity in her early years, sketching and cutting out paper dresses to adorn her Barbie dolls. It was no surprise that when faced with the endeavour, she'd find a meaningful and rewarding way to express her passions in the form of a fashion line.

Although her cousin's comment hadn't sunk in at the time, the thought became a reality upon returning from California. Nudged by her competitive spirit and vivacious ambition, Andrea simply jumped into a completely new phase of her passion, by googling fashion competitions in the area.

The diversity of her experiences leading up to now were UNREAL. Participating in the Western Canada Fashion Week (WCFW) Emerging Designer Competition, she placed second on her first try at 15 years old, with a sultry cut-out little black dress, paired with a bold green jacket with a dusty rose-coloured interior. Upon taking a step back and re-evaluating her approach, she was able to place first at WCFW on her second try with a white satin dress (of course, with pockets) and a crop knit jacket with frills at the ends of its sleeves. Back then, Andrea was operating under the label DE OCAMPO FASHION HOUSE. Her pieces caught the attention of a Granville boutique with high profile shoppers, limousines, tabs and personal shoppers. While still 16, she was offered a position as an in-house designer, which she made a tough decision to turn down to complete her high school education. Although there was that fork in the road for her, she sill managed an invite at 17 years old by the CEO of Vancouver fashion week to showcase her work. The audience erred on the side of heavily corporate, inspiring Andrea towards her work with established professionals.

Her signature style was shaped by the needs of the clients that approached her after the shows and events. The new customers who would approach her after fashion shows were exploratory, shaping the definition of her target audience. They were working women, professionals leading a team, a director or CEO - somehow, like-minded influencers were similarly drawn to her brand.

Since then, Andrea has expanded DE OCAMPO FASHION HOUSE to include Partyz Over, now the sister company to DE OCAMPO Fashion House, which is focused on being there for younger professionals earlier on in their walk of life. DE OCAMPO FASHION HOUSE is about equipping women as they progress through their later years of professional growth and career development. The combination of the two brands reminds us that we all have goals, but to remember to enjoy the journey in getting there.

We asked Andrea about her inspirations behind DE OCAMPO FASHION HOUSE, and how she came to her designs for her high-profile clients:

"I think in this case, it was important for me to design for someone like myself, you know? As you dress, you make your own rules while still using existing style rules. The line is stylish but very comfortable - it's all about feeling the best in your own skin. The pieces are custom and one of a kind, because no one style fits all, despite trending aesthetics. It's all about whether you feel comfortable in your own clothes - in your own skin."

And of course, we asked Andrea to share her best advice for any of you hoping to break into fashion (or any industry, really):

"The key thing is perseverance. Things don't always go the way you want them to the first time. I had to work 2X as hard and be 2X as focused as the people around me.  I wouldn't change any of the mistakes or challenges I faced getting here. I would tell myself to go with the flow, since I really believe that everything was meant to happen for a reason. There's no perfect path getting there, all that matters is that you're getting there. Some of the greatest successes come from the greatest hardships."

With a well-rounded background and MSc. in Family Ecology, the combination of Andrea's unique experiences have given her a perspective fresh and profound to Edmonton. She hopes to continue taking her work with DE OCAMPO FASHION HOUSE to higher levels - her most recent endeavour being the idea of marrying fashion and technology together. Andrea hopes to explore and elevate the harmony between fashion and technology. Think about it - corporate VIP's are very rarely seen without their phone, watch or laptop. Technology is completely integrated into the corporate lifestyle, which requires comfort, flexibility, and convenience.

We were so excited to collaborate with DE OCAMPO FASHION HOUSE on this, and we can't wait to see where their newest endeavours will take them!

Check out the Lookbook from our photoshoot collaboration with Andrea for DE OCAMPO FASHION HOUSE in our gallery!

YOU CAN KEEP UP WITH DE OCAMPO FASHION HOUSE'S JOURNEY ON INSTAGRAM @DEOCAMPOFASHIONHOUSE AND FACEBOOK AT DE OCAMPO FASHION HOUSE!