A clothing Line that Embraces the weird in you

A designer like no other, Victoria Patterson of Trippy Hippy Clothing creates pieces to stand out. She speaks to everyone who wants to express their inner hippy and quirky personality through clothing. What’s her favourite colour? “Rainbow” - an answer that shows she truly values difference.

Trippy Hippy is a sustainable clothing line created with a passion and love for fashion because as Victoria puts it, you “Gotta love what you do.” 

“Everything is hand made locally in my studio here in Calgary, with a lot of pieces being one of a kind or made to order. I take a slow fashion approach to create. So, it's important for me to create with as little waste as possible. I like to work with a lot of recycled materials in my work and source my materials locally to where I am living. Sustainability and getting away from fast fashion is really important.” 

After asking if her clothing could speak, what would it say, she responded:

“100% authentically me and happy.”

Trippy Hippy is special because Victoria is the sole designer, operator, sewer, and everything that is Trippy Hippy.

Beginnings

Wanting to discover what the first piece was that Victoria ever created and the story behind it, she answered:

“The first piece that comes to mind was a pillow. I remember my mom helping me pick out some lace and fabric and teaching me how to use my grandma’s old Singer sewing machine. It was the first time I got to use a sewing machine. My grandma was there, and I remember going through all the little wooden doors in her sewing machine table. It was really nice to share that moment with my mom and grandma, who were both very into sewing and mending.”

After graduating from the Art Institute of Vancouver for Fashion Design and Business, Victoria took off to New York.

“I actually went to see the Alexander McQueen exhibit at the MET and stayed there for a bit. Savage Beauty was one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever seen. Contrast that with a whirlwind experience in New York; living in a hoarders’ house with no AC during a horrific heatwave, getting mugged and having to sell bike rentals off of Central Park. It was the epitome of my fashion life - beautiful with a dose of crazy!”

The Big Apple is not the only city Victoria has ventured to. This Calgary-born designer has been inspired by many of her travels such as living abroad in Dublin and London. 

“You change and grow so much when you travel. I know I wouldn’t be the person I am today without moving and having those experiences. Vancouver gave me the tools, as I went to school there. 
I moved to Dublin after university, it opened my mind to endless possibilities! I got my work into a store there and seeing my designs in the shop window was one of the best experiences of my life. It gave me hope that I could be successful following my dreams. 

London, oh London, it was incredible in every way possible, more than I could have imagined. It changed me, it's a hard place to make it, but it has so much to offer, and it was the first place where I felt like I finally fit in somewhere. Just for being me.

Calgary, well, I moved back to Canada during a pandemic... so being locked indoors and in a new place, it made me look inside myself and define what is important to me and my brand.”

Present Day and In the Works

So, what made Victoria move back to Calgary?

“A lot of factors; I’ve been far away for about 10 years, you start to see the ones you love getting older, and you realize that you’ve missed out on so much. It was time to move back. London is great, but it was time for a change, and getting back to basics.”

This doesn’t mean travel is out of her life. She wants to visit Venice and Tokyo for her next fashion inspiration. Fashion has allowed Victoria to not only travel, but meet new people, and continuously create. She notes that she would probably be lost without fashion. 

Excitement mounts as Victoria just completed two new collections of which are soon to appear on her completely revamped website. One of the collections is called Strawberry Fields, a line-up of crochet pieces, and the other collection, Homegrown, shows off her ready-to-wear styles. 

As for events, where can you catch a showcase of Trippy Hippy clothing? 

“I have some plans up my sleeve. I am planning on doing a solo show in the spring featuring three new collections!” 

She might even be seen wearing her new neon Fila Platform Wedge Defenders, her favourite heels of the moment because they make her so happy!

Finally, how did the name Trippy Hippy come to be?

“I’ve always been a bit of a hippie. My dad grew up in the hippy era and it’s always fascinated me; the music, the fashion, peace and love. Combine that with a love of all things weird, and BAM! Trippy Hippy was born, it just seemed to fit.”

Embracing differences has led Victoria on a colourful journey into the world of fashion because standing out means following your dreams! ☺

You can check out the full High Res photos from the shoot in the Trippy Hippy Gallery!