We'd like to introduce you to Dani!

Welcome to our first ever 'Meet the Model' Interview! We're so excited to be kicking this new project off with Dani from our  FW16 Lookbook shoot,  we're pretty sure you're going to love her as much as we do!

Name/Age/Agency

: Dani Klupsch / 21 / Morgan Model Management and Peggi Lepage

Tell us a bit about yourself

: I am a model, college student, MMA coach, Brazilian jiu jitsu competitor, and an avid baker. (Laughs) I know, it's quite the interesting combination!

How did you get into modelling?

: My first shoot was when I was 15 years old and I was on a family vacation in the Dominican Republic. My sister and I were taking photos of each other and we were approached by a photographer from the UK who was also on vacation. He asked if I wanted to shoot the following day so I agreed! It was a very fun shoot, especially with my dad watching the photographer's every move (laughs). He was a great photographer though and helped me to realize that I had a knack for modelling.

Describe your personal style in 5 words

: Sporty yet refined and feminine.

What is your favourite thing about your job?

: The behind the scenes! Its crazy to see how much work goes behind just one photo, and being the model in the shoot walks you through all that work. From the hair and makeup team, to the set team, the photography, the lighting... It gives you a great perspective of what really goes on behind that one photo you see as the result. Plus I think we are hilarious, you'd be surprised how non-stereotypical the entire crew is off the set.

Whats your favourite restaurant?

: There is this amazing place in Markham called Beiruti Grand Café that I love to go either on my way back from a shoot or from training. The food is a fusion of Mediterranean and French, and no matter what you choose on the menu, you will be happy. My favourite right now is their ham brie and roasted apple sandwich on a warm pretzel bun, served with an aioli dipping sauce and garden salad. And try their fresh orange juice! 

Whats your favourite movie?

: I am a fan of both DC and Marvel, but my favourite movie has to be Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy. I love the humour and sarcasm mixed in with a Superhero / Group of Misfits movie, and I love the 70s and 80s cultural references!

Describe your ideal Saturday

: My ideal Saturday is going out with my team mates! We have all decided that we are not too old to go on field trips, so we will always find different things to do. From axe throwing lessons to trampoline parks... This month, we are planning on going to a comic convention to cosplay and even LARP, also to an indoor parkour place, rock climbing, camping, cliff diving... the list just keeps getting longer!

What are you most likely to be doing when you’re not modelling?: 

Other than modelling, I also work as an MMA coach at Rumble Martial Arts, teaching Muay Thai Kickboxing, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, Women's Self Defence, and Youth classes. I also compete in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, so I have to train quite often.

I am also in school right now for cake design, so if I am not in class I am baking a bunch of stuff and decorating. You know that cupcake scene from Bridesmaids? That has my name all over it.

What items are always in your purse?

: Well, I try to have my keys and wallet in there but I am very forgetful of important things (laughs). The only beauty supplies I always have on me is my hairbrush and foundation. My friends are going to laugh at me when they read this, but I also keep my mouth guard in my purse, so I can always remember where it is when I am training.

If you were an emoji which one would you be?

: (Looks through phone) I want to say the Happy Sun emoji. I will always say "Good Morning Sunshine!" to my friend and they will call me Sunshine back, and the name has kind of stuck now.

If we asked 10yr old you what you would be when you grew up what would you have told us?: 

I'm pretty certain at that time I wanted to be a firefighter. I think I have always liked the idea of being a hero, or at least helping others. I feel like I help others quite a bit when I am teaching self defence. I have had students come up to me and tell me how they had someone try to hurt them and they were able to successfully defend themselves, or tell me about the success that they are having with their fitness or even confidence and assertiveness. Hearing that is extremely rewarding, and I think my 10-year old self would be very proud of what I am up now.

Were we right? Are you in love now? We sure were after spending a full day shooting this lovely, ball-busting ray of sunshine! If you liked getting this peak behind the scenes be sure to follow us on instagram for loads of behind the scenes photos of our photo shoots and much more!

p.s. In case you didn't notice this pic is a behind the scenes of something you haven't seen yet! We've snuck in a little peak at our Holiday Collection that we can't wait to share with you! If you want more sneak peeks sign up for our Mailing List and hear about everything first!

ARTIST PROFILES

Artist Profile – Danielle Singer – Jewelry Designer

We got the chance to speak with Toronto Jewelry designer Danielle Singer of Dolorous Jewelry Designs on her 2016 Fall/Winter collection this week as well as get a bit of insight into the Canadian fashion scene! Thinking about delving into the world of body chains and jewelry design? Read on!

Creative and Chaos: 

How did you get into the art of jewelry design?

Danielle:

 I’ve been sculpting since I was a child. After finishing my undergrad at U of T I was really starved for a creative outlet and enrolled in some sculpture and reproduction classes. It was actually my mother who at that point suggested I look into some jewellery making workshops. I enrolled in two of the workshops at the Devil’s Workshop at Queen and Bellwoods, and immediately fell in love. Within one week of class I had enrolled in the George Brown Goldsmithing Program where I studied for 3 years.

Creative and Chaos: 

At what point in your life did you realize designing and creating jewelry was something you wanted to pursue?

Danielle:

 I was one of those kids who was always making all kinds of things. When I was young I would knit and sew, making purses and pillows, and I’d regularly put things together to make elaborate necklaces and charm bracelets, but it wasn’t until my twenties that I had really considered it as a career choice. It was so excited to find a way to make a living, have creative freedom, and get to work with my hands! It really feels like a dream job.

....

Creative and Chaos: 

Which piece is your favourite from the Fall/Winter 2016 collection?

Danielle: 

Thats so tough to choose! I think at best I’d have to narrow it down to two. I’m really in love with the Chain Mini Skirt I created for this season, its so much fun and surprisingly easy to wear. The design actually stemmed from a piece I had made just for myself, to wear to my collection launch at Toronto Fashion Week, that one was knee length and I got so many compliments and requests for it that I decided to make a similar piece for the line. It can be layered over anything from formal dresses to jeans and having it on just makes you want to dance. Other than that, on the completely flip side, I’m pretty obsessed with the super simple Dea Black Leather Choker. Its a super subtle, minimal piece thats perfect for everyday wear and looks awesome with any outfit. I honestly don’t think I’ve taken mine off since the collection launch and I can already tell I’ll be wearing it for a really long time.

Creative and Chaos: 

What was one of the more surreal moments in your career?

Danielle:

 I think one of the most surreal moments so far was seeing my jewellery in the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue this year! It’s such a massive publication with huge circulation and their request to pull some pieces was totally out of the blue! I’ve had some really exciting press but that one felt pretty ‘next level’. A close second would be having several pieces on the main character of the CW show Reign. It was amazing to see my jewellery on television and the styling on that show is so breathtaking, it felt like a huge honour.

Creative and Chaos: 

Your pieces were displayed in the “We the North’ editorial in Elle Canada’s September Issue and the July 2016 Issue – what was that like?

Danielle: 

I grew up looking through Elle Canada and feel very grateful for the number of times I’ve had my jewelry featured by them. I’ve even had jewelry on the cover! The creative director, Juliana Schiavinatto is extremely talented and I think the magazine does a really amazing job of supporting and promoting local talent which is so important, and they create such beautiful images while doing it, it’s really an honour to be part of that.

Creative and Chaos: 

What advice would you give to other artists wanting to pursue a career in jewelry design?

Danielle:

 I think the most important advice I could give is to not compromise your creative vision. It’s very hard to run a business and there are certainly unique challenges to running a creative business but its important not to be swayed by trends and to stay true to your sense of design.

This interview has been edited from the full version, to see the full article check out

www.creativechaos.com