Wollongong fashion designer Avril Stepanov studied at three different TAFE campuses to complete her degree before starting her business two years ago.
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Mrs Stepanov released her first range a year ago and has previously been featured at a RAW event at the University of Wollongong.
She is a young women with a vision and has let nothing stop her achieving her dream. So when she received an email from Vancouver Fashion Week inviting her to show a new spring/summer collection in September it was like everything she had ever wished for had come true.
“It was a big surprise. I was expecting to go into producing a winter collection (for 2018) but now I am producing a summer collection. I have five weeks from now until I fly out,” she said.
The North American season is different to Australia and Mrs Stepanov was not been planning to design that range in the Southern Hemisphere for at least six months.
But she said the pressure of producing 20 to 25 garments, around two a day, for the next few weeks was probably the best thing that could happen to her. And she has accepted the challenge and is working frantically because it is such a wonderful opportunity.
Which is why her proud husband Dimitry Stepanov contacted the Illawarra Mercury. He said her small business Stepanova Clothing gaining an opportunity to be showcased on such a big stage was like all her dreams coming true at once.
Last week Mrs Stepanov was a finalist in the Illawarra and South Coast Local Business Awards. She also recently moved the business from a home base in Smith Street, Wollongong into a warehouse and creative space at Woonona.
The only problem with gaining such a fantastic opportunity is the business is so small it only has a limited budget. So Mr Stepanov set up a GoFundMe page under the name Opportunity In A Lifetime to help his wife get to Vancouver.
The Vancouver Fashion Week website highlights the significance of the event on the global fashion stage. Which is why Mrs Stepanov is so looking forward to her 26th birthday. It coincides with fashion week.
She said the organisers must have seen her website or social media posts and been impressed. Which is why she is so excited by the opportunity and is so looking forward to traveling to and spending the week in Vancouver with her mum Daiva Murtagh.
The organisers are finding models to wear her garments on the catwalk. She is making them all in a size 8. Mrs Stepanov has friends in Vancouver who will help her with video and photography so the Illawarra Mercury can showcase her showcasing Wollongong to the world.
Greg Ellis
Almost four decades in electronic, print and digital media. A writer, presenter, emcee, photographer and videographer with degrees in business management, marketing and human resources and tertiary qualifications in photography.
Almost four decades in electronic, print and digital media. A writer, presenter, emcee, photographer and videographer with degrees in business management, marketing and human resources and tertiary qualifications in photography.
