This is where art beautifully collides with fashion and ends up being the Sharon DeLaCruz Scarves collection. Chicago designer Sharon DeLaCruz has a degree in fine art and has worked as a fiber artist for many years. She describes herself as an "accidental fashion designer." In 2002, after tripping on a broken sidewalk and sustaining injuries to her neck, arms, and hands, which Sharon described as "uselessly hanging from my side," she did strength training by reaching out for a ball of yarn. While doing these exercises and regaining her strength and mobility, she began to focus on that ball of yarn for a new purpose – creating scarves. And, in 2009, she had the first public showing of her Cherry Belle scarf collection at the One of a Kind show and sale at the Chicago Merchandise Mart.
Born in Honolulu, Hawaii, Sharon has also lived in central European countries. She says in her teen years, she would often dream of emulating the Parisian fashion couture and someday becoming a fashion designer, and believes that dreams do come true.
Sharon graduated from Washington State University on the west coast, with a major in Fine Art and Graphic design, and a minor in psychology. All of which has helped her as an entrepreneur in her own design business. She is currently enrolled in the Chicago Kellogg Business School of entrepreneurial management classes, which will further help her in running the business side of her business.
In describing her scarf collection, Sharon says:
My scarf style and collection represents practicality and fun. Each scarf has it’s own personality that fits the customer’s look and most important is created for warmth, with colorful, beautiful, individual attention to details, handmade with special adornments while using high quality materials. To be noted are these individually created scarves, are a worthwhile investment for an accessory that will last numerous seasons when well cared for.
Sharon says her brand of scarves makes the sophisticated consumer "feel like a celebrity."
She prefers to use natural fibers and some blends. Her scarves are made using fibers that are soft to the touch such as cashmere, wool, alpaca, merino, silk and cotton.
Sharon’s advice to up-and-coming designers is:
Be aware, live a strong philosophy to "not give-up" and accept that I can make a difference by finding my own niche. By not following "trend" I discovered I could still create an innovative and practical look that attracted the public eye. Another skill is to network and work with others as a team. Delegate tasks, ask questions, many questions, and find a group of fashion-oriented friends that you enjoy.
In the next five years, Sharon hopes to have her products sold through Neiman Marcus, Macy’s, and Nordstrom.
You may purchase the Sharon DeLaCruz scarf collection at Sears. Visit her website to view the collection.
