The Pretty dirty girl Collection has been three years in the making. Spurred on by my partner, Henri, I finally took the plunge and launched the line of artsy-fartsy activewear tops for women in the summer of 2010. Although I've been testing the tops for three years and fully convined I have a damn good technical product, I was hesitant because the designs truly express the zaniness of my imagination.

The Beach, for example, was designed during a California road tripping adventure Henri and I shared in 2008. The Beach Boys, Jan and Dean, Annette Funicello - the Californian image that these folks portrayed had been in my mind since I was young. The Tattoo top showcases my nerdy "toughness" by portraying me with a pouting upper lip in the promo photo while riding an energy efficient e-bike. And the Rock Star - let's just say I grew up in the eighties.

My confidence in the technical aspects of the tops comes from being able to oversee the manufacturing process in Canada from start to finish. I did try importing other clothing products from overseas and as many can attest, it's a crap shoot with quality, consistent quality and delivery. With these tops, I start right with patterns made in Toronto, textile made in Montreal with threads from the United States and a fabulous printer/cut/sew operation in Scarborough. As for the designs, I live on my MAC Powerbook and will design anywhere I'm inspired!

Read more below on what inspires the design of the Pretty dirty girl Collection. All of the photos above were shot during Henri's 18 day, 900 km run of Ontario's fabulous Bruce Trail in 2010.

The Good Life

Explain: Life is short. I truly have no clue if I'm ever coming back so I think "why not live as if every day was your last." Voila - I end up living the good life in my own mind.

Where was this picture taken? I was crewing Henri as he ran 900 km (see more about Henri below)

What does this have to do with the shirts? Celebrate my friend. Just celebrate and do what you love to do.

Bridges

Number of bridges crossed in my lifetime: Many. Most were wobbly.

How I handle a bridge: I get in character and conjure up all the confidence that one can possibly conjure. Then I just go for it and walk. So far I've never fallen through.

Friends

Best Friend: Henri

Why he's my best friend: He not only financed the Pretty dirty girl Collection, but he runs slow so I can keep up with him. We met doing an orienteering race together.

Other friends: Greg is fun because he has an alpaca farm! He can run endlessly too - like Henri - except when they're with me.

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