Our Team

Janelle Sookhai is a Toronto based multidisciplinary artist. Some would call her a modern renaissance woman because of her work in various mediums including textiles, metal, wood, print, bronze, and digitally. She earned her Bachelor of Design from OCAD University’s Digital Futures program focusing her thesis on sustainable practices within the textile industry and later furthered her practice at George Brown’s Fashion Techniques and Design program. These days, Janelle works primarily in theatre with IATSE 822 and through private contracts.

Eske Schiralli has shifted his background in strategy, design, and production, into teaching sewing and empowering others to learn the craft. Driven by curiosity and a passion for knowledge-sharing, he now connects people, ideas, and resources to foster meaningful learning experiences.

Eske is committed passing on knowledge, as he continues to develop innovative ways to help others navigate the fashion industry while building confidence in their skills.

Alexis Venerus makes clothes. She is a graduate of TMU where she developed the basis of a skill set that has been honed through over a decade of working in industry. Currently she runs a boutique production studio called Sew-Rite where she partners with local designers bringing their visions to life.

Iyobo Okungbowa is a creative with roots in Costume, Fashion Styling and Design. Iyobo has a bachelor’s degree in Fashion Design at TMU, where she learned professional techniques for garment drafting and construction. While working as a Seamstress in the film industry, Iyobo now uses clothing enriched with culture and storytelling to evoke thought and feeling in her work.

Maxime Chercover (she/her) is an emerging womenswear designer, specializing in sustainable design.

She is a graduate of the Fashion Design program at Toronto Metropolitan University, and loves connecting the world with fashion while protecting the environment. She has been teaching personalized sewing classes since the pandemic, and believes everyone can master sewing fundamentals with a little guidance, and can enrich their lives and foster their creativity. She loves connecting and collaborating with her community through artistic practice, and looks forward to meeting new students and friends!

Kinoo Arcentales was born in Toronto and is a graduate of the Seneca Fashion Arts program in 2015. He has been contributing to the fashion community for the past 7 years, specializing in product development. He has worked with various manufacturers locally and globally, most recently with the Toronto based Pigeons & Threads. Kinoo is also a second generation Mindalae, this title means; an individual who does merchant trading and cultural exchange, currently he is working with the indigenous retailer Pacha Arts collective, with the goal of creating a long lasting trade relationship with both textile and fashion communities of North and South America.