The designer: Dace Moore

Whether you like it or not, you are what you wear. And each time you step out of the house, you make a statement – telling the world something of how you see yourself (or don’t). If you happen to be wearing one of Dace Moore’s creations, you might well be saying: “I will not pander to the style whims of Paris Hilton.”

Dace’s sundry creations are for women looking to express an authentic statement of self. “I think that people are attracted to the soft and clean lines in our designs, in the simplicity and versatility of the clothing we produce,” says the designer from her Vancouver studio.

From New York to Santa Monica, the Dace line is carried in stores such as Oak (Brooklyn), Holt Renfrew and Fred Segal. Celebs such as Lindsay Lohan, Zoey Deschanel and Anne Heche are devotees, and new business ties with Spain and Japan mean more exposure and bigger sales for the Vernon-raised fashion maven. “Tapping into these markets is definitely a step forward for us,” says Moore, adding that business is up more than 55 per cent compared to this time last year. “We have always wanted to go in this direction.”

Moore, 34, came to Vancouver at 19, securing a scholarship to the fashion design program at the Blanche Macdonald Centre soon after. Upon graduation she designed for skateboard company United Snow and Skate before starting Dace in 2002. Despite the pressures of single motherhood, Moore has grown her design house (which includes a staff of three, plus two interns – all women) without compromising her ethics. Critical of offshore production, Dace works with four Lower Mainland manufacturing companies to keep output local.

“When I stop and look back, I am really amazed at how far we’ve come. . . We have done everything ourselves – no investors, all independent,” she says. “We are just a small company run by a bunch of women in a studio in Gastown. It makes me smile. We’ve all worked really hard and it’s starting to pay off.”