The Designer was born with design and stitchery in her bones. Two of her great-grandmothers were accomplished seamstresses. Great-Grandma Elizabeth, at the turn of the last century, used to stay at peoples' houses and create new gowns for all the ladies in the household before moving on to the next place. Great-Grandmother Rose worked for several clothing firms in Toronto and, during the Depression and World War II, took pride in being able to produce something beautiful and fashionable out of whatever bits and pieces of cloth were available. In later years she taught Shannah's mother to sew, passing on her love of the art and pride in doing it well.

   Shannah's maternal grandfather was a gifted artist and master woodcarver. From him, she inherited the ability to look at raw material and see a finished design waiting to be liberated.

   Shannah's early youth was spent in a log house on the edge of a forest with a river in the valley. Walking through the bush with her father and helping him in the garden gave her a keen appreciation of nature; it's beauty and how it can be reflected in design. Her mother taught her to sew at an early age, passing down the knowledge and love of the art she had inherited from Rose. She also taught Shannah about history and historical costume, sharing her love of line and form with her daughter.

   Shannah was a Fashion Arts class in high school, which opened a whole new world to Shannah. After a trip to Stratford, during which the teacher had to drag her out of the costume warehouse, she had found her calling. Her mother taught her more advanced sewing techniques and now she started designing her own clothes.

   University, while studying languages, she became involved with the Trinity College Dramatic Society. By second year, she was the costume designer and wardrobe mistress. Over the next three years she designed and created costumes for many productions, including Much Ado About Nothing, Dr. Faustus, Oedipus Rex and Pericles:Prince of Tyre. She received the TCDS Award for Best Costume for three years running. When she graduated, she received a special award from the Provost, recognizing her unique contribution to the artistic life of the College.

   Since graduation, Shannah has worked as a costume designer for the Alumnae Theatre and for Amicus Productions, as well as a few independent theatre group ventures. Some of her credits for the Alumnae include The Illusion from a play by Pierre Corneille, Talley's Folly and Ten Lost Years. She has been nominated for ACT-CO's award for Best Costume for her work on the productions of 1949 and Cymbeline, both for Amicus Productions.

   Shannah continues to work with various theatres doing costume design and is presently fully involved in producing her own label; which are the products on this site.