Breeyn McCarney isn’t your average Toronto designer. For one thing, she’s not boring. McCarney is best described as a tiny, but powerful fireball of Rob Ford tirades, environmental activism, and intricate custom dresses.

She showed her latest collection, a collaboration with artist Irena Komadinic, to a packed house on Tuesday night. Titled “Vessel,” the line found its strength in the sort of thing most girls can’t wear. I sat down with McCarney after the show to pick her brain about inspiration, business, and people getting her collections wrong.

Most of your business rests in creating custom dresses for the average woman. Why create such an ‘unwearable’ collection?

I like doing crazy stuff. And the hope is — I don’t mind doing bridesmaids dresses and stuff- but when you do a show like this, you get the attention of people who do like wearing really interesting and flamboyant things. Maybe some people don’t even know that it’s an option that they could get something covered in red sequins from me.

So your goal is to become a higher-end designer?

Yes, absolutely. Because then you get to let your imagination run wild. I understand from a business point-of-view that most people want to wear everyday stuff. But think of it this way: when you go to the office, you have to wear work clothes. But when you go to a fashion show, you get to wear whatever you want. It’s the same for me. When I do a fashion show, I get to make whatever I want.

I know that you’re a perfectionist by nature. Do you find it challenging to do collaboration where so much of the final product is in someone else’s hands?

I’ve been asked a lot if I prefer collaborations since I’ve done two in a row. It’s not that I prefer it, but it is kind of an adventure. When I design things on my own, I have a vision in the beginning and then I just strive towards it. Whereas, with a collaboration, you have no idea what is in store.

There was actually one dress that we worked really hard on and it didn’t make the show. So even though we had each spend 30, 40 hours on it, because we’re both perfectionists, it just wasn’t quite right. That’s where the perfectionism comes in.

This show was your first experience with crowd funding. How did it go?

There were mixed reviews on how people took it. Some thought we were begging for money, which is not an analogy I expected. I was looking more to foster community involvement and things like that. Especially because so many people are mad right now about the cuts Rob Ford is making [to the arts].

Would you crowd fund again?

No, it was a one shot deal. I wouldn’t do it again. It wasn’t for the business–it was strictly for the show and I’m not in a position where I think I can just rely on things like that to fund fashion shows.

What was your inspiration for this collection?

It was very emotional. It’s not obvious because they’re dresses, and I like it that way. I was going through a lot when I was designing it in January so there was a lot of very raw, visceral emotion from me. And what’s awesome about that is Irena came at it from a different angle and was pouring her separate thoughts and emotions into it as well.

Do you prefer to be emotional when you create?

I come from an arts background, so I’m always emotional when I create. Before I was a fashion designer, I was an oil painter and I hated when people projected their interpretations onto my painting because they’re always wrong.

And what about when people project their interpretations onto your dresses?

It’s interesting sometimes to hear what they say, and it’s no different now than it was with art–people still get it completely wrong.

____

Sabrina Maddeaux is Toronto Standard’s style editor. Follow her on Twitter at @sabrinamaddeaux.

For more, follow us on Twitter @TorontoStandard and subscribe to our newsletter.