About Leckie Apparel
Hi, I'm Jessie! I started Leckie Apparel in spring 2018 as a creative counterpart to my day job as a curriculum developer. All Leckie Apparel clothing items are designed, drafted, and sewn by me in my little apartment in downtown Toronto, Ontario; all the items I make are inspired by the amazing women in my life, and each item is named after one of them. Check out the home page for a breakdown of the inspiration for each item in the current collection.
Speaking of amazing women, the name Leckie Apparel comes from Susan Leckie, my wonderful grandmother who is responsible for my passion for sewing. She had a clothing line when she was younger, and started teaching me to sew when I was about five years old. I started sewing with a machine in high school, and, with the help of online tutorials, taught myself how to manipulate and eventually create my own patterns.
I’m responsible for the entire design process and production of my collections, and as a result the volume I produce is small - most of the items are made-to-order, with the occasional small batches for markets. I’ve broken down my process in a bit more detail here. I intentionally seek out fabrics that are manufactured ethically using sustainable and renewal materials. For example, fabrics in the current collection are made with recycled cotton, wood pulp from renewable eucalyptus trees, and sustainable flax. I try to balance the desire to support sustainable practices with considerations of the look, feel, wear, and care of the fabric I use. All of the fabrics are machine-washable, and easy to maintain with a bit of TLC. Learn more about the fabrics here.
My intention when starting Leckie Apparel was to design classic, minimalist items for women who have more natural curves than other small makers tend to account for. Many offerings in the small-batch, sustainable/ethical clothing world tend to flatter a narrow, slender frame, which didn’t represent most of the women in my life. My designs, while varied in style, have measurements that support more volume in the bust and hip, and most items are designed to flatter a fuller figure. The straight sizes (XS through XL) are designed to fit a C-D cup in the bust, and the plus sizes (1X through 3X) are designed to fit a F-G cup, and have extra room in the waist and hip.
My designs are meant to be versatile - items you can dress up for the office, or dress down for the Saturday market; wear out with sneakers during the day, or play up with heels in the evening. I want people to enjoy wearing classic styles in beautiful fabrics that they will get use of for years to come.
I hope you love browsing the collections as much as I love creating them :)