Regina-based fashion designer Dean Renwick is spending part of this summer teaching an eight-year-old girl how to stitch, sew, and weave as part of leaving his legacy on the city’s fashion industry.
Raina Haus, 8, spends two days a week shadowing Renwick in his Regina fashion studio. Renwick, who was the same age as Raina when he started designing and sewing, said he is trying to foster the girl’s talent and teach her the ins and outs of the industry.
“It’s always nice to have somebody there to teach you besides your mom and your grandmother,” Renwick told CTV’s Canada AM. “It’s part of leaving my legacy to the industry here in Regina.”
Renwick first met Raina at the Saskatchewan Fashion Week in May. Raina had designed and put together her own dress for the event. Impressed by the eight-year-old’s abilities, Renwick invited Raina to spend some time working in his studio.
Renwick said Raina has learned a lot over the summer and that, at this rate, she has a very bright future ahead of her.
“I see her just like I was at eight years old,” Renwick said. “I can see that she’s going to go quite far if she sticks with it.”
Renwick’s fashion career took off in the 1980s when he began designing outfits for the likes of Kiefer Sutherland and Bette Midler in Los Angeles. Since moving back home to Regina, Renwick has opened his own studio that focuses on custom couture.
