ABOUT

In 1990, Liz Cohoe left behind a 20-year career in Fashion Design to settle with her family in the town of Nelson, British Columbia. Looking for a niche in the secluded town, Cohoe recognized that many people had good ideas for the apparel industry but lacked training experience. She started a product development company called The Patternworks.

Meanwhile, Lamourah Perron was creating women's hats and selling them at craft shows. Perron noticed that her designs evoked an inner awareness in women; however, she needed assistance with production planning, costing, pattern and sample making in order to get her business off the ground. Cohoe provided that technical expertise and although The Patternworks thrived, she missed the creativity of design work. Lamourah, realizing that her strengths lay in customer relations, asked Liz to join her as a partner. They divided duties into what each woman did best, thus bringing their unique skills, creativity and enthusiasm to the resurgence of women's hats.

Over the next decade, Perron and Cohoe built their company through wholesale and retail sales, agent representation, web presence and personal presentations. They paid careful attention to women's reactions to the hats, and it is this awareness that had made Lillie & Cohoe so successful.

Over fifteen years later, Liz Cohoe, now sole owner and designer of Lillie & Cohoe, has moved production into a 1930's warehouse in the heart of Nelson. The airy studio-showroom, located far from the pressures of metropolitan life, allows Cohoe to freely explore design ideas and create hats that stand apart from the mainstream. All women are beautiful and Cohoe understands that the proper colour, texture, shape and volume can highlight a woman's best feature. “I was exhibiting in Calgary on year,” recounts Cohoe, “when two women approached my display. They both wanted to try on hats, but one was relunctant – she felt that she was too plain, that hats looked bad on her. I suggested a couple of styles and after trying on the second hat, the woman stood there silently. Then she turned to her friend, and whispered 'I'm beautiful'. They both had tears in their eyes.”

Despite the seclusion of Nelson, Cohoe is able to stay abreast of the industry through media and city visits. The Lillie & Cohoe collection is available at fine retail locations across Canada, the United States, and Korea.

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The Lillie & Cohoe team boasts a rich and varied background bringing technical, artistic backgrounds, sewing and millwright skills to the studio. Although some staff members have specific apparel manufacturing training, the common attribute throughout the company is an innate desire for quality in all they produce. Lillie & Cohoe's specific sewing methods are documented with each line to maintain meticulous standards that devotees have come to expect. A mother herself, owner Liz Cohoe understands the challenges for working mothers and is a strong proponent of flex-time. The staff utilize this opportunity to balance their commitments to work and personal lives.

Liz Cohoe completed studies in Fashion Design at Ryerson Polytechnic Institute in 1973. Since then, she has built her career in couture, studio, manufacturing productions, and teaching at the post-secondary level. Liz combines her love of classic hat shapes with her skill in creating form through the flat pattern. The resulting designs are timeless, clear in their statement, adapted to today's functional requirements while honouring the elegance of the past. Her hats allow women to express their inner selves in their daily lives.

Sharon Batcheller, Production Manager and cutter, was schooled at Emily Carr College of Art and Design, the University of British Columbia and Kwantlen College. She brings experience in design, manufacturing and customer service.

Alicia Wilson, Marketing Manager, graduated with a Bachelor of Design Communications from Ryerson University. She has a background in marketing for websites, design, and print.

Sewers Maria Patkova and Olena Karpiv likewise have technical training from fashion schools in Slovakia and the Ukraine. Combined, the two bring over forty years of experience in designing, sewing, and pattern making.

Anna Pokorny, with a background in theatre production in Slovakia, brought her natural teamwork skills to Lillie & Cohoe and after seven years she has attained the rank of Lead Sewer. Her steadfast personality and high standards have helped raise the bar to the Lillie & Cohoe's present heights.

Maureen Snow had a strong sewing background but studied to be a millwright at Selkirk College in Nelson. Her trade skills caught Liz's eye and she was quickly hired to do layout and cutting. She now enjoys the tactile pleasures of working with fabrics while using her machinist training.

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