Elena Kulikova puts wearable art on the runway

Fashion show to raise funds for Plastic Oceans Canada

Elena Kulikova spent 14 years in corporate sales in the GTA, meeting multimillion-dollar quotas and living in an expensive condo.

But the hefty paycheque wasn’t making her happy. Something was missing.

“My soul was yearning for something,” she recalls. “I started losing passion for life, didn’t feel like I had a purpose.”

It took a costly divorce and a move to Niagara Falls to find her focus. And it came with a paint brush. After joining a program with Niagara Falls artist Evelyn Bailey, she felt her life fall into place.

“It was a soul awakening,” she says. “I went through a lot of emotional challenges and changes in life and art was really my way of healing.”

After networking with other artists in Niagara, Kulikova was determined to foster the region’s art scene and create a new sense of community. She has a project in the works with Bailey for 2020, but before that comes this weekend’s Fine Art Showcase and Fashion Show.

The five-hour event at Monty’s Gastropub in St. Catharines gathers eight artists from Niagara and the GTA who have each hand painted wearable art in the form of cross-shoulder, guitarshaped bags.

The idea stemmed from a meeting with Brampton entrepreneur Melissa Sharpe, the founder of Princess of Sound Guitar Purses. A hit at the local Hard Rock Café in Niagara Falls, Sharpe said the purses would be ideal for artists to work on.

“We hit it off right away,” says Kulikova.

The bags will be displayed during the ‘fashion show’ part of the event starting at 5 p.m. Each artist will also bring their own work to sell.

In addition to Kulikova, the show will feature Evelyn Bailey, Anastasiya Melnyik, Judit Schonwald, Razaw Nadir, Kellie Crossley, Heather Tait and Derkz.

A portion of the show’s proceeds will go towards Plastic Oceans Canada to support cleanup efforts. Kulikova is the group’s corporate arts sponsor and donates 30 per cent of all her art proceeds.

In addition to removing plastic from the water and beaches throughout the world, the group stresses getting its message into schools.

“They’re helping educate young minds that will later on become the change makers,” she says. “If people know better, they will do better.”

JULIE JOCSAK TORSTAR Elena Kulikova is organizing a fashion and art show which will feature wearable art, guitar-shaped bags, a pop-up gallery exhibit and an art sale. A portion of the proceeds will go to Plastic Oceans Canada in support of cleanup initiatives of marine life.