In 2013, Leah Yard Designs became a registered business. I remember sitting on my apartment floor, finalizing paperwork, and thinking: "how the hell am I going to do this?"

The honest truth?

I assumed I would fail.

Here's why:

I spent 4 years of my childhood living on an isolated lighthouse island where food and supplies arrived monthly by helicopter. I was 9 years old before I had ever experienced crossing a street alone, going to school, buying something in a store. I was always "behind" (i.e. when kids talked about the Spice Girls, I thought it was a cooking show...)

When we moved off the island, I was a weird little island who struggled with severe anxiety.

I flip flopped between public school and homeschool and eventually dropped out after grade 9. While my peers graduated, went to college, travelled, began careers and families, I worked entry level jobs for the next decade. 

By the time I was registering my business, I hadn't "progressed" very far in life. And I was now entering an industry (fashion) that values prestige and glamour.

I assumed I would fail. Designers don't have stories like mine. Right?

But, it's been a decade since I started LYD.

And like most experiences, there's more clarity when you look back. Living in isolation gave me the ability to imagine. This deep creativity translated into an amazing skill set: to see a finished product with little to no resources. 

While other kids had access to stores, craft supplies, and media, I was in the woods making hats out of ferns, shoes out of bark and recycled egg cartons, clothes out of woven reeds.

And yes, jewellery, out of anything I could find.

This year we aren't just celebrating a decade of Leah Yard Designs, but what is possible if you think outside the box. When you take your "flaws" and turn them into superpowers you become unstoppable, because only then are you truly, uniquely, you. 

We want to celebrate this milestone with you!

On July 22nd from 12-5pm we are hosting an anniversary event at our Chinatown location (161 Keefer Street Unit 201)

See what we've got planned here.

-Leah, xo