Peach Berserk * Crazy Print Couture * Fabric & Fashion Design and School of Silk Screening

The Peachy Field Guide to Kingi Carpenter!

Range: the fabric stores, boutiques, bars, and restaurant patios of Queen St. West, Toronto

Habitat: lives upstairs above her store and silkscreen studio with a vast collection of vintage paint-by-numbers art, a bathtub in the living room, and the love of her life: her daughter Digby.

Lives on: rooftop barbeque in the summertime; mattar paneer from Gandhi Roti; beer

Distinguishing features: electric blond tresses; bright pink lipstick; supercute high heels, worn even in 6 inches of ice-crusted snow on a -20 morning in February; a complete absence of beige or tan in any form; an anchor tattoo that reads “Dad"

Personal bible: Helen Gurley Brown’s “Sex and the Single Girl”.

Superpowers:

The ability to be fired from fourteen “normal” jobs before her 25th birthday.
Can turn absolutely anything into a silkscreen print (and that includes photocopied bananas).
Cannot stop turning absolutely anything into a silkscreen print.
Rebuffs recurrent fashion fads (minimalism: horrible! And it just won’t die!) by remaining true to her vision of World Peachiness.
Commands a global tribe of Berserk fanatics, some of whom have been known to take a cab straight from the airport to the store. Others own at least one thing in every print.
Spreads the joy through silkscreen workshops, a how-to DVD, and seminars on starting your own crazy creative business (“Biz Tips for Misfits”).
Despite innate shyness, Kingi not only teaches but also appears on TV (including CTV’s Balance) and delivers keynote speeches.

“I first discovered screen printing at art school, way, way back in 1985, two years before I started Peach Berserk. I signed up for a Surface Design class, having absolutely no idea how silkscreens worked, but I had just been to Paris, and thought that the world (and I) needed dresses covered in huge Eiffel Towers -- amazingly, nothing like this was available in Paris at the time! What followed next was as close to a religious experience as I have ever had: I laid my screen down on a piece of fabric, squished some ink across with a squeegee, and lifted the frame to see the resulting print. All of my favourite things converged beneath that magic screen: my love of drawing, pop art, Paris, and of course fabric, because fabric means fashion.”

Kingi Loves:

Rebecca

Range: The thrift and vintage store of Toronto. And all the cool stuff in The Junction area of Toronto and of course Queen St West!

Habitat: Lives in the dungeon of an old victorian house.

Lives on: Beer, Homemade Soup, and Cheese

Personal bible: 'I love by my own rules, baby!!'

Superpowers:

Brilliant Karaoke Singer
Killing houseplants with a single glance
Finding the jewel among the thrift store rubble
Being turned on by Mustaches and cute guys, etsy.com, Yeti,Alpacas and Cheese Magic in Kensignton Market !!!!
and making gorgeous clothes for Peach Berserk, of course.

Nicole

Range: Art supply stores, cheap bars, and second-hand shops around Toronto

Habitat: A funky hideaway in The Annex area of Toronto, where she has a large collection of lucky cat statues and vintage radios. Recently, she set-up a full silkscreen studio in her place, so she can print fabric even when she isn't at work!!!

Lives on: The amazing cusine at Java House (restaurant 537 Queen St. W, half a block from Peach Berserk!!!), red wine, picnics in Trinity Bellwoods Park, in the summer and hotdog vendors throughout the city!

Personal bible: Seinfeld!!!

Superpowers:

Amazing ability to burn food.
calmest person in the Universe
Brilliant at helping even the most confused students in the Peach Berserk Silkscreen Workshop!

Nicole Loves:

Blue Jays games
Polariods
Marc Jacobs
thrivestudios.ca

Vihn

Range: Chinatown to Queen St. W, especially the fabric stores and ethnic shops.

Habitat: Loves and lives in the crazy, busy scene of Toronto's downtown Chinatown.

Lives on: REAL chinese food, and green tea

Personal bible: HER recipe book!

Superpowers:

Very nice and ALWAYS smiling
Can sew anything, perfectly...and in about 2 minutes!

Vihn Loves:

Family
the People she works with
exercise, especially Tai Chi

Sherry

Range: Yonge Street------waaaay North! Especially at the Tim Hortons!

Habitat: At home, especially in her pool.

Lives on: Chinese food, she LOVES her own creations. And sometimes McDonalds!!!

Personal bible: What!?!??!!?

Superpowers:

Brilliant fabric cutter
Talented beyond compare Dressmaker
30 years experience (how can she look soooooo young!!)

Sherry Loves:

Swimming! Wishes she could sew in her pool......