August 19, 2024. Interview conducted by Arielle Longo.
Lucas Caracas Le-fort wearing Lucas Star.
Lucas Caracas Le-fort is the vibrant 16 year old behind Lucas Star Clothing, a creative fashion brand based in Winnipeg, Manitoba.
I had the honour to hop on call with them to discuss their journey as a young fashion designer and entrepreneur.
Meet a young Canadian creative whose passion for life, clothing, and connection, seeps into every aspect of their practice.
Lucas: Ever since I was little, my parents would let me dress myself. They encouraged me to explore and to be creative. This made me realize that I really like to put effort into what I wear because it makes me feel confident, and fashion became something that I really enjoyed. That’s definitely the first moment that made me think “this is what I want to do in life”.
Yes, that definitely has an impact on the way that I create. In Brazil, there’s a lot of colour and fashion. Whether you’re going to the supermarket or to a party, you’re always going to be well dressed. Here in Winnipeg, it’s definitely a different situation. You’re seeing a lot of people in pyjamas and comfortable clothing. I wanted to combine both of those styles. A good example of this combination is my biggest product, the Strella pants. They have a very comfortable fit, they are wide legged, and they have an elastic band waist so it can suit many sizes. Despite the comfortable fit, they still have a lot of colour, which allows me to merge both cultures into one.
Lucas Star is for people who like colour. It’s for people who value confidence, community, creativity and connectedness. All that energy is turned into clothing, and that’s what creates Lucas Star.
Lucas Star was originally a project for school. In high school there is this program where they give you one semester to work on anything that you are passionate about. So, last summer, I started to work on my first product just a bit before school, and when I started working on it I saw that this project had potential and that it was something that I wanted to continue beyond the semester. As time progressed, I started to take on bigger projects and bigger plans for the brand, and on October third of 2023, at the beginning of my grade 11 year, was when Lucas Star was launched.
Definitely! It’s a program called Propel. You don’t take any other classes during that semester, and it helps students make their ideas come to life.
The top Lucas was wearing during our call.
Me too!
