Soft Flirt – the Artist Alayna Hyrclik started her lifestyle brand in 2016. She would use her own cursive handwriting as the basis for the designs with ‘soft’ words and sayings printed or sewn on banners and t-shirts. Her art has often had witty or sarcastic meanings dressed up in a softer image. I remember her sweet door banner, which had stitched cursive letters to say ‘nope’. From there her brand evolved just as she did as an artist. She has produced many well-known shirts capturing great one-liners, or even representing the nostalgia and incredible cultural references specific to London Ontario. My personal favourite is a t-shirt that reads, “You say needy like it’s a bad thing”. So much of Alayna’s story resides in Old East. It’s no surprise to many that she was a Beal Art student who moved on to study art in university receiving her BFA from Western University. Once she started her brand she opened her first retail location at the Western Fair. From here she has found some great spaces to work out of in OEV, and currently is working and sharing space with City Rest the Rezonance printing folks, who are also now a part of OEV. Alayna has been a large contributor and producer of events including her work with the Punk Rock Flea Market which happens several times throughout the year. She has been very involved in other great happenings including Grickle Grass and Winter Spectacular over the years and has also hosted her own markets such as Soft Fest which collects a great number of artisans who hand-make items with a similar ‘soft flirty’ vibe. Her artwork is in demand, and her approach is very kind. She likes to bring out the best in people, not just in her own branding but in how she collaborates. Businesses have picked up on this and you can see her mural work around town including the Boys and Girls Club on Wharncliffe, Locomotive Espresso on Pall Mall, The Piping Kettle on Commissioners, the Carling Heights Mural on Oxford…the list goes on. More recently she took part in The Summit event put on at the Western Fair,
where several guest artists from around North America were brought in to produce great mural art all over Old East. Be sure to check out her work online or at an event. You will definitely find something that speaks to your ‘soft flirtyness’.
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Old East Villager November/December 2024 • Page 9
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