Client Testimonials
I had initially met Sonia in the summer of ‘09 while I was in PDX. After that summer I was living in New York while she worked on my dress… the third generation one. She shipped the dress to my mother’s in Southern California for my wedding was in Springfield, Illinois. It was a very well traveled dress!
“When I came across Sonia’s gowns in a couple Portland boutiques I knew right away I wanted her to rework my grandmother’s wedding gown to make it my own. I had complete faith and trust in Sonia; not only to work on a family heirloom, but with long distance communication and only one initial fitting, as I was living in New York at the time. I sent her sketches and she kept in touch with photos of her progress. Sonia’s attention to detail, creativity and craftsmanship are superb! In the end I wore a totally unique and gorgeous wedding dress made with a lot of love.”
Emily Cobb Hoelzer.
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Sonia is a genius. I could not possibly gush enough about her talent, her skill, and her kind disposition. Her pieces are reflections of a twisted and beautifully inspired imagination where every detail has been perfected, and every thread sewn with care.
I asked Sonia to build me a headpiece to wear for my wedding, and within minutes of our conversation she was able to sketch exactly what I was looking for. I gave her almost no direction beyond our initial conversation, and my headpiece turned out perfectly. She created my wedding reception dress — a Little Bo Beep meets Marie Antoinette confection in which I danced all night long. I had two fittings in that dress, and it fit me impeccably. I would wear that thing every day if I could.
May
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I came to Sonia because I wanted a 1940s-1950s-like dress for my wedding… Other than that I wasn’t too sure what I wanted, but knew I didn’t want to go to bridal stores (yuk, I had enough of that being a bridesmaid). After meeting Sonia for our first consultation, I knew she was gonna be great! She was friendly, funny, and honest. She sketched out all the ideas we both had and with each fitting I could see that Sonia was going to deliver more than I expected. I also asked Sonia to make me a headpiece to go with the dress… the whole ensemble was perfect and also fit my own personal style. This was the funnest and least stressful experiences of planning out our entire wedding!!! I would recommend Sonia to any bride, or to anyone looking for a custom redesign. … Thank you so much Sonia!!!
Louise Massion
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Sonia is truly an artist. She totally saw my “vision” and made my dream dress come to life- no easy task when you’re relying on antique lace tablecloths!I absolutely loved my dress, as did my groom and most of the gals at my wedding 
It fit like a glove (well- we left room for much-needed falsies,) Having a dress made can be a little bit nerve-wracking- especially when working with recycled materials, you have to give up some control, which is hard when it’ssuch an important event. But seriously- trust Sonia. She knows how to make those old fabrics sing, and I’m not sure she’s ever produced anything that was less than stunning. She’s also very sweet and easy to work with, even if you’re having a hard time choking down your inner control freak. Walking into her studio is like walking into a magical dreamland of vintage glamour (or in my case, like walking into *exactly what I wanted my wedding to look like*.Always a good sign!)
Alex Tinsley
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hi sonia! just wanted to send a little thank you note. our wedding was a little over a week ago and i just can’t thank you enough for the dress! it is so unique and beautiful and i just love it so much. i really felt beautiful wearing it! In person it is something else! it received many compliments!
now i just have to find another place to wear it… thanks again! i will send some pictures when i get a group of them together.
Kristin Genna
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We all love Sonia at our house! I have two teenage girls and they are always looking for the perfect dress to wear to dances, graduation and holiday events. We have four gorgeous dresses so far and when the girls outgrow the dresses I might just frame them because they are truly works of art. Sonia is the most creative person I know. Each time we went to have a dress made it was such an experience. After going through racks of dresses that are not very attractive (like old bridesmaid dresses) the girls each selected some dresses to try on for color. Sonia had a vision for each of those dresses. Once the girls make their selection off the rack, Sonia just starts cutting the dress up — while it’s on the body; that alone is quite an experience. When the dresses were finished, they were breath-taking; even better, no one else had one like it. I also have a beautiful lavender rough crystal bracelet that my girls and husband got me for my birthday because I couldn’t stop obsessing over them. I can’t say enough great things about Sonia.
Kelley Dulcich
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For the creative and adventurous bride, Sonia Kasparian can walk you through her magic rooms of dresses – just waiting to be brought to life and fitted perfectly to your body, sense of style and occasion. Sonia let me dream about a spindly victorian slip dress with the sleeve torn off and transformed it into a 1920’s glamour piece of art! I enjoyed every minute of its creation, as she is easy to work with and isn’t afraid to explore different directions, colors, embellishments . . . She has great ideas and conscientious of timelines. I can’t thank her enough, I never imagined dress shopping could be so fun!!
Jessica Harrington
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Sonia Kasparian’s Urchin Designs was one of the best parts of my wedding. I wanted a beautiful custom dress and had a collection of feathers I envisioned using in various ways. Sonia and I worked together to come up with a vision that fit all of the things I wanted in my dress. We chose a gorgeous 1940s gown and altered it to fit the modern times and my taste. Sonia made the gown sexy! She added a fabulous crinoline that she died and spray-painted a mish-mash of light browns and greens. I told her I was planning to wear cowgirl boots. Miraculously, she had a perfect pair in her basement to fit my tiny size five feet.
I had a collection of Northern Flicker wing feathers that I’d been collecting for at least a couple years. We thought they would be perfect to make into hair combs for my bridesmaids. I figured I would find some dresses to match, but I realized that I couldn’t find anything even close to as unique and beautiful as Sonia’s party dresses. So my sister and I went to Sonia’s studio again to pick out dresses for my three brides maids. She dip dyed them to match the soft pinky-orange color of the flicker feathers and the pale sage green of Old Man’s Beard lichen that Sonia added to the crown of my veil. It was sure to be cold at some point during our wedding at 7000 feet in the Sierra Nevada. So, Sonia designed some cashmere shrugs for the girls in three gorgeous shades of lichen-green. She took just a regular cashmere cardigan and turned each one into a piece of art.
My Mom and Mother-in-law-to-be came with my sister and I to Sonia’s studio and Sonia made them hair/hat pins from Pheasant feathers too. My mom got home and kept in contact with Sonia to have her make a gorgeous light green lace dress for her too. To top it off, Sonia offered to make my veil, which she modeled after veils from the ‘30s. The crown wrapped around my head and the veil detached from the crown so I didn’t have to re-do my hair for the reception. Brilliant.
We didn’t forget the boys. Using blue and black Stellar Jay Feathers, Sonia made hat pins for our groomsmen to contrast and compliment the bridesmaid’s hair combs. She made boutonniere pins for our Dads and Grandpas too out of Pheasant feathers. My father has always enjoyed pheasant hunting and the feathers came from birds he had killed. My Father-in-law was so impressed and excited about the Pheasant feathers because he and his father had gone pheasant hunting when he was young. It was nice to have something meaningful in the design for our Dads. Sonia made a sweet boutonniere made of the bright orange and black Northern Flicker tail feathers for Delaney. She added a small toy gun and shell to the pin to make it fit our frontier-style theme. Everything fit together so incredibly.
We had so much fun at the wedding showing off Sonia’s amazing work. And we were lucky that she made the trek all the way down to Tahoe to celebrate with us. People kept asking about who made the dresses and were so impressed with all of the feather pieces. It was so much fun working with Sonia because I could tell how much she cared about us and her work. She put a lot of love, creativity, and thought into our wedding and it showed. Everything was so gorgeous and perfect.
Jennie Wheeler
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I was first introduced to Urchin Re-design when I was shopping for my wedding dress in 2009. It was my first day of shopping and already hated everything I tried on because, well to be blunt, everything was so fucking boring! Towards the end of the day and after trying on maybe 20 dresses that just were not me, I found myself wandering into Xtabay Vintage shop on Clinton. Sonia had a few of Urchin Re-Design dresses on consignment there. The dress, my (future) dress, was displayed in the front of the store and the minute I laid eyes on it, I knew right away it had to be mine (see Photo 1). The dress was so authentic, so raw, so untraditional, so strategically imperfect, so not white, so organic, so unique, so…me! It reminded of Marie Antoinette on the runway meets an alter ego of Oscar de la Renta meets Cinderella visiting Burning Man in a fairy tale that all takes place, well… it all takes place in my life…at my wedding, really. The dress is pink or maybe it is purple… it depends on who you ask or what light you are standing in. That is what intrigued me first and foremost. The boned bodice is set in a sweetheart setting, dipping ever so slightly to encourage my not-so-there cleavage to spring up. It was decorated with lace and hand-stitched embroidery that overlaid the top (see Photo 2). The delicate thread from Sonia’s needle work were all still hanging off the garment to give it a deconstructed, yet pure, appearance that made me have a wedding dress orgasm. The skirt… oh the skirt…it was layered and gathered and gathered and layered again asymmetrical and unexpected, but totally and completely calculated with bounties of tulle overlaying a silk under skirt(see Photos 3). The dress surprisingly fit me very well. The bust needed to taken in and it was a wee bit too long. Other than minor changes, I really felt like the dress was just waiting for me to own it and wear it.
I am a history girl, I am a narrative girl. I wanted the entire historical record of this dress and I need ASAP. I needed to know everything about this dress. I wanted to know who made it! I wanted to know the process of how the dress was constructed! I needed to know what it looked like before! I need to know… It was so unique and at that point I knew I could not have any other type of wedding dress from that point on. These dresses exist?, I asked myself. Most certainly they do, and they can be made from scratch or they can be designed from vintage dresses. That was my AHHHH moment. After calling Sonia she answered all my questions and I decided to not only purchase the dress, but I needed her to alter it ever so slightly.
I visited Urchin Re-Design studio in Northeast Portland and was thoroughly impressed with Sonia’s collection. She had several dresses like mine and some not like mine on display. She apologized for not having more, but I understood that she was constantly being commissioned to do custom work and it was hard to keep stuff on the rack. To my surprise she had a large display of vintage jewelry and hairpieces that been re-designed by her with the antique, yet fresh feel. At that moment I realized that I might have the opportunity to also get other items made for my wedding day.
Sonia ended up building me a ridiculous (in a good way ridiculous) choker with jewelry pieces I had already purchased at Xtabay (see Photo 5). I also commissioned her to construct a hairpiece that also acted as my veil (Photo 5). She even added fabric from my actual dress to the hairpiece to make it all blend together. Both pieces complimented my beautiful wedding dress and made me look so different than any other bride I had seen (see Photo 6). Still to this day I get compliments on the uniqueness of my dress, necklace, and hairpiece. I even was asked to be in the 2011 Oregon Bride Fashion show to rock the runway in my awesome ensemble AGAIN!
Working directly with Sonia was really fun! I mean, how often do you get to be involved in the design process in something you are wearing?… and I got to do it for my wedding day! Working on custom pieces with Sonia was a very interactive process of numerous visits, telephone conversations, and emailing. After the general concept of each commissioned piece was verbally originated (by both of us), she went to work. Sonia is very creative and she just kind of goes with it, if you know what I mean. “It” meaning a creative idea. I would constantly get emails and text messages showing me pictures and asking for my yah or nay to either move on or aboard ship on an idea. Honestly, I do not think I jumped ship once because I loved what she did. Each piece manifested into something I could not ever think of. To sum it up, Sonia integrates her own aesthetic and unique creativity to build a one of a kind piece…whether it is a dress, hair piece, or jewelry item. She also involves her client throughout the entire process, so you are working together. The last thing that I love about working with Sonia (Urchin Redesign) is that she is local Portland designer that thrives on reusing, recycling, and re-purposing vintage dresses, fabric, and jewelry items. If anything, you are doing good for the environment and supporting a well deserved local designer, thus prospering our local economy.
Sincerely,
Jessica Hale
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Something Old becomes Something New (article) By Jessica Repa
How can a wedding dress be full of memories before the bride even wears it down the aisle? I’ll tell you how. Take something old and transform it into something new. When I got engaged, I immediately shared the news of my upcoming wedding with my Mom. After she screamed (joy, I think) she asked me if I wanted to wear her dress.
(photo goes here…..once I figure out how to insert this)Then she showed me her 1970’s ivory lace wedding dress. Lets just say it wasn’t exactly “me”. The long sleeves and high neck looked a bit outdated. Oh, and did I mention, there was a tear at the bottom and a stain in the middle of the dress? But something about wearing my Mom’s wedding dress on my big day seemed appealing and would mean so much to my Mom.
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Next I found a photo of my Grandma Anne wearing her wedding dress from the 1930’s. I thought the gorgeous yet delicate tulle might complement the lace from my Mom’s dress. I asked Grandma Anne if I could wear her wedding dress too, and she beamed with excitement (and at 95 years old, it was quite a beam). I warned her it might not look the same, but that I would turn it into something she’d love.
I felt like there was still something missing. I asked my Mom if she had something meaningful from her Mom, my Grandma Lola. Lola was a showgirl and loved wearing costume jewelry (my Grandma Lola was a showgirl before Barry Manilow belted out the famous song). I wanted to include Lola’s favorite chandelier-style earrings in my wedding dress. Although Lola died several years ago, her spirit still lives on whenever I hear show tunes or watch Dancing with the Stars. I wanted her to join me as I walked down the aisle.
To round out my dress (and balance the bling from Lola’s jewelry), I decided to include my cousin Cindee’s quartz crystals embedded into the dress. Cindee inspired me to appreciate nature at a very young age. Even though she passed away, I wanted her to be a part of my special day as well, and the crystals were a part of the Huichol culture that Cindee dedicated her life to preserving.
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My wedding dress contained years of memories. The dress was “reborn” out of vintage fabric and vintage objects. The best part about my new dress is I didn’t have to use anything “new” at all. Almost all of the materials came from the women in my life who helped me When I walked down the aisle with my Dad, I thought of my Grandma Anne. Even though she was not able to be there in person, she walked down the aisle with me. I thought of my cousin Cindee as the sun sparkled off the crystals on my dress. When I danced my first jig with my husband and broke into the retro “running man” with my sister, I thought of Lola and how she taught us how to tap dance in her kitchen when we were kids. And when I tossed my flowers, I thought of my Mom and how she loves perennial flowers and wondered what went through her head when she tossed her bouquet those thirty-odd years ago.
One memory I didn’t expect to enjoy so much was the redesign process. While I could have bought a Vera Wang, I would have never had the chance to meet Vera, let alone laugh with her, collaborate on the design and scream in glee when I had my final fitting. I got to connect with my designer Sonia, and made a friend in the process. Can’t get that from a cookie cutter dress off the shelf! My vintage redesigned dress was made from a local artist (Sonia happened to live in my neighborhood) and from reused and heirloom fabric. By wearing something once worn by four, I got to wear a lifetime of memories.
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My husband and I both wore Urchin Re-designed clothing on our wedding day!Not only were the pieces truly beautiful and fit like a glove, but the whole process was exciting and fun! she really was able to make something that reflected our personalities, and make the process amazing! We both look forward to working with Sonia in the future ! it was a delight.
She made my veil and reception dress, and my huband had a 1960’s suit that she fitted and added some special touches for him 
Thanks again for the memorable experience and fantastic clothing!
the Diestler’s
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I went to Sonia to design and make my wedding dress after seeing her Urchin pieces at Flutter. Her design aesthetic was exactly what I was looking f or . Pretty profiles using recycled clothes and materials with a deconstructed edge. The process of creating the dress was so rewarding. It was very collab or ative and she was able to understand my intent immediately and take it to the next level with her creative detailing and great construction. I felt she really wanted it perfect and put her heart (not just her dress form’s heart) into the project. I LOVE my dress!
Jessica Repa
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When my partner and I decided to get married, we knew we wanted to do something non-traditional. Less of a “wedding” and more of an Edwardian dinner party with a ceremony in the middle. I think we described it as Jane Austen and Tim Burton have a love child who grows up and throws a dinner party for 100 of his/her favorite people. I knew my dress would be hard to find, but I had some visions – elegant but distressed, with layers and sparkle, and somehow cut in a way to flatter my size 16 figure. I saw a few Urchin reDesign dresses at a very small “local Portland wedding” show and just loved the creativity and attitude and style. I hoped it would be something I could afford to do and that it wouldn’t be super stressful to work with a designer (and fit that perfect dress into my budget – there’s no way I thought I could afford a custom dress). I took Sonia’s card and set up a consultation. I can barely describe how much fun that first appointment was – with the couple pictures I brought and the rooms and bins and stacks of dresses and fabric that Sonia uses to inspire and create! We just jumped right in! As I went through bins of “bruise” colored fabric, her inspiration struck – a gorgeous vintage scarf, sheer with a burn out Victorian pattern and amazing silver fringe. We were on our way to the greatness that would be my dress. I felt totally understood and completely trusted Sonia to execute our vision and create the perfect dress – to care about it as much as if she were going to wear it on her wedding day. My faith was well founded. From the perfectly draped scarf layers, to the beautifully constructed rhinestone bodice, I honestly couldn’t have asked for more. On my wedding day, well, I looked amazing, and I felt like the only woman in the room. Friends and family still mention off-hand, even now, how incredible the dress looked! From the begining to the end, Sonia understood my vision and with such incredible creativity, skill, and talent, I can’t believe my good fortune in finding her. Truly, truly amazing!
Ever grateful,
Joahna Kuiper
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Sonia Kasparian is Brilliant. One Blink. That’s all it took for her to get a mental snapshot of my measurements, and the rest was history. Come to her with an idea and she will mind-meld with astonishing accuracy, then add her Couture Designer “know-how” swirled with her innate signature touch. Voila! She has transformed you into the Fairy Tale Goddess you’ve always dreamed you could be. I’ve commissioned Sonia for many times, each time she nails a show-stopper. Two giant thumbs up!
Mollie Hogan
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I went to Sonia to design and make my wedding dress after seeing her Urchin pieces at Flutter. Her design aesthetic was exactly what I was looking f or . Pretty profiles using recycled clothes and materials with a deconstructed edge. The process of creating the dress was so rewarding. It was very collaborative and she was able to understand my intent immediately and take it to the next level with her creative detailing and great construction. I felt she really wanted it perfect and put her heart (not just her dress form’s heart) into the project.
I LOVE my dress!
Kendra Howell
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