Her energy and creativity is endless.  It all stems from her deep appreciation of the environment, fashion and functional art.

As a seamstress, shop owner, mother, community volunteer and artist, Heather’s tastes and talents are manifested in her latest creations and her new shop – Bespoke.

Meet Heather River, eco-stylist and entrepreneur from Truckee.

Heather grew up in the hills of Sonoma County and opened her first shop when she was just 16. It was a second hand clothing shop called Clothes Encounters of the Second Kind.  After attending school in San Francisco for fashion design in 2002, she opened a design studio in Point Reyes, CA where she did custom clothing and alterations.  Heather has worked for various fashion lines in the San Francisco Bay Area, and Dude Girl of Truckee where she lives.

Not one to sit still, Heather is constantly pursuing new avenues to creatively express herself and help spread her message of reusable and wearable art and fashion. But, she doesn’t just talk about it. She does the work. With a strong sense of style and obvious talent, Heather uses her gifts to constantly create.

Here’s her take on her new shop, Bespoke.

“Bespoke will be known as the place you can always go to find the perfect gift, and a place of artistic inspiration. We will focus our inventory on one of a kind goods from independent artisans, as well as sell vintage and custom home furnishings, offering a fresh and inviting shopping experience. Our shop will be a beautiful mix of old meets new, focusing on “slow” products, and local and regional handmade goods.”

Recently she designed an art exhibit for Sierra Nevada College using different textiles and natural materials. Using porcelain, cotton, and reclaimed wood she manipulated the materials to create different art forms that embody her idea of comfort and vulnerability such as this intricately detailed gown made of cotton, hand-embellished with porcelain.

While she enjoys working with natural fibers like cotton, Heather’s material of choice is anything reused.  As a master seamstress and tailor, Heather uses her skills to bring new life to discarded clothing.  Much of her work is based on designing custom-tailored vintage clothing, handbags and accessories out of reusable fabrics.

As if making blouses, dresses, jackets, pants and handbags isn’t enough, she has recently delved into creating furniture out of reclaimed wood.

Her skills and passion for recycling clothing and raw materials fits right in with the local sensibilities and values that run deep in Truckee.

Mountain girl, mother, high fashion designer, entrepreneur, athlete and laid back music fan, Heather can be found at her new digs – Bespoke.

To learn more about Heather and to see her vintage handiwork, visit her new shop at 10130 Donner Pass Rd or online at www.bespoketruckee.com.