Join fashion designer Maggie MacCormick of Daytime People; retailer Hannah Sears, founder of Slowly Slowly; and jewelry designer Sarah Sears of Sarah Sears Jewelry in a conversation about craft in the marketplace. Moderated by Amie Cunningham, founder and creative director of Thief&Bandit.
As leaders in the sustainable craft community, each panelist will speak about their journey of establishing their sustainable businesses and craft practices in Nova Scotia.
The Sow to Sew Symposium is part of the Sow the Sew Project at NSCAD University, which is funded by a generous donation from The Hilary and Galen Weston Foundation.
Meet the panel
Amie Cunningham
Amie Cunningham started Thief&Bandit 16 years ago while pregnant with her first child, Wolfgang. That moment marked the beginning of Thief&Bandit becoming “official,” though she’d been making art for as long as she can remember. After graduating from Parsons School of Design with a Master’s in Painting and Sculpture, she unexpectedly found her way to screen printing. A friend asked if she could help print T-shirts for her punk band, and Amie instantly fell in love with the process. She began designing her own tees, selling them straight out of her backpack outside bars in Brooklyn.
Amie couldn’t stop turning her art into wearable pieces, and before long, misprinted tees (there were many) became jewelry — waste not, want not. With her husband and creative partner, Johnston, they hit the road on the Renegade Craft Fair circuit with four-month-old Wolfgang in tow, connecting with customers in Chicago, NYC, LA, and San Francisco. A couple of years later, they found themselves pregnant again and decided to move back home to Canada. They started the business from scratch in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and haven’t looked back since.
Maggie MacCormick
Maggie MacCormick is the founder of Daytime People, a clothing and textiles brand originally known as Maggie Jayne. Growing up in Unama’ki–Cape Breton Island, Maggie began taking sewing classes in a neighbour’s basement in grade 3. This was the most enjoyable experience in her life but it would be a while before fashion design felt like a logical path. She later attended the Kootenay School of the Arts in 2011, where she was introduced to design, natural dyeing, and weaving. Maggie continued her studies at NSCAD, refining her skills in pattern drafting and collection development. In 2015, a trip to India motivated by her curiosity for textiles led her to a wood block printing course and a manufacturing hub, where the idea for her brand was born. With no set plan but a passion for craftsmanship, Maggie created Daytime People, and the brand is now celebrating its 11th anniversary.
Hannah Sears
Hannah Sears is the founder and owner of Slowly Slowly, a fashion and design boutique based in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Over the past five years, she has grown the shop from a curated selection of 25 independent designers to a roster of over 100 makers from around the world — each chosen for their commitment to the principles of slow fashion and intentional design.
Hannah’s path to entrepreneurship is rooted in both a love of commerce and a deep appreciation for art and culture. She graduated from Mount Allison University in 2013 with a Bachelor of Commerce and a minor in Art History, with a focus on marketing and management in the arts. After graduating, she built her career in fashion retail management, moving through corporate environments before gravitating toward the independent business community — working with small businesses in both Halifax and Toronto. It was that experience that clarified her vision, and in 2021, she launched Slowly Slowly.
Today, Hannah channels her background in business, her eye for design, and her values around sustainability into a shop that champions emerging designers and offers an alternative to fast fashion — one beautiful, considered piece at a time.
Sarah Sears
Sarah Sears is a jewelry designer, artist, and educator based in Kjipuktuk (Halifax), Nova Scotia. She earned her BFA in Jewellery Design and Metalsmithing in 2013 and completed her MFA at NSCAD University in 2024, where she is currently an instructor in the Jewellery Design and Metalsmithing department.
Inspired by the coastlines of Nova Scotia, Sarah gathers mussel shells and other material washed ashore, transforming them into heirloom jewellery and sculptural works. The mussel has become a recurring material language throughout her practice, carrying associations of place, memory, and home. Through thoughtful material sourcing and sustainable making practices, her work explores transformation and our shared connection to the natural environment.