About Uni Design
“In Slow Fashion”, Always.
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Uni is about making garments that carry meaning.
We work with carefully selected preloved textiles. Things like designer cutoffs, vintage linens, deadstock fabric, wool blankets, jeans, sweaters, we can bring anything back to life again. We love natural fibres when we can find them, collecting deadstock notions like zippers and buttons as well. Everything we use has a story.
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From there, we design pieces inspired by the atmosphere embodied through menswear; clean, quality and tailored to meet your needs, both elevated yet casual for all bodies. Transforming these forgotten or leftover textiles into something new and long-lasting. Everything is made slowly, by hand, right here in Vancouver. We want our garments to be lived in, loved and kept for years, not just a season.
we value time, care, and the process itself.
Not through measuring speed, volume or efficiency.
We take great pride in both the design and construction of our garments. Circularity is at the core of what we do, not just as a trend or marketing term, but as a guiding principle from concept to completion. We work with materials we have on hand and do our best to use every single part, even if that means taking the long way. Often, that looks like cutting each piece one by one, carefully pressing and stitching every seam by hand.
It may not be the most efficient practice, but it’s honest. It allows us to be thoughtful, to truly slow down and listen to what each textile wants to become while keeping your vision in mind.
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Patchwork is central to our work.
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We sew small, irregular pieces together to create bold, often abstract designs. Every composition is unique, and every garment is one of a kind. just like you. Nothing is mass-produced, and nothing is wasted.
This kind of work takes time. But to us, that time is what makes each piece meaningful.
Why Textiles?
Textiles connect people, across time, cultures and generations. We think about that a lot.
However, waste is constant and overlooked, which creates barriers between our communities. Clothing is produced incredibly fast, but worn briefly then thrown away, leaving billions of garments in landfills each year in the global South.
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With our work, we like to start with what’s left behind. Deadstock fabric, vintage stock, factory offcuts, all of which are the materials that form the base. Rather than contributing to the cycle, our process interrupts it. Patchwork becomes both method and mindset: breaking down what’s been overlooked, reshaping it and building something functional and long lasting. Not for show, but because it needs to be done.
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Each piece is made with the awareness of where the materials came from and why they were discarded in the first place. Every seam, every panel is part of a larger effort to reclaim value from waste. Patchwork is how that effort takes shape; visible, practical yet truthful.
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I like to think about the ways in which textiles connect us all across different times in history and generations, linking the hands of those before who came before us with those of us today carrying forward new and traditional skills, stories, and memories.
Across cultures, within our unique upbringings, honouring traditions old and new from various regions, as patterns, techniques, and material travel, evolve and weave together as one shared human experience”
- Maya, Founder of Uni Design
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It’s not about fixing the entire system, but refusing to ignore it.
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By the time it arrives in our hands, it is no longer just pieces of cloth, but a quiet archive, holding the weight of touch, time and transformation.
At Uni, we see fabric as something already alive. When we work with it, we’re continuing its journey, not erasing it. That's why we don't shy away from imperfections. A frayed edge or a patch of wear is an invitation rather than a flaw. It’s a place to begin.
Behind the Brand
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Uni is built by two hands, then four, but always with the heart.
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Maya - Founder and Creative Director
Maya is the spark that started it all. A self-taught designer with a deep respect for story and texture, her process is tactile and intuitive as she feels her way through each piece, guided more by sensation than rules. Responsible for sourcing the fabric, she is the backbone to the overall vision of the brand, dreaming up patchwork with passion and careful consideration. She doesn't just build garments; she builds narratives.
Ana - Lead Tailor and Technical Lead
As Maya works as the storyteller, Ana works as the architect. A seasoned tailor with years of experience in garment construction, she brings structure, precision, and discipline to each design. Her eyes are precise, and her hands are steady. She brings structure and refinement to each piece, ensuring that every seam, lining, and finish is done with care and technical mastery. Where Maya works with instinct, Ana works with exactness, complementing each other's skillsets to bring each garment alive.
Together, they are Uni Design, balancing form and function, insulation and precision, beauty and durability. The work is hands-on, and the intention is always the same: to make something worth holding onto.