Sustainability Slays: Sagradesa Brings Femininity and Maximalism to the Toronto Fashion Scene
Maxime Chercover is proving that sustainability doesn’t have to sacrifice style.
The Colombian-American fashion designer brings femininity, maximalism, and romanticism to her womenswear brand Sagradesa.
Chercover’s Latina heritage makes its mark on her avant-garde designs, drawing inspiration from Latin music genres like reggaeton and neoperreo and Colombia’s natural landscapes.
“I’ve been lucky to explore the landscapes, plants and animals native to Colombia, and it’s gorgeous to see. Waterfalls were also a huge inspiration for me, and the shapes that occur when water hits from above, so I try to emulate that with my drapery and fabrics like mesh,” Chercover said.
Maxime Cadena-Chercover, owner of Sagradesa, poses next to her fall/winter 2025 collection in her Toronto studio. The completed collection will be presented at the Fashion Art Toronto show on Nov. 15. [Photo by: Paula Acevedo]
“Sagrada refers to the earth and natural environment that I hope to protect with my work, and Mother Earth is the most sacred thing that we have in our lives,” Chercover explained.
Chercover, a TMU fashion school grad, started Sagradesa in 2020 to fill a niche in the fashion industry for garments that are “both fun and maximalist but also sustainable.”
“I find fabrics through discarded materials or thrifted or vintage materials. We try and make as much as we can without wasting any scraps and using as much of the fabric as possible,” she said.
Chercover’s pieces are all one-of-a-kind. Each piece tells a story and “celebrates the female body” using pleats, corsets, lace, ribbons, and vibrant colours, creating a “divine feminine” aesthetic.
Since Sagradesa’s inception in 2022, Chercover’s pieces have been seen on celebrities like R&B singer Ravyn Lenae, TikTok star Brittany Broski and Grammy-nominated Colombian-Canadian singer Jessie Reyez, who wore Sagradesa during a performance in Chercover’s hometown of Portland, Oregon.
“If younger me could see some of the collaborations we’ve done this year, she would be very proud… especially Jessie Reyez, being a Latina singer, and her music is so powerful, true, and authentic to her story, it’s really an honour,” Chercover said.
Sagradesa is run by an all-female team based in Toronto, working together to bring Chercover’s creative vision to life– from the first stitch to the last runway strut.
“There’s an ease that comes with working with women, especially women who are equally driven and share a creative vision; things feel natural and intuitive, and it creates the perfect dynamic to produce great work,” said Megan Seccaspina, PR director for Sagradesa.
Seccaspina, Chercover, and the rest of the Sagradesa team have been working on the fall/winter 2025 collection, Villain Origin Story. The collection tells the story of a seamstress whose craft carries ancestral memory. After a serpent steals her voice, she transforms her suffering into clothing and reclaims her voice. It is a story of resilience and overcoming obstacles. The collection will be showcased on Nov. 15 at the annual Fashion Art Toronto show.
“I can’t wait to see the new collection and the atmosphere, that’s always the most rewarding part, is seeing that final vision come to life,” Seccaspina said.
Author: Paula Acevedo
