More About Rufina

“My parents had a tailoring business in the Philippines as a source of livelihood, making custom shirts and pants. I started making button holes and hand sewing buttons on those garments for my father when I was nine years old. Later, my father taught me to use a sewing machine. My first project in alterations at ten years old was changing a zipper on my dress. I was so proud of wearing that dress to school, to show off to my classmates. Turns out that the zipper was inside out.
My father taught me how to make shirts to help with the family income. That kept me isolated from the rest of my childhood life as I had to work before and after school. Dissatisfied with just knowing to sew, I signed up for dressmaking and tailoring classes after school. There, I was able to have control of the patterns, as well as the making and cutting of the garments we were working on.
After high school graduation I left home and lived in several places. My knowledge in fashion supported me through college and university, and eventually I immigrated to Canada. I completed professional studies at the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology in Fashion Design in Edmonton. In this program, I continued to build upon my technical and artistic skills.
Immediately after arriving in Kingston, I knew I wanted to stay. I fell in love with the city and its people. I have been working in Kingston as a bridal designer since I moved here in 1992. I have worked for a variety of organizations in alterations over the years, including Career Girl, Bridal Creations, and Lovebird Bridal. In the summer of 2016, I decided to start my own shop, Rufina’s Bridal, and the Gowns for Mission project.”
After many years in Kingston, I now moved to Edmonton to open my shop and continue my work here. Edmonton is a beautiful city and has an attractive River valley that everyone enjoys. I am thrilled to be serving Edmonton residents and future brides.