Meet the Designer

Born in 1978 to German Immigrants in Calgary, Canada, Sonja grew up instilled and ingrained with a deep sense of European culture, values, and traditions.

Growing up she was clearly inclined towards the Arts, and by age 13, whilst sketching clothing instead of taking notes in class at school, she knew with absolute certainty she would be a womenswear designer for life. This was a fresh, unestablished, non-traditional way in which to break out of her shell, express herself and to share her joy of design with the rest of the world.

After finishing school she enrolled in a Fashion Production Diploma 2-year condensed program in Canada. With a technical knowledge foundation in place, she landed a Head of Wardrobe position at a theatre in Calgary for 2 years, which proved to be an invaluable and life-changing position, inspiring her to create the No Formula label, and move to London, UK, to further her career as a designer at one of the world’s fashion ‘mecca’s.

From 2004-08 she held a few positions with Womenswear manufacturers in London, gaining real-world priceless experience of the industry in roles including: Pattern Cutter, Garment Technician and Designer supplying the High Street Retailers.

In mid 2008 she left London to settle on the Gold Coast, and is growing the label, spurred on by the success of embracing and following an environmentally-friendly ethos.

While she maintains many of her traditional values, she immerses herself in modern, fresh, and alternative design ideas, embracing new environments, cultures, concepts and lifestyles, which are reflected in her No Formula garments.

She launched her third eco-friendly range for S/S 2011-12, the “Mosaic Collection” instores and online from 1st October 2011.