Arts and Entertainment

Olga Saras opens Alton Mill studio offering woven clothing art

November 27, 2025   ·   0 Comments

By Constance Scrafield

Newly arrived as a tenant at the Alton Mill Arts Centre, Olga Saras is also ramping up for her 10 days at the One-of-a-Kind Show in Toronto. These are two of her busiest days of the year. Nevertheless, she was happy to join a brief interview with the Orangeville Citizen to let people know about her new spot at the Mill.

Olga Saras’ studio is set in the former Rare Threads space next to Anne-Marie Warburton’s Gallery Gemma and the also newly settled Magpies’ Nest, on the ground floor.

“Ten years ago, Jordon Grant approached me,” Saras commented. And she has finally been welcomed at the Alton Mill full-time.

Saras started and has been “playing with yarns forever, actually,” is how she remembers her climb up the ladder of design.

“I make very small batches at a time,” she said.

Saras loves to style clothing, especially sweaters and knitwear – it’s her passion.

She said she makes “quite a bit of garments – I love dressing up women.”

Like a motto, Saras believes “beauty will save the world,” and it gives her inspiration. In her life, she seeks the “beautiful beauty” and rejoices when women embrace it. Nature is huge in design, very much with the Toronto crowd, in that busy place.

“You give them their items with a little branch, an element of nature, and it makes people feel a bit calmer,” Saras noted. “The influence of nature is everywhere.”

As a side note of interest, Saras used to sell her sweaters in a shop in Toronto, and one day, one of her creations was purchased by actress Meryl Streep!

Everything is created on the basis of nature’s design.

Illustrating her point, “We take everything from nature; we’re inspired by nature. We look at a bird – we design a plane.”

This appreciation of nature in her designs resonates with most of her clients.

“Upcycling,” as she works, Saras said, “With the development of my patterns, I make sure nothing goes in the garbage. Sustainability is important.”

She also thinks people don’t need more clothes; they need inspiration.

“My designs are flying out of the shop in peace and lively Alton,” a joke to contrast Alton to the likes of Toronto, which is lively, but where there is very little peace.

Saras came to Canada from Russia in 1992 on her own, but with a theatre group, trained as a classical dancer.

Just at the beginning of her time here, she was on tour with her theatre group as an actress. They performed in Toronto, and she applied to stay in Canada.

Then: “I met a young man and we got married. We have a son,” Saras said.

They have been based in Caledon for many years: she is local, living locally to the arts centre.

Her new studio at the Alton Mill opened on Oct. 1.

“I was part of Rare Threads,” Saras mentioned, and she has a few ambitions about being otherwise, as well, involved locally.

“I am content. I just want to create almost like a girls’ club. More and more, I have been thinking about how can I incorporate my ballet background?” Saras said.

To teach movement, she considers, “Maybe dancing is very important for someone – you can’t just buy clothes, you have to able to carry those clothes. I completely abandoned dancing for a long time but I think I should share that with people – right here in Alton – there are a variety of places that would be suitable.”

Saras was clear in how she sees it, saying she would love to spread the word of personal styling and movement, even with and especially in an aging population.

She would like to mentor others to create beautiful clothing as well.

Yet, the One of a Kind Show opens today (Nov. 27), and she has help with the shows; Olga Saras has done the One of a Kind Show for many years – it is very strong for her, she says.

Just in case you like the show too and are planning a visit, you can find Saras at booth F-20.

To get in touch with Saras, visit her Facebook or Instagram at @olga.saras.

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