A Life in Couture, Craft, and Reinvention
Hello, I’m Sarah Palow, the designer and maker behind SP Couture.
My work is rooted in a lifelong love of textiles, traditional craft, vintage fashion, and the intricate beauty of haute couture. I create one-of-a-kind pieces that adorn the body and the home as art — from embellished vintage clothing and handmade jewelry to couture jean jackets and textile artwork.
In 2009, I moved to Paris, France to study at Lesage, the prestigious embroidery atelier owned by Chanel. There, I earned my certification in Haute Couture Beadwork and Embroidery and immersed myself in the world of French couture for more than five years. During that time, I studied traditional couture techniques, attended Paris Fashion Week and Couture Week, and created my own collections of jewelry and accessories.
Living in Paris gave me a deep appreciation for the artisans behind the world’s most extraordinary fashion houses. I became fascinated by the small ateliers and craft traditions that preserve techniques passed down through generations. That experience inspired me not only to teach and lecture about haute couture embroidery, but also to bring these age-old techniques into my own designs.
Before my Paris journey, I graduated from Sheridan College of Crafts and Design, where I majored in Textile Design. I also earned an honors diploma in Fashion Merchandising and Design and received certification from PMC Fine Silver Connection in Chicago. Over the years, I have owned retail locations, taught beadwork classes, designed jewelry collections, and worked as a freelance fashion writer covering Parisian fashion for publications and online magazines.
My work has been recognized internationally. I was named one of Swarovski Crystal’s top 20 North American designers for three consecutive years beginning in 2006, and my designs have been featured in magazines, newspapers, television, Vancouver Fashion Week, Vogue Italia.com, and on celebrities in Europe and the United States.
Today, SP Couture brings together everything I love: European vintage clothing, French fabrics, couture beadwork, hand embroidery, designer textiles, and the beauty of slow, thoughtful craftsmanship. I import vintage pieces from Europe and reimagine them with couture embellishment, transforming garments, denim jackets, jewelry, and textiles into wearable and collectible works of art.
My newest work also includes Haute Couture Art — abstract canvas pieces created with vintage French fabric, couture beadwork, and embroidery — along with creative kits for those who want to experience the joy of making couture-inspired textile art themselves.
After years of studying, teaching, writing, traveling, and gathering inspiration from the runways and ateliers of Paris, I am now bringing that world home through SP Couture. Every piece I create is a celebration of craftsmanship, transformation, and the story that can be told through fabric, bead, stitch, and thread.