A month after her eviction from the Big Brother Canada household, North Vancouver resident Neda Kalantar is focusing her efforts on a new goal: expanding her line of illustrated T-shirts.
Kalantar, 22, was the second runner-up in the second season of the reality TV game show, which ended on May 8 after 10 weeks. Just a few days before she moved into the sequestered Big Brother "house" in Toronto, she and her sister Roya, 27, launched a line of T-shirts called BLK & SAINT.
Kalantar, a Handsworth secondary grad who now works as a freelance fashion stylist, designs the images and sassy sayings printed on the cotton shirts while her sister, who attended Sutherland secondary, handles the business side of things.
"My sketchbook has just been full of stuff for so long," Kalantar says, explaining she wanted to do something with her drawings rather than watch them collect dust.
Some of the T-shirts feature illustrations, such as a pair of bright red lips or a cat wearing reading glasses. Others are emblazoned with cheeky phrases such as "What's your Wi-Fi password?" or "I don't care about your diet" - the latter inspired by the superfluity of salad photos accompanied by healthy-eating-related hashtags on Instagram.
The BLK & SAINT label currently offers seven different T-shirt designs in unisex sizes, but Kalantar says she will be adding tank tops and is working on more illustrations. When considering what to put on her T-shirts, she says she first thinks to herself, "What would I want to wear? And what is stuff that I want to find and I can't really find it in stores?" Once she's drawn up a design, she transfers the image to the computer. All printing is done locally at Oddball Workshop in Vancouver.
Kalantar graduated from Ryerson University's four-year fashion communication program last year. She describes her personal style as "all over the place."
"One day I'll just look completely emo or goth and the next day I'll wear a bright pink dress."
But whatever outfit she chooses, she makes sure to layer on the accessories.
"I feel naked without jewelry on," she says.
A self-described "diehard super fan" of Big Brother, Kalantar devoured the American, U.K. and Australian versions of the drama-filled TV show and has long wanted to be a contestant herself. She credits her familiarity with the show and its strategies for making it into the top three and remaining in the house for 71 days.
"I was thinking about 100 steps ahead," she says, noting that she quickly got used to being under constant video surveillance.
"You realize the cameras are there, but they're not so in-your-face you don't act like yourself in (the house)."
Despite not winning the $100,000 grand prize, Kalantar says being a contestant was a good, albeit "insane," experience, and it took her some time to adjust to the outside world after living in such close quarters with the same people and having no access to a phone, computer or TV.
"It messes with your mind," she says. "I don't think anyone that left that house was mentally sound after. It takes you a while to decompress and become normal again."
Now back to civilization, Kalantar hopes she and her sister can get their apparel into boutiques and increase their product offerings.
"I just want to expand it. We're looking into making toques now and sweaters."
Currently, BLK & SAINT shirts ($32-35, plus shipping) are available online only at blkandsaint.com
