Kelowna’s Ashe Lamont has packed a lifetime of struggles into her short 24 years on the planet
Photo Credit: Gord GobleAshe Lamont
Diagnosed at the age of two with Type 1 diabetes, she’s been a daily user of insulin just about as long as she can remember. But that’s just the start
Lamont is also autistic. And she’s spent much of her life dealing with depression, high anxiety and a feeling that she just doesn’t belong
She’s been hospitalized more than once for “suicidal ideation” (thoughts of suicide) and “suicidal intent” (moving those thoughts to a planning stage)
But recently, Lamont’s feeling rather energized. Her world looks better than ever and she suddenly finds herself with a circle of friends and associates
As a bonus, the bright, well-spoken Calgary native has seemingly discovered a way to make a living doing something she absolutely loves
To say her life has changed is an understatement. It’s been revolutionized. And much of that credit, she says, goes to the hyper-inclusive Penticton pop/nerd culture festival known as Penti-Con and the community she’s discovered through it
Photo Credit: Gord GobleScene from 2026 Penti-Con
We caught up with Lamont this past weekend at the 2026 iteration of Penti-Con at the Penticton Trade and Convention Centre and learned a lot about her trials and triumphs
“When I was 14, I started struggling with mental health,” she began. “I got depression and anxiety and we didn’t know it at the time, but I was also autistic…undiagnosed
“I’d just started high school and at that age, there’s so much weight placed on social interaction and being in the right group. But with me there was some bullying and I was losing friends. I was extremely lonely.”
At the time, she attended a Calgary high school she says was “a hot pot of neurodivergent and gifted teens.” Nevertheless, the loneliness continued and eventually thoughts of suicide surfaced
But suddenly Lamont found refuge. She discovered video games.
Photo Credit: Gord GobleAshe Lamont chats with mom Cynthia at 2026 Penti-Con
“Playing games like ‘Witcher 3’ on my computer helped me discover the creative side of myself,” she said. “These games were giving me escape, giving me something to hang onto
“They opened my creative mind, and soon I wanted to bring my games into the real world. I wanted to have physical objects. So I started to crochet.”
The crocheting continued and soon Lamont was producing real world facsimiles of gaming characters. Then at 16 years of age, she found the courage to bring one of her crocheted creations to school
Her English teacher took one look and asked if she could make another for her own kid
“It was my first foray into business,” said Lamont. “I made a little dragon. And I did that sort of thing for a little while. Then I learned to sew.”
As her skills grew, so did her awareness of something called the “furry fandom,” a global subculture of folks fascinated by anthropomorphic animals (animals with humanlike traits)
“It’s huge,” said Lamont. “They do art, they go to conventions, they make ‘fursuits,’ they gather and they chat and they have fun. There are millions of them
“And I got into that space and realized they’re just like me.”
Photo Credit: Gord GobleScene from 2026 Penti-Con
She’d stay with her grandpa ’til her mom Cynthia moved there too a couple years later
Ultimately, nursing didn’t work out and her depression reappeared. A year-long online digital illustration/concept art course followed that further awakened the artist in Lamont, but at the end she continued to drift
Then in 2024, it all came together
Lamont’s mom Cynthia arrived in Kelowna and promptly found her daughter a Dungeons and Dragons group. The group figured she’d enjoy Penti-Con. And they were right
Photo Credit: Gord GobleScene from 2026 Penti-Con
“It was so much fun,” she said. “There were so many people dressed up and a bunch of cool vendors and all this nerdy stuff everywhere
“It was the year I put together my first cosplay. And driving here with all my buddies was amazing. It was just a blast.”
Lamont had found her peeps. It was a big step
An arguably bigger step came just last year at Penti-Con 2025 when Lamont’s first fully realized home-built “furry suit” attracted attention. Good attention
“Costumes are a staple of furry fandom,” she said. “They’re a way to step into a persona, an idealized version of yourself. I was still very anxious and introverted, but I found when I had the mask and costume on, I could come out of my shell
“And a lot of people came up and took pictures of that one.”
Photo Credit: Gord GobleLamont wowing the crowd at Penti-Con 2026wScene from 2026 Penti-Con
With momentum on her side, Lamont joined an online furry community and quickly connected with a fellow Kelownian who’d seen her work. They asked her to design a head for their own costume, and they were willing to pay for it
“So I did,” she said with a smile. “And we ended up becoming really good friends. They are my number one supporter and fan.”
She made enough bucks from the initial job to buy a few supplies and set up a website, and it wasn’t long ’til she connected with another prospective client. This time, she was commissioned to construct a full furry suit
“And then when the payments came in, I realized maybe I could do this as a business,” she said. “Both my mom and I felt it could actually be a proper job.”
Along the way, Lamont launched her own company, “Chirping Cat Creations.” She named it after her cat, which she claims “chirps” rather than meows
And the jobs kept rolling in. To date she’s crafted four suits and generated enough income to support herself
Photo Credit: Gord GobleScene from 2026 Penti-Con
Lamont’s fursuit process starts off with an extensive consultation
“I want each creation to capture the essence of the person who’ll wear it,” she said. “I work very closely with them throughout and I make sure I learn about them as a person and incorporate that into the expression and the materials.”
Once designed in the digital sculpting app Nomad Sculpt and sized to conform to the noggin of the individual client, each suit’s head is 3D printed then labouriously adorned with faux fur and other accoutrements
For the body, Lamont uses a combination of traditional pattern blocking, existing patterns and 3D modeling
Photo Credit: Gord GobleLamont’s mom Cynthia (second from right) watches her daughter on stage
“The top is made using measurements and a traditional shirt block technique,” she said. “I then make an accurate 3D model of the body using BodyDouble (essentially a digital mannequin) imported into Nomad Sculpt
“I sculpt the shape of the legs onto the body model then use an app called Plushify to convert my 3D models into sewing patterns. Then I fashion a set of four pillows to pad out the legs and attach them to the inside of the legs using loops and buttons.”
Lamont uses Canadian material wherever possible rather than the American equivalent and always emphasizes accessibility
“I wear an insulin pump and it’s constantly connected to my body,” she said. “And when I’m in a massive suit, it’s hard to access that pump. So I add special pockets so I can wear it
“So when my client has a disability, I ask what would make them more comfortable. And I don’t charge any extra because I think everyone who wants to suit should be able to do it.”
And Lamont cleared another huge hurdle at Penti-Con 2026 when, on the second day of the event, she threw aside her shackles to host her own panel discussion
Photo Credit: Gord GobleLamont (second from right) and friends at Penti-Con 2026
With her mom and registered clinical counselor Cynthia by her side, she ran a panel called “Fan Identity and Mental Health: Finding Connection in Fandom” that explored a subject with which she’s intimately familiar
“I attribute it directly to events like Penti-Con and my cosplay and my fursuits that I’m able to do it,” she said
“I’m here and I’m around my people. And they’re here to hear us speak about something we can all relate to
“It feels good.”
For more info on Ashe Lamont’s Chirping Cat Creations, hit up the website here
For more info on Penti-Con, which in the fall of 2027 will celebrate its tenth anniversary, turn here
