Cora Spearman has spent her life following her inner diva, and the sudden deaths of two friends within the past year reinforced her belief in living the life you want now.

"It’s funny how people touch your life. I was the one everyone watched over because they knew I had health issues," she said. "It reminded me that nothing is guaranteed and you shouldn’t wait on your dreams or things you want to do or see. You may not have a tomorrow. You shouldn’t be reckless, but you have to be happy."

As a new mom who had battled a rare form of head and neck cancer, Spearman, while recovering from surgery that removed a papaya-sized tumor, dove into creating clothing for her daughter Izzabelle, who was born last October.

"I couldn’t afford to buy all the fancy things I saw," Spearman said. "At the same time, my friends were also having kids."

When her friends clamored for the hair accessories and tutus she was creating, Coradorables was born. In a year, her line has grown to encompass clothing for boys and girls up to 8 years old. She’ll be previewing her resort Sankofa collection during her "Rock the Runway" fashion show at the "Oh Baby! Family Expo" this weekend at the Blaisdell Exhibition Hall. The fashion shows will take place at 2 p.m. Saturday and 1 p.m. Sunday on the expo’s main stage. The event will feature family-oriented products and services from more than 150 vendors, including clothing from Little Dew Drops and knit caps by Keikilani Grune.

As for Spearman’s Coradorables creations, they are, in a word, adorable. Her designs are pint-sized riffs on such adult classics as tunics and denim with a touch of Asian inspiration gleaned from her travels and work abroad, reflected in kimono-style tops and dresses with reversible ribboned obi belts for girls and mandarin-collar shirts for boys. She says she has moms asking for the adult versions, but wants to establish herself in the kids’ resort market before branching out.

"Our kids are an extension of ourselves, so I wanted clothes reflective of my core group of girlfriends who are extremely inspirational, jet setters and entrepreneurs. I wanted clothes that could pack easily, shake out (wrinkle-free) easily and look good when you go out to tea or to a museum."

She doesn’t want to compromise on fabric either, using comfortable high-quality cotton, denim and European denim for her separates, priced from about $18 to $40, and dresses and rompers from $60 to $80.

EVERYONE KNOWS a toddler will always elicit cooing from maternal types, but imagine the extra fawning when that toddler is dressed to be especially adorable. Who knew that clothing can have such an impact at such a young age?

"Little kids respond well when people give them positive reinforcement. I think that builds up their self-esteem," said Spearman, who grew up in Ohio with a global outlook.

"I lived away from home since I was 14. It was my mom’s idea that I should be an exchange student because she had studied in Paris when she was younger and thought it was important to come back with an understanding of language and cultures outside your own."

Spearman first headed to Germany, but was unable to learn German. She next proposed going to Africa to study Swahili, but because of civil unrest there, her mother rejected that option. So Spearman decided on Japan, where she picked up the language immediately and graduated from Meiko Gakuen, a high school in Fukuoka, Japan. After studying international business at Antioch College, Spearman worked her way up to become vice president of a Japan-based water filtration company, establishing U.S. offices in New York, Chicago and Los Angeles before arriving in Honolulu to do the same.

Here, she flourished, marrying into husband Chris Chang’s "huge Chinese-Hawaiian family" and switching gears in 2006 to open her own retail shop at Ward Warehouse, The Place. At that time, she was recovering from surgery to remove a tumor at the base of her skull.

At the end of 2009, the tumor raged back, growing from pea to papaya size in a matter of months. She closed the store and headed for the mainland for a second surgery at Johns Hopkins in Baltimore.

"It was a rude awakening. It made me see who my true friends were. I was able to see who kept in touch and those who fell off, who always came by and who always wanted to party with me before I got sick," she said. "It makes you reassess things. This industry can be very unkind and superficial, but that’s not who I am."

Spearman, who is in remission but remains vigilant about her health, refuses to be consumed by negativity, believing it’s an impediment to healing. Through Coradorables, she wants to send a message of giving back and keeping blessings going. She’s working with Ronald McDonald House Hawaii and Hospice Hawaii used a Coradorables headband in its current campaign video about a local girl who wanted to be a fashion designer before succumbing to cancer.

She’s happy at the organic way Coradorables has taken on a life of its own.

"With The Place, I had a five-year business plan, but still managed to hit every bump along the way. I don’t miss retail."

ON THE NET:

» Find more information at coradorables.com.