Over two spectacular November nights at Blanche Macdonald’s Atelier Campus Canada’s #1 Fashion School’s 2013 Fashion Design graduates unveiled their debut collections to dozens of industry insiders, friends and family. The verdict: the best Blanche Macdonald Fashion Design Grad Show yet!
For Blanche Macdonald Fashion Director Tyler Udall (whose incredible résumé includes Senior Fashion Editor for multiple high profile publications in London and a stint as Creative Director for the Agency Fred and Associates in New York), much of the credit for the show’s success was down to a special group of students.
“It was great!” he enthused. “We’ve been flooded with glowing reviews saying that this was hands down the best Blanche Macdonald show to date and unanimously commenting on how refined it’s become. Some people were even going as far as to say it was the best student show they’ve ever attended. At many other schools, design training can take between two and four years. Our students have done this in a year and built these collections in just over four months. That’s pretty extraordinary to me. Knowing all the behind the scenes stories makes it even more special; just seeing the sweat and tears turn into smiles as their garments come down the runway. Their careers are genuinely starting right at that moment. For me, watching the idea of a career become reality is very exciting.
“We want every student to produce the best designs they’re capable of. As a Director, I encourage students to be as visionary as possible and try to help them articulate their voice as a designer. No matter how simple or avant garde the pieces might be, there needs to be a purpose, function and intent behind every decision, no matter how big or small. When students answer these types of questions as trained fashion designers, their garments become truly refined.”
“This class was full of detail-orientated people,” agreed Instructor Lisa Gellert. “They did great work and had a great camaraderie. They were competitive among themselves. They all encouraged each other to do their best. When someone did something amazing, the rest of the class would go home and do something amazing too. When students work at being better, that’s the best. We all want the same end goal – our students’ best work. And the work was great tonight.”
Executive Program Director and Show Coordinator Peggy Morrison explained that Fashion Lyrics’ triumph went beyond Blanche Macdonald’s Fashion School, giving credit to the talented instructors and students from the Makeup, Hair and Esthetics departments.
“Quoting from one of my favourite movies, The Boys in the Band, this show was ‘The hit of this or any season!’” she smiled. “A program coordinator from another fashion school said that it was the best Blanche Macdonald show ever. This has been a very busy month and it’s been a great time. We’ve had a lot of wonderful input. The crew of volunteers from the Fashion Merchandising program have been amazing. I loved the set up, watching Jon Hennessey and Renata Trebacz’s makeup and hair teams work their magic. It’s all been wonderfully coordinated.”
Peggy had further words of praise for a great graduating class.
“We had grads this year that were focused, talented, hard-working and showed really good taste. It was perhaps the toughest year ever to decide who won which awards. A lot of discussion and a lot of thought went into it.”
The coveted Award for Overall Achievement was eventually shared between two graduates, Janis Procyk and Kari Appelquist.
“Where I’m from fashion isn’t a typical career choice,” laughed Saskatchewan native Janis, who took inspiration from evil queens from fairy tales to create sophisticated business suits and sultry eveningwear. “I decided to go for it and shoot for the stars. The year was a roller coaster. It was an intense course, but totally worth it. The rewards you get seeing your designs come down the runway are incredible!
“When I came to school I wanted to make custom wedding dresses. I was using a lot of lace and it wasn’t really who I am. With a lot of thought and a lot of drawing I had close to 150 designs. I went back to my basics of who I am. I’m a simple person who likes simple things that are well constructed. I wanted to do something that was classy, chic, sexy and elegant. The instructors really pushed me to challenge myself. A suit has a lot more pieces than a ball gown. You have to be really precise. They encouraged me because they knew I was capable. It looks simple, but there’s a lot of work that goes into this.
“I can’t believe how far we’ve all come. Now I’m going to get my name out there and build a portfolio. I want to do custom designs for people looking for something special. The world is my oyster!”
“I was completely nervous to see what my collection looked like walking,” admitted Kari, whose leather and satin creations were inspired by the concept of fallen angels. “I loved it! It exceeded my expectations as a fashion show. I loved how small and intimate it was.
“The year was very informative. I learned so much. All my teachers were amazing. I will always keep in touch with them. It was a lot of hard work and I don’t regret a second. The show was even better than how I thought it was going to be.”
Kari’s award proved she was right to stick to her creative guns.
“I used satin and leather for my collection, which are two of the hardest materials to work with. That was my vision and I wanted to stick with it even though it was hard.”
Dorothy Ting took home Awards for Garment Construction and Design for her fusion of raw edges and delicate crystal embellishments, drawing inspiration from a pair of personal passions.
“When I visited Paris I went to Versailles, and as soon as I saw it I knew I wanted that to be my inspiration,” she explained. “I wanted to incorporate ballet too, because I’ve always loved those costumes. The instructors were very encouraging. They gave me clear, positive criticism. They understood what our visions were. Taking the Fashion Design program was intense, but so worth it. We all really enjoyed ourselves. The show was so exciting for the grads. Some of us got a little teary-eyed.
“I peeked into the portfolio room and could see people taking my business card and making really positive comments. That felt really good. I’m hoping to intern at a Fashion House internationally: ideally Marchesa in New York. I’m definitely ready for it.”
One of Fashion Lyrics’ sweetest moments came when Li Liu received a Special Award in recognition of her dedication to the program, attendance, professionalism, attitude and innovation.
“Seeing models with my clothes had been a dream since I was 17 years old,” she smiled after witnessing her colourful, geometrically engineered, Buddhist temple-inspired pieces on the runway. “Hearing the Fashion Directors tell me ‘good job’ made me so appreciative to have chosen to come to Blanche Macdonald. The instructors here know how to guide us to do our best. They are very patient and disciplined too. I was stressed and freaked out at the beginning of the program. I had no idea what my collection would be, but they guided me to this point. I love the teachers here. They’ve touched my heart.
“I’m confident that I can do what I like now. I’m from Shanghai and I’m going to take what I’ve learned back home and start a label.”
For Vancouver’s fashion community, the evening was a revelation.
“I thought it was fabulous,” confirmed superstar stylist Sarah Danniels. “This was my first Blanche Macdonald show and I was definitely impressed. Blown away. I was taking notes of the pieces I liked and I’ll definitely be contacting them for stuff.”
Joshua Langston, Editor-in-Chief for on-line fashion publication The Social Life, was glowing in his praise.
“It was amazing!” he smiled. “Kira Sams’ collection with all the metal and the ombre motif was incredible. I can’t even imagine the amount of work that went into that. I go to the Blanche Macdonald show every season. I like to support where everything happened for me – and the talent keeps getting better and better. Blanche has created this culture of design in their students and what they can go on to do afterwards. It’s life changing. It all starts here but it doesn’t end here. Anything can happen!”
The success of Fashion Lyrics wasn’t just down to the sweat and talent of the Fashion Design graduates. It was also a tribute to the hard work of the staff at Blanche Macdonald, with special mention due to the inspirational leadership of President Lily Lim, the endless efforts of Executive Program Director/Show Coordinator Peggy Morrison, Executive Program Director Donna Baldock, Fashion Director Tyler Udall, Career Director, Fashion Department Mel Watts, the expertise and support in the Sewing and Pattern Labs of Instructors Brenda Swinglehurst and Jenny Hedberg, and creative catalyst Lisa Gellert. Special thanks must also go to Instructors Carlie Wong, Mariana Prins, Matthew Burditt, Maneli Nourbakhsh, Rose Aiello, Emmanuel St. Juste and Wanda Sustersich, Lab Assistants Whitney Phuong, Hana Chiang and Jill Kacic, Creative Director Kelly Schmidt, Social Media Manager Natasha Eng, Social Media and Marketing Assistant Laila Fox, Instructor and Backstage Coordinator Lyndi Barrett and the team at Dela Cruz Public Relations.
Infinite gratitude too, must be given to the backstage styling team, led by Peggy Morrison, along with Leila Bani (Media Show only) and a team of volunteers from the Fashion Design and Fashion Merchandising programs. While instructors Jon Hennessey, Renata Trebacz and Barb Baker and their volunteer graduates and students from the Blanche Macdonald Makeup, Hair and Esthetics Schools ensured the models looked as spectacular as the collections. Thanks also to DJ Hana Pesut for providing a pair of amazing soundtracks to the two nights.
The entire team at Blanche Macdonald would also like to extend its sincerest gratitude to our corporate sponsors, Embryolisse Laboratories, butterLONDON, Goldwell, Linacare, Sappho Organics, Angela & Grabriel’s, our shoe and accessory sponsors, Town Shoes and Aldo & Aldo Accessories and The Bake Sale for their sensational cupcakes and cookies.
Full List of Award Winners
Overall Achievement: Kari Appelquist and Janis Procyk (tie)
Achievement in Pattern Making: Reghan Blake
Achievement in Garment Construction: Dorothy Ting
Honourable Mention for Pattern Making and Garment Construction: Katrina Chen
Achievement in Design: Kira Sams and Dorothy Ting (tie)
Achievement in Portfolio Presentation: Kira Sams
Special Award for Collection Interpretation: Tania Fergaru
Special Award for dedication to the program, attendance, professionalism, attitude and innovation: Li Liu
