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A Good Show Indeed from Kwantlen’s Fashion Design Grads

April 22nd, 2010 | Published in Event Report

Words by Nadia Chu. All photos by Budianto Nasrun. (Above: student Amanda Tan during show finale).

When a fashion show is simply called “The Show,” the expectations are set high for a smooth production and clothes that speak for themselves. Last Wednesday, Kwantlen Polytechnic University proved that their graduating class in the Fashion Design and Technology program not only met these expectations, but also exceeded them with designs that were varied, innovative, and unique.

Touted as one of the largest fashion shows in Western Canada, it was easy to see the amount of work and organization put into the production. Each student presented three outfits, which were introduced with music that effectively set the tone for the mood of their collection. There was hardly a clothing category missed, as we saw casual wear, business wear, maternity wear, as well as collections for men and children.

Kwantlen Show 2010 Three of the strongest womenswear collections were defined by their distinctive vision and thoughtful construction. For her line |sixteen| twenty| eight, Deanna Hooper created voluminous hooded rain jackets in silhouettes that were more Rick Owens than MEC.
A standout piece was her mustard coloured poncho with a cinched waist that had satisfyingly full sleeves. The olive coloured lining peeking out from inside the sleeves added just the right touch to make this the most dramatic piece of outerwear a girl could own.

Mariko Aramaki’s dresses for her line Mira Flamenco Designs (pictured, left) were truly spectacular in their luscious colours and endless cascading layers. Each dress had fine detailing around the bust and multi-layered skirts in fabrics of different weights and textures. They may be meant for flamenco dancers, but a girl could easily be persuaded to don one of these dresses long before taking any flamenco dancing lessons.

Chauntelle Walsh’s line Supernatural referenced the strong, dark and edgy aesthetic we saw much of in the past year, but her take was sophisticated, sleek, and best of all, environmentally conscious. All in black, each of her jackets was close fitting and timeless in its simplicity. With these designs, Chauntelle proves that a woman can really have it all: sustainability, high quality, and chic clothing.

The menswear collections may have been much fewer in number, but each one was memorable and utterly wearable. Nina Chen, for her line Vel Rider, successfully married cyclist attire with street wear in her clean-cut jackets with attractive and functional details. Carley Smulders covered the working man with her smart business wear line Carlyle, but she freshened things up with colour and fabric, using purple for a zippered cardigan and herringbone for a pea coat.

Some of the most creative collections came from students who designed for specific markets. Amanda Tan’s lingerie line Ron and Rose was exquisite, beautifully crafted, and wonderfully feminine with its soft pastel colours and flower petal motif. Childrenswear designer Eri Akai sent seriously adorable outfits down the runway for her line Maison de Clara. A matching herringbone hooded poncho and skirt set trimmed in sheepskin looked good enough to tempt even the big girls, although it surely would not look as cute on them. Elizabeth J. Morelos closed the show with her line Lisette, a collection of sexy, colourful, and fun swimwear designed for petite females.

Although the designs from the students were appealing, there were aspects of the show’s production that could have used improvement. Prior to the start of the show, the students’ portfolios were displayed on tables for attendees to look through. Unfortunately, these were put away after the show, which is exactly when many people would want to look closer at the designs because they were fresh in mind. There were also many instances where the clothes appeared to be too big on the models. Fit is a crucial part of a live runway show, so this should definitely be more carefully considered in future shows

Many different visions of fashion were presented at “The Show,” and in an industry rife with emerging designers, what will get a designer noticed is how they distinguish themselves from everybody else. For this 2010 graduating class, individuality and talent is in no short supply, and the local industry is looking forward to seeing how far they will go in the exciting world that is fashion.

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