VFW Sept. 2012 - The Lasalle Connection

Runway Photos courtesy of Eugenio Flores and Rene Artiga

LaSalle College Vancouver is part of a network of international schools.  For the last several seasons, their graduating fashion design students have been showing on the runway at Vancouver Fashion Week.  Student work brings fresh, young ideas to the table, but their creativity can be above production skills.  Not so here.  The four students who presented their collections were right on the mark.  Each collection was widely different which is always refreshing.  Looking closely, you could see excellent tailoring and finish work as well a good proportions and silhouettes.

While I loved all 4 collections - the top notch construction and design work on Ivan Yiu's line stood out to me.  This collection is store ready and I hope the retail community sits up and takes note.  I was also drawn to the dye work and use of colour in Mislaid Pieces.  The 5th collection down the runway featured an interesting selection of dresses created from newsprint for a design competition last spring - more details below.

Kudos to the LaSalle students for a job well done.  Below please find 4 looks from the runway as well as excepts from their personal bios.

Ivan Yiu

Photo Courtesy of Eugenio Flores

“I've always been around fashion because my dad owns a clothing manufacture company. I hung out there when I was young and I was really interested in the machines and how they worked. I really wanted to learn how to sew and I was always interested in designing things. Since my dad didn't have time to teach me himself, he decided that I should go to school for it.” That’s when he decided to find a fashion school in Vancouver to learn how to design and sew. One reason he chose LaSalle was the pattern drafting teacher – Nargas – who helped him tremendously. The collection of high fashion active-wear shown at VFW consisted of 22 looks (over 30 pieces) and was inspired by running and what he sees on the trails – water, silhouettes, wood grain and more.

Synikal by Byron Abad

Photo Courtesy of Rene Artiga

Byron Abad has been designing under the label ‘Synikal’ for over a decade, creating cutting-edge apparel for the fashion-conscious individual. Born and raised in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Byron moved to Vancouver in 2008 to expand his label. Although he has a Ready-To-Wear line, his primary focus is on creating custom pieces such as evening and bridal wear. Byron is currently attending LaSalle College International to further his education and knowledge of the Fashion Industry

Mislaid Pieces by Tara Star

Photo Courtesy of Eugenio Flores

When I was younger I had no interest in sewing at all. In Home Economics class I could barely sew a drawstring bag. I have always loved clothes however, trying all sorts of different fashions. Art and Illustration was always a draw to me too. Fashion design didn’t occur to me until I began a part time job at Le Chateau. I enjoyed working hard there and seeing all the new styles of clothes that would come in, as a result I began to research fashion schools. Calgary my hometown offered very few fashion programs and I had always dreamed of moving to B.C. so, I came to Vancouver for a weekend and enrolled in the Design program at Lasalle College International. Two years later I have the chance to show my debut collection at VFW.

Tartelette by Cassie Ai

Photo courtesy of Eugenio Flores

Originally from Japan, Ai showed passion for drawing and coloring from very young age. And it was those passions that led her to discover the world of fashion.  Ai arrived in Vancouver a little more than a year ago. At first, the young fashionista wanted to study in Montreal, but since Vancouver is closer to Tokyo and her family, she finally chose the cultural capital of British Columbia to teach her the fashion ropes. Ai is inspired by the mixed of Japanese and North American culture. Most of her designs are constructed and ready-to-wear; classy, elegant and feminine. Now she is completely focused on beautiful couture line for girls age 5-11.

MetroNews

This section included an unique selection of dresses submitted to a design challenge last spring focused on the Eco movement.  Metro News and Lasalle College came together to challenge their students to create high end, exciting garments from discarded newspaper.  At VFW we saw the entries submitted by Vancouver students, 2 of which made it into the top five finalists.  I think everyone in the audience was impressed with the intricate construction work and appealing silhouettes achieved.

Kudos to the LaSalle students for a strong showing this season.  For more information on the programs offered at LaSalle Vancouver please visit their website at www.lasallecollegevancouver.com.